Rightdm00 Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 2 hours ago, villalad21 said: Man City will have 70-80 % possession. Hourihane will be a bit of a passenger in that scenario. Harsh but should be dropped. If Man City have that type of possession # then Hourihane is exactly the guy you want on the pitch. All Conor needs is half a second and the ball sitting on his left foot to produce a quality strike. He does it time and again. Conor is also our only good free kick taker on the team. We aren't going to shut out City. We need our top goal scorers on the pitch if we want to have any chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodders0223 Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 Conor has a roll to play this season and in the Citeh game probably a good 20 off the bench after we have inevitably run ragged. He's a dominating the game anyway and can bag a goal player or a fresh legs player. He isn't someone you want when you are away to City, far too passive, dissapears out the game too much and doesn't see anything or anyone going in behind him. McCarthy started Glenn Whelan over him this month in a crucial qualifier. That says it all. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted October 21, 2019 Share Posted October 21, 2019 I've noticed a pattern he gets dropped we lose games, he comes back and then we win games and so on. Whoever plays in midfield City are going to see much more of the ball than we do, we might as well just stick to the side that's won us the last two games, it's not even if Luiz is a great deal better than Hourihane as a DM, they're both more attack minded. Having him on the pitch will be our best chance of [ge]tting goals against a team like City either via him scoring or creating for someone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post TRO Posted October 21, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted October 21, 2019 (edited) He certainly divides opinion and I am no exception. I think his gait lends itself to being what he is.....He has a wand of a left foot and does, when allowed, take up some very dangerous positions, He is a threat, a weapon call it what you will, but a goal is always not far away, when he plays. The downside is when the going gets tough we tend to look for other players to close down, squeeze or challenge in a combative manner......Conor, sadly is not a robust player in that mould. When an opposition player needs to be tracked, he lacks the pace and ferocious tackle to accomodate. some would say a luxury player......David Platt was, but he was far more prolific and his runs more threatening. I think we have to Value Conor for what he is, not what he isn't........that's why sadly for him, I see him being the tactical scapegoat many more times than for his liking Edited October 21, 2019 by TRO 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVTuco Posted October 21, 2019 VT Supporter Share Posted October 21, 2019 Conor should play a significant part of every game. We are too dependent on Jack and John already. Conor gives us some more depth in goal-scoring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zab6359 Posted October 22, 2019 Share Posted October 22, 2019 We seem to have this debate over and over and he's proved over and over he deserves to start! He's our joint top goal scorer (should be our leading goal scorer), our only major threat from set pieces and has more shots on target than everyone except Wesley. I find it highly unlikely DS will change a winning team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indigo Posted October 22, 2019 Share Posted October 22, 2019 12 hours ago, rodders0223 said: McCarthy started Glenn Whelan over him this month in a crucial qualifier. That says it all. He started Alan Browne over him, not Whelan as they play in different positions in midfield (or at least have been for Ireland). Was a widely criticised decision to not involve him too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lexicon Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 McCarthy is an old school manager and the Irish team don't really have the ability or players to make up for someone who doesn't really put a shift in defensively, or at least appear to do so. He does track back at times, and he's quicker than people give him credit for (off the ball certainly) but he knows that his strength lies in attack and so that's where he does his playing. A goal, assist and set-piece threat is always nice to have on the pitch and with the formation we have, using players like Grealish, McGinn and Nakamba, we can accommodate him. Not sure about the City game, though. Might need Luiz there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philosopher Posted October 23, 2019 Share Posted October 23, 2019 On 22/10/2019 at 03:51, zab6359 said: We seem to have this debate over and over and he's proved over and over he deserves to start! He's our joint top goal scorer (should be our leading goal scorer), our only major threat from set pieces and has more shots on target than everyone except Wesley. I find it highly unlikely DS will change a winning team. I'm pretty sure that if McGinn or Wesley had played those carabao cup games they would have a higher goal tally. I personally believe Conor won't be of much use against city in terms of starting but I would certainly look at bring him on the the Last 25 minutes regardless. Would also start Trezguet ( instead of El Ghazi) and get him playing off Wesley. His extra pace will be exactly what city will hate on the counter, and he is better with the pressing. For me I have always thought it's Conor or McGinn if we had wingers regularly performing. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Killeen30 Posted October 24, 2019 Share Posted October 24, 2019 On 21/10/2019 at 17:39, rodders0223 said: Conor has a roll to play this season and in the Citeh game probably a good 20 off the bench after we have inevitably run ragged. He's a dominating the game anyway and can bag a goal player or a fresh legs player. He isn't someone you want when you are away to City, far too passive, dissapears out the game too much and doesn't see anything or anyone going in behind him. McCarthy started Glenn Whelan over him this month in a crucial qualifier. That says it all. That says more about McCarthy than Conor. Anyone who thinks different is wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 Look what happens when he gets dropped, we lose and fail to score. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Dr_Pangloss Posted October 26, 2019 Popular Post Share Posted October 26, 2019 15 minutes ago, useless said: Look what happens when he gets dropped, we lose and fail to score. Yep, nothing to do with playing away against one of the best teams in football. 1 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAMAICAN-VILLAN Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 32 minutes ago, useless said: Look what happens when he gets dropped, we lose and fail to score. I actually think we would probably have lost by more if he played. He might have scored a worldy, freekick or something to make it 5 - 1 but considering the opposition I think this is a false assessment. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVTuco Posted October 26, 2019 VT Supporter Share Posted October 26, 2019 I first wanted him to be dropping, using the same logic as JV above. But then I thought he might have scored from a freekick, which would have been our best chance. Now I think it didn't matter. But play him against Liverpool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillanousOne Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 i don't think he should have been dropped today, it is odd as McGinn has been anonymous in the last few games yet rarely gets criticised, even if he scores goals in a game people still question Connor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AV82 Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 (edited) In hindsight I think he would've offered more than McGinn did today. Edited October 26, 2019 by AV82 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trickster Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 Lot of hindsight really. He wouldn't be able to carry the ball at pace for McGinn's chance and isn't anywhere near as good at getting close to opposition as McGinn. He didn't have his best game but Conor wouldn't have added anything and indeed it would have made the rest of the midfield work a lot harder such is his lack of pace going after players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomaszk Posted October 26, 2019 Share Posted October 26, 2019 6 hours ago, AV82 said: In hindsight I think he would've offered more than McGinn did today. No chance. Not when it's hard. That's when Hourihane disappears. He's proven it enough times now. Maybe he could play in a home match where we might have more of a go, not away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villalad21 Posted October 27, 2019 Share Posted October 27, 2019 We might have scored a goal if he started but we would still have lost the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
useless Posted October 27, 2019 Share Posted October 27, 2019 I was saying to start him before the game, we didn't and we lost. I was also saying to start him and switch Grealish to one of the wide positions before the Norwich and Brighton games, we did, won both games with Hourihane getting a goal and an assist, having a goal unfairly ruled out and winning a penalty, and Grealish winning rave reviews in his new position. Of course we may still have lost with Hourihane starting, but I don't think we should have changed a winning side, it's not even as if Hourihane was dropped for someone with vastly superior defensive skills to him in order combat City's attacking powers. When he's on the pitch it always feels more likely that we're going to score, even if we'd have just got one yesterday to help out with our goal difference it would have made a difference. For me he's one of our most important players in the attacking half perhaps behind only Grealish and McGinn, the sooner we realise that the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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