Have you got any Irish in you?

eirebhoy

By Aidan Fitzmaurice


Ireland manager Brian Kerr wants new players


Irish eyes will not be smiling this summer when UEFA EURO 2004™ kicks off without the presence of the Republic of Ireland who failed to qualify for the tournament. So the Irish are exploring all avenues in a bid to find new players to give them a better chance of reaching the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals.

New rules
Manager Brian Kerr and the Football Association of Ireland are looking to take advantage of a change in FIFA's rules on international eligibility which could allow some players to change allegiance and play for another country having already played international football at underage level for someone else.



Brian McBride: a United States player with an Irish surname


Further afield
Kerr is also keen to spread Ireland's scouting network beyond the normal sources of talent in Ireland and the United Kingdom, to look for young players in the United States and Australia who have Irish heritage and are eligible - and good enough - to represent the Republic.

Second nationality
FIFA has recently made a rule change which allows players to make one 'change' from country to country in their career, provided that they have not played senior international football for the first country, and as long as they hold citizenship of the second nation they decide to play for.

Macken example
Jon Macken played for England just once, at the FIFA World Youth Championship in Malaysia in 1997, but after failing to break into the senior national side, the striker, who cost Manchester City FC €7.4m in 2002, says he is interested in playing for Ireland as he qualifies through his parents.

Possible convert
"I played for England at Under-20 level which I thought ruled me out, but I guess the qualification criteria has been changed," said Macken. "If the chance to play international football came along I would have to take it seriously. As a professional you always want to test yourself against the best."

Nolan option
Kevin Nolan has scored ten goals from midfield for Bolton Wanderers FC this season. He was named in an Irish Under-18 squad by the then manager Kerr in 2000 but withdrew and played for England's Under-19s a month later. He is also eligible for Ireland by parentage.

'Big decision'
Nolan said: "I've heard stories about me playing for Ireland but nothing official. Maybe I'll have to sit down with the manager and my family and make a big decision. Ireland have got a lot of great midfielders so they might not want me anyway."

Small pool
Kerr has always stressed that, with only 35 players eligible for the Republic playing first-team football in England and Scotland's top two divisions, his pool of talent is very small and that he will explore all avenues to find players.

Irish heritage
That could lead to the United States, where 44 million people claim Irish heritage. In the recent past players with Irish surnames like O'Brien, Donovan, McBride and Cullen have all played internationally for the US.

We've talked about setting up a base in America to investigate players over there

Brian Kerr


American base
"We've talked about setting up a base in America to investigate players over there, having some place where American players can come in and let us have a look at them," said Kerr, doubtless aware that players with Irish names such as Carroll and Cronin are playing for the highly-rated US youth teams.

Footballing future
Where Ireland lead, others may follow. The descendents of ex-pats and émigrés to the new world could yet play a major part in the future of European football.

http://www.uefa.com/magazine/news/Kind=128/newsId=148898.html

smiaras

This post has been deleted.

qwertyup

Was Cascarino?

Dub13

eirebhoy...you the same bloke that postes on Liverpoo .TV

eirebhoy

Originally posted by Dub13
eirebhoy...you the same bloke that postes on Liverpoo .TV

no

[DF]Lenny

As Phil Lynott once said...Girls have you got any irish in you?...Would you like a bit more Irish in you?:D

cournioni

Haha... that's exactly what I thought of when I saw this thread.

KdjaCL

Should change that damn rule to say that you must have played either schoolboy or at some level with the countries FA(I) to qualify for the country.
At least then the future players of Ireland would be able to find it on a map.

Damn grandfather rule

kdjac

Healio

the irish team will end up with players playing on grounds similar to the entrants of the rose of tralee, their great-grandfather drinking a pint of guiness in an irish pub in timbuktoo!!!!