Rupert Posted November 18, 2003 Share Posted November 18, 2003 Not much about Canada in the three main Irish morning papers! Except for a comment that Canada are way below Ireland in the Fifa rankings and an easy home win should be on the cards. We'll see. Will post after-match comments late tonight or tomorrow. Will talk to Bent and maybe other Canadians after game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthew Posted November 18, 2003 Share Posted November 18, 2003 Cheers Rupert, hope you enjoyed the match. I thought a heard a few scattered Canadians in the ground . . . cheers, matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
batch Posted November 18, 2003 Share Posted November 18, 2003 quote:Originally posted by matthew I thought a heard a few scattered Canadians in the ground . . . Yeah there where a few. Probably a group of about 50 from what i saw on the TV. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert Posted November 19, 2003 Author Share Posted November 19, 2003 I saw a couple of Canadians to the left of the press box and three flags in the opposite stand. As for the game, Canada weren't embarrassed but the didn't look anything like as organised as they did under Holger. Some good players might have returned since his exit but they're not much use if the team isn't set up right. Stalteri was so good, for an hour at least, in Germany last game I saw that it was a real shame to see him wasted at right-back. And Hastings was out of his depth at left-midfield. First time I've seen Jazic and he didn't look like a left-back. He could have been sent off early in the game, had it been a competitive match, for a foul when Keane was through. Pesch didn't look fit and while Radzinski tried hard (and should have scored at least once) I think Ireland would have been more worried by McKenna up front alongside him. Bircham was excellent for QPR against Plymouth on Saturday and got stuck in last night but was not as influential with his passing. In contrast Bent seemed to play better for Canada last night than he did on Saturday for Plymouth. He had more time on the ball and the short-passing style seemed to suit him. He linked up well with Stalteri on occasion. Bent told us afterwards that he thought it was a good experience for Canada, playing against a quality side, and that 3-0 flattered Ireland. My colleague from Plymouth will have stories later today and another tomorrow on www.thisisplymouth.co.uk - my story should be on www.thisisdevon.co.uk on Monday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rupert Posted November 19, 2003 Author Share Posted November 19, 2003 Re the anthems: I didn't see any Canadian players trying to sign! Bircham came back on after the whistle to swap shirts and was indeed wearing a sleeveless QPR shirt under his Canada shirt. Since the weekend he had tried (but failed) to wash the blue dye out of his hair! On Saturday it was a distinct blue and white stripe, last night it was white with a tinge of blue. Bent agreed he looked daft! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fanatic Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 rad was singing but its true i also noticed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gian-Luca Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 Thanks for the comments Rupert. I have to agree with Jason (and the BBC for that matter) about the scoreline flattering Ireland. Hopefully Canada's new coach (which surely can not be Miller, since the team is 0-3 with him as interim manager) will introduce a little more organization at the back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bettermirror Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 why does bircham where a qpr shirt underneath? i know he plays for the them, but that's silly. focus on your national team when playing for your national team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redhat Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 quote:Originally posted by bettermirror why does bircham where a qpr shirt underneath? i know he plays for the them, but that's silly. focus on your national team when playing for your national team. As much as I'd agree with you, Bircham is really a "transplanted Canadian" and his focus is with his club team first rather than nation. Yes it's silly, and no wonder Holger wouldn't stand for this or any of his antics ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimglow Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 quote:Originally posted by redhat As much as I'd agree with you, Bircham is really a "transplanted Canadian" and his focus is with his club team first rather than nation. Yes it's silly, and no wonder Holger wouldn't stand for this or any of his antics ... Further aiding my argument that dude shouldn't play for Canada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanKeay Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 Oh man, give the guy a break. Why cant he wear his qpr shirt under? he is a proud member of that team. I really think some people on this board are just looking for somthing to nail this guy on. He has been a solid addition to the squad, yes he has some things lacking in his game but he brings alot to the table that only few national team members have. He is our best defensive midfielder, so unless aguair steps up, he is gonna be our man. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David C. Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 I wouldn't consider Bircham our best defensive midfielder. 1. Stalteri 2. Bent 3. Aguiar 4. choice of Imhof, Bircham, Hutchinson (still young) and Kuklowski (also young) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimglow Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 quote:Originally posted by David C. I wouldn't consider Bircham our best defensive midfielder. 1. Stalteri 2. Bent 3. Aguiar 4. choice of Imhof, Bircham, Hutchinson (still young) and Kuklowski (also young) And guess what? They're all CANADIAN. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonovision Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 quote:Originally posted by David C. I wouldn't consider Bircham our best defensive midfielder. 1. Stalteri 2. Bent 3. Aguiar 4. choice of Imhof, Bircham, Hutchinson (still young) and Kuklowski (also young) I'll agree with you that Bircham is not our best defensive midfielder. Stalteri can obviously play almost anywhere on the pitch, but I think he is stronger in the D-mid position than Marc. Based on what I've seen in Nat team matches only (not club play), I'd also put Jason ahead of Marc. We haven't seen Aguiar play for Canada yet so his rank on the list is uncertain. I don't know if I would consider Hutchinson for the defensive midfielder role. He was playing an attacking role for his club side and actually was placed at forward towards the end of the season. What role does he play for the U20s/U23s? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David C. Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 re: Hutchinson So far, Atiba has played mainly as a defensive midfielder for our U-23 & U-20 teams. Julian plays off-mid for the U-23's and Chin for the U-20's. It does appear that Hutchinson might have the skills to play up more but I think that he still makes a solid def-mid choice - could be our Viera (without the attitude). Aguiar was listed based on his very solid club career in Portugal. I guess my point was that Bircham offers us greater depth rather than being a saviour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanKeay Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 How can you say that Atiba and Aguiar are better defencive midfielders. And maybe combined you have seen them like once or twice? Yah, atiba has roumers of Man City and such, and Agiuar plays for benfica... but Birch is also linked to spurs, AND GET THIS, we have actually seen him play!!! so lets not get ahead of ourselves. I will be the first to admit that Bircham is not the best player we have, but he does a good enough job in there. He was far better then Imhoff yesterday and he actually has a physical presence in there just ask all the irish midfielders. Now with Jason Bent, he is a quicker player then Birch but lacks a close touch and does not have the physical style that bircham has. You guys have to understand that the defencive midfielder has to be strong and willing to take fouls. For example look at the two best defencive midfielders in the game. Roy Keane and Patty Viera, both guys known for not taking any **** on the field, now i kno that Bircham isnt as skilled but you need that fear factor on your squad. And for all you "has to be canadain guys".. i dont hear u guys going on about Radzinksi? im sorry but he was a teenage boy when he came here and you still kiss his ass. (BTW, not just written to David, this is written to everyone on this board who slags bircham just because of his herritage and style. It just bugs me that you turn a blind eye to one of the major factors of an athlete) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David C. Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 Hey Sean, No need to get angry - I was not slagging Bircham. I just don't think that he is our saviour, as some people (not just you) have hinted - that's all. Yes, Birch gets his nose into everything but he is slow (watch the Duff goal again) and doesn't have the softest of touch. Good role player but not a midfield general. They have better tracking speed (Stalteri/Bent) and a better touch (Stalteri/Aguiar/Hutchinson). No, I have not seen Aguiar play but reports on this site and elsewhere express that he has a similar "midfield destroyer" mindset that you love in Birch but also has a better touch and a cannon of a shot. His success in Portugal cannot be ignored. I did qualify that Hutchinson (and Kuklowski) are still young. Just some thoughts - no slagging. Cheers Sean! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanKeay Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 I just get angry sometimes at the board in general, im not out to cause problems. Just Venting And i have seen aguiar once and he coughed up the ball for a goal, thats all i have seen from him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthew Posted November 19, 2003 Share Posted November 19, 2003 I've only seen Aguiar once in the last few years, but we saw a hell of a lot of him in 1997/98 and he was tremendous. I fully expect him to be our top d-mid option after Stalteri and if Stalteri is in the back then Aguiar should have that d-mid role. I like Bircham and I like what he brings to the table, but the way Bent combines with Stalteri makes me think they should play together. I like Birch's attitude and I like everything about him, except the QPR shirt. It's not a big deal to me, but ripping off your Canada shirt and running around with a QPR one after you score is prettydodgy to me. I mean if he scored the late goal against Finland and then did that it would have taken some of the joy out of it. I want him to run over the other teams supporters, raise his arms in celebration, kiss the maple leaf and point out who's number one like he did in Belfast. That was great. cheers, matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimglow Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 quote:Originally posted by SeanKeay And for all you "has to be canadain guys".. i dont hear u guys going on about Radzinksi? im sorry but he was a teenage boy when he came here and you still kiss his ass. Sean don't worry, I get mad at the board all the time! As for trying to imply hypocrisy in my judgement of Bircham, hypocrisy is the exact opposite of what I am. I was fully on board the anti-Hargreaves bandwagon when he turned his back on our country, and to accept Bircham as one of our own would be the ultimate act of hypocrisy. Concerning Radz, there's a hell of a difference between a teenage kid who arrived in this country and spent his formative soccer years in our program, and a guy who had never set foot in Canada until he was wearing the red and white (just like Owen did). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ed Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 I'll be surprised to see the people who call OH a 'whore' say the same about Bircham. Just a hunch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Keay Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 quote:Originally posted by Ed I'll be surprised to see the people who call OH a 'whore' say the same about Bircham. Just a hunch. From the high and mighty soap box: Keep it on topic, if an OH session starts here it will be killed. This is a thread about the Canada/Ireland game. If you want to discuss him, please head to General Discussion. On the other hand, if you want to debate Bircham, talent or nationality, go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matthew Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Ryan, no offence, but it wasn't like he brought up Nazi Germany or SARS, he brought up the case of another high profile soccer player who doesn't play for his country of birth the same as Bircham. Since this player is also born in Canada and since we were talking specifically about people's reactions to Bircham's lack of Canadianess, I think bringing up OH is perfectly valid and completely on topic. This thread is about Rupert going to Ireland and it became a thread about Bircham and then our d-mid situation. Why can't it evolve further? cheers, matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan Keay Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 quote:Originally posted by matthew Ryan, no offence, but it wasn't like he brought up Nazi Germany or SARS, he brought up the case of another high profile soccer player who doesn't play for his country of birth the same as Bircham. Since this player is also born in Canada and since we were talking specifically about people's reactions to Bircham's lack of Canadianess, I think bringing up OH is perfectly valid and completely on topic. This thread is about Rupert going to Ireland and it became a thread about Bircham and then our d-mid situation. Why can't it evolve further? cheers, matthew I think its pretty obvious that Hargreaves is a very contentious issue here. The main thing is, Im trying to avoid yet another pissing match over Hargreaves to raise up again. Everyone has their opinion on Hargreaves, and they aren't changing no matter how much everyone yells at each other. Im not saying his name is completely taboo. Provided it stays civil and on topic and related to the Canadian National Team (like what is currently in the thread), everything stays. Just a little gesture to remind everyone to keep it clean on an issue that definitely hits a nerve with most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanKeay Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 The diffence is easy tho, Birch never has a chance to play for england. Where as the whore was offered a spot on canada... THATS the difference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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