Electronic Arts UK Community - View Single Post - Martin O’Neill.............. Inside a Managers Mind.

ReoCoker_20 · 03-01-2009, 05:33 AM

The past week has been a disappointing one for the team, a loss to Chelsea and injuries to a number of key players have really put us on the back foot in terms of reaching our season goals. After the disappointing loss to Chelsea, I knew that I had to add to the squad if we had any hope of finishing in the top four. The injury that Luke Young picked up in training will keep him out for 3 months and not having a suitable defender to take his spot will affect the team, if I do not act on it now. Denis Kolodin did a suitable job in the match against Chelsea, but I would prefer to have him available to play in midfield when needed.

The loss of Agbonlahor and Ashley Young, after their participation in England's clash with Italy is something I did not expect, but hopefully their injuries, will keep the attention in regards to transfers off them for a while. Talking with the technical staff at the club, we have agreed it is imperative we find suitable replacements for the injured players as soon as possible.

Luke Young's replacement should be joining the club in the next few days, which will hopefully give him enough time to be ready for the Hull game. We are also expecting the arrival of young Australian striker Nikita Rukavytsya, who will be on trial with the club for the next two weeks. He is a pacey forward and could be a good buy for the club, I will be interested to see how he does and hopefully we can announce him as a new member of the squad in the coming weeks.

Finding the right people to fill in for Agbonlahor and Ashley Young will be a tough ask. There is a possibility in Marlon Harewood returning on a loan spell from Wigan, which could be a good option for us, but I think if we can sign a new striker as a backup for Carew and Agbonlahor that would be the best for the club.

Hull will be a good game for us next week, I will be looking to use the game as a stepping stone for the rest of the season and hopefully we can put together a string of wins to get us in the top four.

Martin O'Neill

03-01-2009, 05:33 AM	#76 (permalink)
ReoCoker_20 Rookie Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 49	The past week has been a disappointing one for the team, a loss to Chelsea and injuries to a number of key players have really put us on the back foot in terms of reaching our season goals. After the disappointing loss to Chelsea, I knew that I had to add to the squad if we had any hope of finishing in the top four. The injury that Luke Young picked up in training will keep him out for 3 months and not having a suitable defender to take his spot will affect the team, if I do not act on it now. Denis Kolodin did a suitable job in the match against Chelsea, but I would prefer to have him available to play in midfield when needed. The loss of Agbonlahor and Ashley Young, after their participation in England's clash with Italy is something I did not expect, but hopefully their injuries, will keep the attention in regards to transfers off them for a while. Talking with the technical staff at the club, we have agreed it is imperative we find suitable replacements for the injured players as soon as possible. Luke Young's replacement should be joining the club in the next few days, which will hopefully give him enough time to be ready for the Hull game. We are also expecting the arrival of young Australian striker Nikita Rukavytsya, who will be on trial with the club for the next two weeks. He is a pacey forward and could be a good buy for the club, I will be interested to see how he does and hopefully we can announce him as a new member of the squad in the coming weeks. Finding the right people to fill in for Agbonlahor and Ashley Young will be a tough ask. There is a possibility in Marlon Harewood returning on a loan spell from Wigan, which could be a good option for us, but I think if we can sign a new striker as a backup for Carew and Agbonlahor that would be the best for the club. Hull will be a good game for us next week, I will be looking to use the game as a stepping stone for the rest of the season and hopefully we can put together a string of wins to get us in the top four. Martin O'Neill __________________