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Ireland v Colombia: player ratings

Ireland v Colombia: player ratings

A first victory for the Republic of Ireland under Giovanni Trapattoni, with Dean Kiely unbeatable. But who else impressed for Ireland? And who just depressed? Read on for the eleven-a-side.com player ratings from Thursday night’s friendly at Craven Cottage.

By eleven-a-side.com
29 May 2008, 10:42:16 PM

Dean Kiely: Eight first half saves, some of them stupendous, made Kiely the undisputed Man of the Match. Faultless handling – loses a mark for one or two wayward kicks. (Harsh – Ed.) 9

John O’Shea: Effective and reliable, O’Shea could make the right back role his own under Trapattoni. 7

Damien Delaney: Left back has been a problem position but Delaney, steady and sturdy, has been a real positive in Trapattoni’s first two games in charge. 7

Paul McShane: The spotlight was on the Sunderland man after Saturday’s costly error and turned in a better shift here. Nevertheless, Trap will surely be thinking of other options come the autumn. 6

Richard Dunne: Looked uncharacteristically flustered at times, but Dunne remains a key man in the Irish team with the World Cup qualifiers in mind. 6

Glenn Whelan: Chased shadows for much of the first half but improved a little after the interval. Needs to make the most of his arrival in the Premier League, though, to retain his place in September. 5

Liam Miller: Better than on Saturday, but with Carsley, Steven Reid and Andy Reid to come back, looks vulnerable. 6

Andy Keogh: In the side after Damien Duff was forced out with sinusitis, Keogh turned in an honest shift out of position on the wing. 6

Aiden McGeady: For all his skill, struggled to really create anything on either flank. Has improved significantly over the past 12 months but must continue the upward curve to make a big impact on the international stage. 6

Robbie Keane: Largely anonymous in the first half despite his winning goal, Keane’s second half showing, when he dropped deep to find space and possession, and to aid his midfielders, was much improved. 7

Kevin Doyle: Looks in pole position to retain his starting role in Trapattoni’s first XI after this showing. A massive work-rate, the Wexford lad should return rejuvenated after a rest. 7

Subs:

Daryl Murphy: Introduced in place of Doyle for the final five minutes. Not on long enough to rate.

Wes Hoolahan: A senior international debut for the Blackpool midfielder. Not on long enough to rate.

Comments: (NB: This Blog is now closed for comments)

Goodness me, but I don’t get the impression that we were watching the same game? Keily was excellent. O’Shea was dreadful. His distribution was 7 out of 10 passes to the opposition (count ’em). The centre backs seemed solid. Delaney was certainly good for the money too. The midfield pairing of Whelan and Miller were the hardest worked on the pitch. Miller got stuck into everything and was involved in every good Irish attack. It was impossible for him to be creative given the poor display from the front. Keogh is definitely not a winger, it showed! McGeady never took on his man and beat him.. a terrible display. Apart from a very lucky goal, Keane was anonymous, and poor Doyle never got the better of his marker. So, full credit to the midfield partnership for the huge amount of work they did and the two centre backs and especially the keeper.
Of encouragement was the overall structure and shape of the team, something clearly down to the manager.
As a last comment, putting in great effort is not an adequate substitute for talent, good tackling, vision, beating the opposite player etc. Effort is really not enough.

mccluskey - 12:05:57 AM, 5/30/2008

Dean Kiely: Reminded everyone that he is as good as Given. 10

John O’Shea: Good game, showed his experience when covering inexperienced players around him. 7

Damien Delaney: Another good game 7

Paul McShane: Responded to his criticism with courage, and has gone some way to reinstating his claim 8

Richard Dunne: Good game, poor passes. 6

Glenn Whelan:Good covering job against pacy opponents. 6

Liam Miller: Mature performance from a player with something to offer the squad. 6

Andy Keogh:
Worked hard, should have replaced Doyle up front in the second half. 6

Aiden McGeady: Good performance, needed his strikers to make runs to enhance his own work. 8

Robbie Keane: Quiet game, but scored, in the true ’Italian job’ style. 7

Kevin Doyle: Hard working but lacked impact. 7

Subs:
Daryl Murphy:
Made some impact when introduced.6

Wes Hoolahan: Good to see him get a game in the Green Shirt. 5

TO’T - 12:24:06 AM, 5/30/2008

mccluskey,

i agree - effort, on it’s own, is not good enough.

And that’s why Whelan is not good enough, nowhere near it, for this level. Need Carsley or Steven Reid, or maybe both, in the midfield areas. Maybe Whelan in a year or two, but certainly not now.

joy division - 12:41:25 AM, 5/30/2008

Are these player ratings for the match tonight, or players ratings in general?

Seamus - 1:23:47 AM, 5/30/2008

ratings for the game against colombia seamus.

would agree with most of it, too, though maybe doyler was lucky to get 7.

dixer - 9:58:26 AM, 5/30/2008

I was at the match and Ireland’s 3 best players were Kiely, McGeady and Doyle. The latter 2 were the only ones who could hold on to the ball and allow the rest of the players to push up and get into the game. Same old problem for us, no one in midfield who could control the play. Miller, Whelan and Keogh were chasing shadows and aren’t good enough for this level. Keane, for all his posturing and shouting, was poor (again) while Delaney looks like he’ll play out the rest of his career in the Championship. We lack quality. Simple as that.

Neill - 10:06:04 AM, 5/30/2008

Keane:I missed his goal so all I got to see of him was the usual running around shouting and being stroppy(not what you’d want the leader of the team to be doing really).

Doyle:Neat and tidy in patches couldnt deal with the impressive pace of the colombian centre back though.

Mcgeady:I’d agree that he did something at least no end result but he did have a few runs past people which no other player did.

Keogh:bit unfair to play out of position but he wasn’t any good out there what ever the reason.

Miller and Whelan:The centre midfield were completely outclassed for most of the game until the subs came on for Colombia.

Delaney:I thought he looked fairly decent myself.

Mcshane: did well but had one mess of a clearance that went along the ground straight to a colombian. they didnt score this time but hes still making mistakes.

Dunne:Very busy thought he kept things covered well overall though.

O’Shea:Decent job too, asked to defend for most of the game so wouldnt critisize too much for not creating.

Kiely:Very good in wet conditions, needed experience like him in the last campaign(San Marino)

kevlar - 10:31:21 AM, 5/30/2008

Kiely 9 did everything required
O’Shea 6 we need a lot more effort from him or maybe even a tackle would help 2 clear goal chances came from him not bothering to slide tackle
Delaney 8 work hard & put in a lot of good tackles
McShane 7 Some good challenges but poor distribution
Dunne 7 lack of midfield put the c.backs under severe pressure but solid enough
Whelan 5 very poor 1st half, improved in the second
Miller 6 also got caught up field with Whelan but set up the goal & cleared off the line
Keogh 7 is not a winger but did his best
McGeady 8 got us out of trouble a good few times with his pace & trickery, was doubled up on & didnt get much help from his team mates, lost 2 points for a couple of poor dead balls, but him & Duff attacking the full backs is something to look forward to
Doyle 7 worked very hard but his touch let him down
Keane 7 scored!

me - 11:37:25 AM, 5/30/2008

Why are people so biased against McShane? He was easily the best Irish player on the park in the 2nd half. Every ball into the box he was clearing. He made a minor error in the first half where he miskicked a clearance but every single Irish player made at least one error last night. For some reason everyone likes to remember McShane’s.

Gary Miller - 12:12:39 PM, 5/30/2008

I was at the game aswell, and I agree with Neill, in comment 6 about Keogh, Miller and Whelan, who I feel were totally at sea for the whole 90 minutes. Both Reid’s and Ireland will offer greater strength when they come back. Thought Delaney looked quite composed. Hope Trapp gives him another go against Norway.
Not convinced at all by Mc Shane. Will have to stick with him as there’s no one else better.
McGeady played well 2nd half, Trapp obviously told him to attack the right back, which he did on a few runs.
Hate to see keane drop back into the middle, like he did for most of the 2nd half and he has done for spurs. He did an effective job mind, but he’s a striker, shame our midfielders just weren’t strong enough to breakdown play and create openings.
Doyle worked well, but really struggled with the bigger and very quick defender.

Thought the Colombian fans put on a good show.

Majeeka - 1:01:44 PM, 5/30/2008

For me I’m constantly disappointed in O’Shea. His ability is there for all to see but his concentration is poor, he is lazy and he doesn’t take any responsibility. This all may be due to a lack of confidence but in one instance last night, Kiely threw the ball out to O’Shea who was happy to allow this to go over his head to the winger - until he realised there was ni winger there and he had to get running after the ball. Most full-backs, on see their keeper pick up the ball, are already running to make space for themselves to receive the pass.

Eamon - 1:03:03 PM, 5/30/2008

totally agree with you kevlar. Whelan,Millar,Keogh (out of position) just not good enough. as for O’Shea, his lazy actions are there for all to see. everytime he wears an Ireland jersey its the same..time he got the finger out and started to act as one of the senior players. as for out captain Keane, well another who would need to learn what a captain does instead of giving out and doing nothing himself. overall we lack quality and trap will set up a stall alright but will it be enough?? Molby

- 1:15:18 PM, 5/30/2008

Kiely - 10 what more could he do!

O’Shea - 6 just about did what he had to. offered nothing going forward.

Dunne - 6 lookes shaky at times. Maybe the unrest at city has effected him.

McShane - 7 a couple of mistakes in the first half but very solid in the second. attacked and cleared everytyhing that came near him

Delaney - 6, same as O’Shea

Overall distirbution from the back was very poor

McGeady 6 never really go into his stride. But keep position most of the time. will be very importany in WC games

Keogh 5 clearly not a wide made. Very surprised that Trapp plays him there. Stan tried the same and got alot of stick for it. Decent squad man as cover for the front two.

Miller -5 Showed some good touches.Always looks like he could give 20% more. needs a good kick up the back side to get him going. Has talent but really lacks hunger for the game.

Whelan - 4 honest and hard working but clearly not up to this level. will struggle to hold down his pace in the prem with Stoke. Very strange that he made it into the squad ahead of his team mates Delap and Lawerence.

The midfield need to work on getting on the ball and keeping position. of these 4 McGeady is the only one who will feature if everyone is available. But alot of work is still needed to be done on this area.In my opinion the best midfield would can put out is Mcgeady S Reid Ireland (if he choses to play) Duff

Doyle - 6 Will always work his socks off but very little end product. He seems almost frustrated with himself. A move to a bigger club could be just what he needs to continue the development he has made over the last 3 years. Villa could be perfect for him.

Keane - 6 lucky for the goal. Doesn’t quite seem to know what his role is. Needs to work on his partnership with Doyle. Maybe a week in a training camp in Portugal would help?

Murphy- only on for the sake of it. didn’t have time to make any impact. Could be a very import player in WC games. He and Doyle may well routate just like Quinn and Cas did in the past.

Hoolahan, again no time to make an impact. good to see him get on. Looks like he will get a move to one of the big championship teams which can only help him.

Trappatoni- 7 There has been no drastic changes but that was never going to be the case. Has clearly brought a shape to the team. It would appear he has decided that defence is what needed work first as Ireland seem more concerned about not conceeding goals than scoring them. Will be interesting to see how developes that part of our games too a it needs major work. The pressure will be on come September and improvment is needed if we are going to challenge for qualification.

hot dog - 1:43:31 PM, 5/30/2008

The classy Colombian midfielders were a joy to watch. Everytime Keane or Doyle lost the ball 2 passes later the ball was around our box. Compare that to our midfielders who shy away from receiving possession constantly and when they have the ball we’re lucky if it goes forward. Whelan and Miller played the ball sideways all night. There was no link between forwards and backs. Its been like this for years now. Carsley when he plays goes on the missing list when we have the ball. He holds down a place by making a couple of hard challenges! Not good enough. Trap needs to address this before the qualifers because no amount of team spirit or defensive organisation will save us if we give an endless supply of cheap possession to technically superior teams (Italy and Bulgaria). Change the style before thinking about who should play where.

Corny - 1:50:55 PM, 5/30/2008

nice resumé there Hot dog. But I think you are just a little unfair on the midfielders. They were swamped by the Columbian back line and midfield moving forward quickly and very skillfully at every opportunity. There was not a lot that Miller and Whelan could do apart from stem the tide and harry them into mistakes, something I thought they did with some success. They would have had a better chance to do more creative work with Duff helping out and pinning the Columbians back. Didn’t the manager single out the work done by Miller in a later interview? He does know when and how to tackle and can (when concentrating) give a good pass. I haven’t seen enough of Whelan to judge yet.
Otherwise I, for one, agree with all your comments.

mccluskey - 2:48:29 PM, 5/30/2008

didnt see the whole game , but great to read all the reviews. amazing how players gain a reputation, and are judged on that alone. what I saw was mcshane ready to die for his jersey, and then thrashed by all and sundry. in the game itself, he was better than dunne, but consistently scored lower in the ratings,why? keane brings nothing to our party, except feeling sorry for himself. I think he is technically the worst player ever wore the green jersey, and i’ve seen some bad ones. forget the goals against third rate opposition many years ago. in the here and now, he is not the standard we need. at least try to develope a younger striker. mcgeady is a football writers myth. he runs very very fast into cul de sacs, every time. he delivers nothing. he either falls over, or turns around and heads back towards our own goal at breakneck speed.but one things for sure, when mcgeady gets the ball, the move is dead.

jonner - 1:39:51 AM, 5/31/2008

McGeady gets a 6? FAIL.

He had a very good game, particularly in the 2nd half.

Gerry - 7:54:30 PM, 5/31/2008

Why are people so biased against McShane? - Gary Miller

----------------

I agree. Didn’t think McShane did that much wrong. His trouble is a lack of concentration. He’ll play well for 99% of the game and then do something stupid. Didn’t notice any huge mistakes, so for me it has to go down as at least an adequate performance.

Generally been heartened by Trap playing people in position, in particular having a left back at left back. A nice change from his predecessor. Unfortunately though that didn’t stretch to Keogh. What did we learn from that? We knew before the game that he’s not a winger, and that’s all his performance proved. Personally I’d have liked to have seen Hoolahan brought on earlier and Keogh given longer up front.

At one point I didn’t think Trap was going to make any subs at all. It’s nice to see him take friendlies seriously, but it would have been nice to see a couple of others get a run at the end.

Hither Green - 11:38:43 AM, 6/2/2008

@Jonner
Keane is to quote you - "technically the worst player ever wore the green jersey, and i’ve seen some bad ones.".
You must be losing the run of yourself because the last time I looked he is our all time top goalscorer, has scored in a World Cup and captains his club.

El Scifo - 4:46:11 PM, 6/3/2008

You’ve hit the nail on the head Corny.
Our back five & forwards can be solid with the righ t coach but the lack of quality in Central midfield is depressing.I really wonder what way the likes of whealan, Miller are coached.Midfield is about linking play getting the ball off the back four,setting the temp yet they seemed to shy away from this.Winning a few tackles isn’t enough.Our Midfielders never seem to a/look for the ball from the back four & b/make good positions to enable themseleves to do this.
Andy Reid is one player who seems to back his ability and has some vision but the rest are more athletes than footballers.That has to be a worry.We’ll need to keep the ball in Sofia & Italy -just taking the sting out of the game & protecting our back four.If we keep giving the ball away we won’t qualify.

jimmo - 1:38:47 PM, 6/5/2008