Republic of Ireland Team Talk/News/Rumours

grenache

Mezcita wrote: »

Can't fault the guy's commitment but if he was Premier League class he would have moved from Forest a few years ago.

It's untrue to say he failed in the PL or isn't PL class. He was very good for Charlton between 06 & 08. Was nominated for their Player of the Year award in '07 but lost out to Scott Carson. He was also excellent for Sunderland in 08 before picking up a bad injury. He never recovered his form when he recovered his fitness.

He loves Forest. He only wants to go back to the PL with them. They are the club who gave him his big break. They looked after him when he was young and had a kid. They didn't stand in his way when he got his big move to Spurs in '05. Now he wants to repay them. You can see it when he scores how much he enjoys playing his football at the club. His missus is from Nottingham too. He's the most popular player at the club.

EdenHazard

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Premier League class me bollocks. He's a half decent Championship player enjoying a relatively magnificent run of form. Reid would have made little or no difference to our fortunes.

I hate your posts. If a player like Reid is a class above in the championship which he is, he's clearly Premier League class, doesn't mean he's Premier League winning class but he clearly has the ability to be a prem footballer.

nbar12

Andy Reid has a great left foot and the experience to do a good job for a promoted side like Palace! He could definitely still work his magic in the Premier League

simongurnick

The fact people are still harping on about Andy Reid shows what a ****e state we are in!

Trap's a fool! Bring back Reid! (Championship journeyman)
Trap's a fool! Play Hoolihan (Can't even get in for Norwich)
Trap's a fool! He didn't play Gibson! (Can't even get in the SQUAD for Everton)

DeanAustin

EdenHazard wrote: »

I hate your posts. If a player like Reid is a class above in the championship which he is, he's clearly Premier League class, doesn't mean he's Premier League winning class but he clearly has the ability to be a prem footballer.

There have been many players over the years who have been too good for the Championship but not good enough for the Premiership and I think Reid probably falls into that bracket. He has a lot of ability because he'd had spells where he's looked great in the Prem but he's never sustained it. Maybe I'm assuming incorrectly here but it always seems to be down to his fitness and conditioning.

I remember when he was playing well with Sunderland, he'd lost a lot of weight and looked in great shape. But he's never been in great shape for very long and usually gotten injured and put some of the weight back on.

I don't buy what a poster says above about only wanting to play in the Prem with Forest. I don't doubt that he loves the club but if a, say, Aston Villa came in for him, I'd bet my bottom dollar he'd be off.

All that said, the lad is clearly deserving of a spot in our squad.

Lennonist

simongurnick wrote: »

The fact people are still harping on about Andy Reid shows what a ****e state we are in!

Trap's a fool! Bring back Reid! (Championship journeyman)
Trap's a fool! Play Hoolihan (Can't even get in for Norwich)
Trap's a fool! He didn't play Gibson! (Can't even get in the SQUAD for Everton)

Trap is gone forget about him.

LowOdour

simongurnick wrote: »

The fact people are still harping on about Andy Reid shows what a ****e state we are in!

Trap's a fool! Bring back Reid! (Championship journeyman)
Trap's a fool! Play Hoolihan (Can't even get in for Norwich)
Trap's a fool! He didn't play Gibson! (Can't even get in the SQUAD for Everton)

I think that when Trap dropped him, Andy Reid was playing quite well for his club. McClean wasnt picked while playing well for sunderland. Hoolahan wasnt picked while playing well for Norwich. This was a trend with Trap (more so for attacking players, which is what we all want to see) .

Trap was right not to have picked Reid when he wasn't in good form (loaned out to Sheff United etc). Should be the same with Hoolahan etc.

But, if you have a mediocre squad like we do, its better to have a mediocre squad which includes players in good club form. In some cases, we have players not in good form or not playing at all in the squad.

So, if Trap was still manager for the last few games, then people would want Reid in on current form, probably ahead of Hoolahan. . Its fickle, but us supporters are!

Pro. F

Hoolahan absolutely still needs to be included in the squad and at the least be subbed on regularly. The fact that Norwich have spent well this summer and pushed him out of the first choice eleven is not important. He is still by far one of the most skilful and creative players we have available.

Dont be at yourself

In fairness, we need to make the most of the remaining fixtures and friendlies to build a team for the Euros qualification campaign. By the time that rolls around, Hoolahan and Reid will both be 32 -- and 34 by the time of the tournament itself.

They can certainly do a job for us, but they're very much a known quantity, and I'd like to see the likes of Meyler, Brady etc get some more minutes and experience before our next competitive game.

LuckyLloyd

EdenHazard wrote: »

I hate your posts. If a player like Reid is a class above in the championship which he is, he's clearly Premier League class, doesn't mean he's Premier League winning class but he clearly has the ability to be a prem footballer.

In his career to date, Andy Reid has made 371 appearances in the football league. 25% of those appearances have been at Premiership level. Is the Premiership wrong in your opinion? Is Andy Reid unfairly discounted? Or is he a half decent Championship player with a bad attitude to his fitness and discipline over the years who never maximised his talent?

Andy Reid has the small heart, will be 34 at the next major International Championship we can qualify for, never was and won't ever be an important factor for us. Next.

Corholio

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

In his career to date, Andy Reid has made 371 appearances in the football league. 25% of those appearances have been at Premiership level. Is the Premiership wrong in your opinion? Is Andy Reid unfairly discounted? Or is he a half decent Championship player with a bad attitude to his fitness and discipline over the years who never maximised his talent?

Andy Reid has the small heart, will be 34 at the next major International Championship we can qualify for, never was and won't ever be an important factor for us. Next.

Small heart? Discipline?

Why hasn't he tumbled down the leagues then, because it certainly sounds like your describing someone who'd be playing League 2 by now, when he's a good season away from being back in the Premiership. Almost no players we have right now bar Coleman and McCarthy could be described as being an important factor for us, all could be replaced by someone else.

simongurnick

Pro. F wrote: »

Hoolahan absolutely still needs to be included in the squad and at the least be subbed on regularly. The fact that Norwich have spent well this summer and pushed him out of the first choice eleven is not important. He is still by far one of the most skilful and creative players we have available.

I'd rather see us spend the time blooding someone like Robbie Brady.
Hoolahan is no great shakes.

Backstreet Moyes

simongurnick wrote: »

I'd rather see us spend the time blooding someone like Robbie Brady.
Hoolahan is no great shakes.

What's Hoolohan got to do with Brady they don't play in the same position. Besides Brady doesn't need to be blooded he is already good enough. Then add in his set pieces are very good also would make us more dangerous.

Banjaxed82

Corholio wrote: »

Small heart? Discipline?

Why hasn't he tumbled down the leagues then, because it certainly sounds like your describing someone who'd be playing League 2 by now, when he's a good season away from being back in the Premiership. Almost no players we have right now bar Coleman and McCarthy could be described as being an important factor for us, all could be replaced by someone else.

I don't know about the heart side of things, but it's obvious that Reid has (had) zero discipline in his career. The fact that that he hasn't tumbled down the leagues probably says more about the talent he does possess, and the potential that managers constantly see in him.

Reid like a lot of talented players who never live up to potential, never had the mental strength to cut it.

There's a reason why less than talented players like Glenn Whelan and Kilbane have done alright for themselves. Their mental strength far outweighed what their feet could do.

keeponhurling

LowOdour wrote: »

I think that when Trap dropped him, Andy Reid was playing quite well for his club. McClean wasnt picked while playing well for sunderland. Hoolahan wasnt picked while playing well for Norwich. This was a trend with Trap (more so for attacking players, which is what we all want to see) .

!

There is also a point that as international teams only have 10 or so matches a year, to have some sort of cohesion and familiarity with each other takes time to build up.

As in, you could always pick flavour of the month, but you'd have no stability.

There's a balance to be struck there.

In particular you couldn't be listening to the media too much, who big up a player without much basis, then knock them down again.

LuckyLloyd

Corholio wrote: »

Small heart? Discipline?

Why hasn't he tumbled down the leagues then, because it certainly sounds like your describing someone who'd be playing League 2 by now, when he's a good season away from being back in the Premiership. Almost no players we have right now bar Coleman and McCarthy could be described as being an important factor for us, all could be replaced by someone else.

No, I'm describing an incredibly technically gifted footballer who's had a decent but far from great career. Whelan and Kilbane managed many more Premiership appearances despite a fraction of the ability. Why is that?

Pro. F

simongurnick wrote: »

I'd rather see us spend the time blooding someone like Robbie Brady.
Hoolahan is no great shakes.

Brady plays a different position.
Brady doesn't need to be blooded, he's doing fine for himself.
There's plenty of room for both.
Rating Hoolahan as 'no great shakes' is ridiculous.

Wacker The Attacker

Will there be a fixture announced for between the Kazakhstan and Serbia Games?

larchielads

if andy reid is good enough to do a job for ireland whether it be startin a game or comin on then lets give it a go. be he 34 or 44 i honestly dont care as long as hes good enough and that goes for any player willing to pull on a green jersey. obviously andy will retire at some point so lads dont worry he wont be playin til hes for 44.

at this moment in time andy is playin well for forest and if that can help the national team then fan****intastic!!!lets not kid ourselves we need all the help we can get! we aint spain lads:rolleyes:

simongurnick

Pro. F wrote: »

Brady plays a different position.
Brady doesn't need to be blooded, he's doing fine for himself.
There's plenty of room for both.
Rating Hoolahan as 'no great shakes' is ridiculous.

The point was around their age, not their position.
And yes, at the senior international level, Brady still needs to be blooded.

Pinning our hopes on a lad who is 30+ and doesn't even start for Norwich is ridiculous.

Corholio

simongurnick wrote: »

The point was around their age, not their position.
And yes, at the senior international level, Brady still needs to be blooded.

Pinning our hopes on a lad who is 30+ and doesn't even start for Norwich is ridiculous.

Pinning our hopes? Why does everything have to be exaggerated?

People just want to see him play more games.

simongurnick

Corholio wrote: »

Pinning our hopes? Why does everything have to be exaggerated?

People just want to see him play more games.

That's fair enough for some, but a lot of folks have been harping on about him like he's the messiah. Same sort of nonsense when Andy Reid was dropped.

Pro. F

simongurnick wrote: »

The point was around their age, not their position.
And yes, at the senior international level, Brady still needs to be blooded.

Pinning our hopes on a lad who is 30+ and doesn't even start for Norwich is ridiculous.

The point is not just about their age, also extremely relevant is position an skill level. Your first criticism of him the other day didn't even mention his age. And since when was a 31 year old too old for international football anyway?

I'm not going to bother arguing with you about why a player playing at an EPL club doesn't need to be blooded for international football. But, for the sake of argument, if it were true that he needed blooding, how does blooding Brady mean we can't play Hoolahan? They don't play the same position so your treatment of them as a mutually exclusive selection choice is nonsense. You might as well say that you would rather play Brady than Westwood.

I'm obviously not pinning my hopes on Hoolahan. What I actually did was point out the fact that he is one of our most skilful players and should get games for us.

The fact that he has been pushed out of the Norwich team recently is not the massive humiliation that you are trying to portray it as. Norwich spent very well this summer and have put together an extremely tidy squad. Disbarring players from Irish selection who get pushed out of first teams of that quality is idiotic. You wouldn't even be able to get a starting eleven for the national team if you applied that standard consistently.

simongurnick wrote: »

That's fair enough for some, but a lot of folks have been harping on about him like he's the messiah. Same sort of nonsense when Andy Reid was dropped.

Ah yes, the convenient "lot's of people". Lots of people in the world say lots of stupid shít. How about dealing with what is said by the person you are debating with, ie me. What I actually said that you responded to was:
"Hoolahan absolutely still needs to be included in the squad and at the least be subbed on regularly."

Is that me harping on about Hoolahan like he's the Messiah? No, of course it fúcking isn't. What a stupid and predictable strawman you have made for yourself.

simongurnick

Pro. F wrote: »

The point is not just about their age, also extremely relevant is position an skill level. Your first criticism of him the other day didn't even mention his age. And since when was a 31 year old too old for international football anyway?

I'm not going to bother arguing with you about why a player playing at an EPL club doesn't need to be blooded for international football. But, for the sake of argument, if it were true that he needed blooding, how does blooding Brady mean we can't play Hoolahan? They don't play the same position so your treatment of them as a mutually exclusive selection choice is nonsense. You might as well say that you would rather play Brady than Westwood.

I'm obviously not pinning my hopes on Hoolahan. What I actually did was point out the fact that he is one of our most skilful players and should get games for us.

The fact that he has been pushed out of the Norwich team recently is not the massive humiliation that you are trying to portray it as. Norwich spent very well this summer and have put together an extremely tidy squad. Disbarring players from Irish selection who get pushed out of first teams of that quality is idiotic. You wouldn't even be able to get a starting eleven for the national team if you applied that standard consistently.



Ah yes, the convenient "lot's of people". Lots of people in the world say lots of stupid shít. How about dealing with what is said by the person you are debating with, ie me. What I actually said that you responded to was:
"Hoolahan absolutely still needs to be included in the squad and at the least be subbed on regularly."

Is that me harping on about Hoolahan like he's the Messiah? No, of course it fúcking isn't. What a stupid and predictable strawman you have made for yourself.

So, is this the first time you have posted on here about Hoolahan?
My point is we should focus on our younger players at this point, such as Brady. Hoolahan is a journeyman who has found some high level success towards the end of his career. He hasn't impressed for Ireland.
Having him in the squad just to sub him, is a waste of a space on the squad for a younger player. And remember, the squad doesn't consist of eleven starters and then another eleven players in identical positions. Brady and Hoolahan are both attacking midfielders, so potentially including one could exclude another, especially if the gaffer wants more back up for wingers or CAM's.
We need to build for the future...and Wes ain't the future.

ThunbergsAreGo

Reid is the same age and probably has more "ability" than Wes

aramush

Guss Hiddink to be contacted according to the indo?

simongurnick

aramush wrote: »

Guss Hiddink to be contacted according to the indo?

That would be a coup. Same article also mentions Advocaat, Queroz, Walter Zenga among others

Corholio

simongurnick wrote: »

That would be a coup. Same article also mentions Advocaat, Queroz, Walter Zenga among others

Advocaat is the only one out of those 3 worth considering IMO.

nbar12

get your money on gerard houillier

Pro. F

simongurnick wrote: »

So, is this the first time you have posted on here about Hoolahan?

No, I have posted about Hoolahan many times on here. There has always been a stream of idiocy trying to justify his exclusion from the squad so there has been many a chat had about him. In all of that you won't find one post where I pin all my hopes on him or make him out to be our Messiah. You are simply strawmaning.

simongurnick wrote: »

My point is we should focus on our younger players at this point, such as Brady. Hoolahan is a journeyman who has found some high level success towards the end of his career. He hasn't impressed for Ireland.
Having him in the squad just to sub him, is a waste of a space on the squad for a younger player. And remember, the squad doesn't consist of eleven starters and then another eleven players in identical positions. Brady and Hoolahan are both attacking midfielders, so potentially including one could exclude another, especially if the gaffer wants more back up for wingers or CAM's.
We need to build for the future...and Wes ain't the future.

Hoolahan has of course impressed for Ireland, but you are blind to that.

You are still returning to the same point and it is still stupid. Nobody needs to exclude a 31 year old central attacking midfielder from the squad to focus on a winger. There is no focusing required, because there is plenty of room in the squad for both and they don't even play the same position. You are performing mental gymnastics to try and justify Trap's exclusion of Hoolahan and you are making yourself look like a fool doing it.

Having him in the squad just as a back up would be a waste of space would it? Cool lets not bother with a squad then, just eleven players will be fine.

You say Wes Hoolahan isn't the future, but he is still only 31. It's easily possible that he may offer another 3 or 4 years of useful service. His game doesn't rely on pace or stamina. There is plenty of future left in him.

Also, lets have a look at this. Your first post about Hoolahan that started this conversation (here) makes no mention of the future. It's actually looking to the past, trying to justify Trap's exclusion of players over the last five years based on their current position. So it is obvious that your issue is not just about making room for Brady by dropping Hoolahan. That is just an excuse you have made for his current exclusion. It is obviously a rather stupid excuse (for the reasons already covered) and it's obvious why you have cornered yourself into using it.

simongurnick

Pro. F wrote: »

No, I have posted about Hoolahan many times on here. There has always been a stream of idiocy trying to justify his exclusion from the squad so there has been many a chat had about him. In all of that you won't find one post where I pin all my hopes on him or make him out to be our Messiah. You are simply strawmaning.

[I. ]You have suggested a few times that he should play instead of Keane.Considering you want him to replace our record goalscorer and still the only guy that scores regularly for us today, then yes, he would need to be the messiah.[/I]

Hoolahan has of course impressed for Ireland, but you are blind to that.

He hasn't done much when given the opportunity.

You are still returning to the same point and it is still stupid. Nobody needs to exclude a 31 year old central attacking midfielder from the squad to focus on a winger. There is no focusing required, because there is plenty of room in the squad for both and they don't even play the same position. You are performing mental gymnastics to try and justify Trap's exclusion of Hoolahan and you are making yourself look like a fool doing it.

Didn't Hoolahan replace Brady against Greece? Obviously they are in different positions but it's not the same difference as him and Westwood, as you hilariously suggested.

Having him in the squad just as a back up would be a waste of space would it? Cool lets not bother with a squad then, just eleven players will be fine.

Did I say that?

You say Wes Hoolahan isn't the future, but he is still only 31. It's easily possible that he may offer another 3 or 4 years of useful service. His game doesn't rely on pace or stamina. There is plenty of future left in him.

This shows how poor your football knowledge is. Every player relies on stamina and pace. They are two of the fundamentals of the game.

Also, lets have a look at this. Your first post about Hoolahan that started this conversation (here) makes no mention of the future. It's actually looking to the past, trying to justify Trap's exclusion of players over the last five years based on their current position. So it is obvious that your issue is not just about making room for Brady by dropping Hoolahan. That is just an excuse you have made for his current exclusion. It is obviously a rather stupid excuse (for the reasons already covered) and it's obvious why you have cornered yourself into using it.

Well, if you understood tenses, you should notice my sentence saying what a ****e state we are in....present tense. My comment refers to the fact that those players have been average throughout the entire period and now we find ourselves falling back on them again.
Everyone thought the sky was falling when Reid was excluded, yet since then he has just been knocking around the Championship. Similar for Gibson, couldn't make it at United, patchy at Everton and now being left out of squads. Hoolahan was a journeyman for years, had a couple of decent seasons and is now drifting back to his regular standard.

astonaidan

So if ye guys were picking an Ireland team who would ye go for?
Id be thinking something like this
Westwood

Coleman Pearce Clark Wilson

McCarthy Gibson

Ireland
McGeady Brady

Keane

simongurnick

astonaidan wrote: »

So if ye guys were picking an Ireland team who would ye go for?
Id be thinking something like this
Westwood

Coleman Pearce Clark Wilson

McCarthy Gibson

Ireland
McGeady Brady

Keane

Think I'd replace Pearce with Dunne. Not sure about Ireland. If he could ever get his head out of his arse and get back his form of a few years ago he would be quality.

Aenaes

Why is Clark in everyone's team? Just because he plays in the Premiership?

He's been generally poor playing for Ireland and has made a lot of mistakes playing for Villa. St. Ledger has been alot more consistent and a better defender when playing for Ireland.

TheRedDevil10

25 Man Squad

Goalkeepers
David Forde
Stephen Henderson
Rob Elliot

Defenders
Richard Dunne (suspended v Germany)
John O’Shea (suspended v Germany)
Sean St Ledger
Ciaran Clark
Damien Delaney
Seamus Coleman
Marc Wilson
Joey O’Brien
Stephen Kelly

Midfielders
James McCarthy
Darron Gibson
Glenn Whelan
Paul Green
Wes Hoolahan
Andy Reid
Aiden McGeady
James McClean
Anthony Pilkington

Forwards
Robbie Keane
Shane Long
Kevin Doyle
Anthony Stokes

Standby
Paul McShane
Stephen Quinn


Squad Breakdown
Premier League 13
Championship 8
League One 1
Scottish Premiership 1
Russian Premier League 1
MLS 1

Wacker The Attacker

nbar12 wrote: »

get your money on gerard houillier

no

ThunbergsAreGo

astonaidan wrote: »

So if ye guys were picking an Ireland team who would ye go for?
Id be thinking something like this
Westwood

Coleman Pearce Clark Wilson

McCarthy Gibson

Ireland
McGeady Brady

Keane

Ireland shouldnt be in the squad on merit at the moment, hes just not that good.

Keane up front on his own wouldnt work, agree with the formation in theory, but with Keane in there (and he should be) im not sure 4-2-3-1 is a runner

SantryRed

naughtb4 wrote: »

Ireland shouldnt be in the squad on merit at the moment, hes just not that good.

Keane up front on his own wouldnt work, agree with the formation in theory, but with Keane in there (and he should be) im not sure 4-2-3-1 is a runner

Keane needs to be sacrificed for the overall shape of our team. 4-4-2 for the minnow games so he can do his thing, but he is a liability for us from a tactical aspect in the big games.

TheRedDevil10

Players in bold in squad for games v Germany and Kazakhstan

Started
Goalkeepers
Kieren Westwood (Sunderland)

Defenders
Seamus Coleman (Everton)
John O'Shea (Sunderland)
Ciaran Clark (Aston Villa)
Damien Delaney (Crystal Palace)
Marc Wilson (Stoke)

Midfielders
James McCarthy (Everton)
Anthony Pilkington (Norwich)
Stephen Ireland (Stoke)
Stephen Quinn (Hull)
Damien Duff (Fulham)

Forwards
Jon Walters (Stoke)

Subs
Shane Long (West Brom)
Darron Gibson (Everton)
Joey O'Brien (West Ham)
Glenn Whelan (Stoke)
Rob Elliot (Newcastle)
David Meyler (Hull)
Paul McShane (Hull)

Others
Wes Hoolahan (Norwich) Not selected in matchday squad
Steven Reid (West Brom) Not selected in matchday squad
Shay Given (Aston Villa) Not selected in matchday squad
Robbie Brady (Hull) Injured

Seaneh

Delighted to see Delaney in there ahead of McShane.

I'd hope Delaney starts with Clark in the middle for the first game.

astonaidan

naughtb4 wrote: »

Ireland shouldnt be in the squad on merit at the moment, hes just not that good.

Keane up front on his own wouldnt work, agree with the formation in theory, but with Keane in there (and he should be) im not sure 4-2-3-1 is a runner

Not yet, if he gets back to the form that won him Villa player of the year Id have him in for Ireland
People have forgotten how good he was just cause he didnt fit into Lamberts plans

loyatemu

he looked pretty good for Stoke yesterday, up until the moment he gave the ball away that led directly to the only goal of the game...

LuckyLloyd

Hoolahan struggling for game time at Norwich...

keeponhurling

TheRedDevil10 wrote: »

Players in bold in squad for games v Germany and Kazakhstan

Started
Goalkeepers
Kieren Westwood (Sunderland)

Defenders
Seamus Coleman (Everton)
John O'Shea (Sunderland)
Ciaran Clark (Aston Villa)
Damien Delaney (Crystal Palace)
Marc Wilson (Stoke)

Midfielders
James McCarthy (Everton)
Anthony Pilkington (Norwich)
Stephen Ireland (Stoke)
Stephen Quinn (Hull)
Damien Duff (Fulham)

Forwards
Jon Walters (Stoke)

Subs
Shane Long (West Brom)
Darron Gibson (Everton)
Joey O'Brien (West Ham)
Glenn Whelan (Stoke)
Rob Elliot (Newcastle)
David Meyler (Hull)
Paul McShane (Hull)

Others
Wes Hoolahan (Norwich) Not selected in matchday squad
Steven Reid (West Brom) Not selected in matchday squad
Shay Given (Aston Villa) Not selected in matchday squad
Robbie Brady (Hull) Injured

Reading this sort of drives home the lack of quality we have at the moment.
We are playing actually Germany on Friday. And the Germans will be really up for it too, they want to seal qualification on front of their home fans.

I suppose the fairest requirement we can ask of the lads selected is to at least give 100%.

So should King show ambition in his team selection? Or should our priority be to avoid an awful thrashing?
Decisions, decisions.
Doubt we'll be seeing too much of the ball anyways.

But sport can throw up some shocks, so you never know!

Rhys Essien

Can anyone enlighten me as to why Rob Elliot was called up?
What wrong with the Irish born sub keepers such as Colin Doyle(Birmingham) who has made a few appearances this season and Brian Murphy(QPR).

If they are all on the same level,can the Irish born lads at least be considered?

Paul Green still has me mad,never heard of the bloke and he goes straight into the team.It seems to be happening a lot with these 'declaring' lads the last few years.Green,Cox,Walters,Folan,Best,St Ledger,Pilkington etc.

Fair enough if some of them are better but I dont like it when they are doing the Irish born lads out of a place.

I make exception to McCarthy and McGeady who declared at a young age.

GBXI

Rhys Essien wrote: »

Can anyone enlighten me as to why Rob Elliot was called up?
What wrong with the Irish born sub keepers such as Colin Doyle(Birmingham) who has made a few appearances this season and Brian Murphy(QPR).

If they are all on the same level,can the Irish born lads at least be considered?

Paul Green still has me mad,never heard of the bloke and he goes straight into the team.It seems to be happening a lot with these 'declaring' lads the last few years.Green,Cox,Walters,Folan,Best,St Ledger,Pilkington etc.

Fair enough if some of them are better but I dont like it when they are doing the Irish born lads out of a place.

I make exception to McCarthy and McGeady who declared at a young age.

Yeah I have an issue with this as well. Usually they give their all for Ireland when they play but it's only because they're not good enough to make it for their own country.

As bad as it sounds, I much prefer seeing players play for Ireland who are actually Irish and really want to play.

LuckyLloyd

Ah the old 'you need to be born in Ireland to be Irish' nonsense rears its head again. Been a while.

GBXI

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

Ah the old 'you need to be born in Ireland to be Irish' nonsense rears its head again. Been a while.

In fairness, the likes of Pilkington and Green are as English as could be. McGeady wasn't born in Ireland but it's clear he has a strong connection with the country and has always wanted to play for Ireland.

Rhys Essien

For nostalgia sake,I would have liked if Ian Harte was called up.He is getting his game for Bournemouth who are currently 8th in the Championship.

Banjaxed82

Rhys Essien wrote: »

Can anyone enlighten me as to why Rob Elliot was called up?
What wrong with the Irish born sub keepers such as Colin Doyle(Birmingham) who has made a few appearances this season and Brian Murphy(QPR).

If they are all on the same level,can the Irish born lads at least be considered?

Paul Green still has me mad,never heard of the bloke and he goes straight into the team.It seems to be happening a lot with these 'declaring' lads the last few years.Green,Cox,Walters,Folan,Best,St Ledger,Pilkington etc.

Fair enough if some of them are better but I dont like it when they are doing the Irish born lads out of a place.

I make exception to McCarthy and McGeady who declared at a young age.

They're taking our women too.