Worst ever Irish team

Hairy Homer

Enough of the superlatives. Who are the worst players you've ever seen play for Ireland? OK it's cruel but it's fun.

Criteria are they have had to be consistently bad over a period of time and you have to have seen them as a contemporary.

So I have an unfair advantage having seen the Great (or not) Eamon Dunphy in his pomp.

Paddy Roche

John Anderson
Alan Kernaghan
Liam Daish
Ian Harte

Eddie McGoldrick
Eamon Dunphy
Lee Carsley
Kevin Kilbane

John Aldridge
Paul McGee


Aldo may raise a few eyebrows, especially among Liverpool fans. He took 20 games to get off the mark, the vast majority of his goals were from the penalty spot or against crap opposition (Tunisia, Malta, Turkey when they were bad etc). The most illustrious team he ever scored against was Mexico.

And he was old. ie slow. Two three word phrases that I will forever associate with George Hamilton are 'Oh danger here' and 'Offside against Aldridge'

The rest should be self explanatory McGee and Anderson were from the late 70s early 80s. Paddy Roche was another 70s man. Played for United, believe it or not.

dRNk SAnTA

I'd nominate Richard Dunne at centre half. Surely Lee Carsley deserves a little more credit?

yop

Paddy Roche was another 70s man. Played for United, believe it or not.

At the same time Utd got relegate?

The Reaper

Paddy Roche
john Anderson
Alan Kernaghan
Liam Daish
Eamon Dunphy
Paul McGee

Hairy Homer

Originally posted by dRNk SAnTA
I'd nominate Richard Dunne at centre half. Surely Lee Carsley deserves a little more credit?

Dunne has always played well for Ireland from what I could see. Marked Kluivert out of the game twice.

Carsley stays in my midfield. What's he ever done in a green shirt, apart from give away the penalty that put us out of Euro 2000?

ciano

heres a list of a few who'd defo make the team!

Branaghan
Kernaghan
Butler (anyone remember his one and only cap? LOL)
Daish
Dunphy
McGoldrick
Slaven
Coyle

jonno

Coyle, Kernaghan and McGolderick. HaHa the three muskateers or should I say cowboys. How they ever got a game I'll never know. Imagine putting them in any team. They don't even deserve to go down in the worst Irish team ever. Too bad for such an honour:p

TwoShedsJackson

Kevin Kilbane is one of the worst players to ever wear an Irish shirt. Did you see the state of that backpass he made for Sunderland last weekend?? $hite, pure and simple.

Waylander

Cant believe Keith O Neill has not got a mention yet, or David Connolly. Does Dunphy actually have an Irish cap, I didn't think he ever made the team.

Hairy Homer

Originally posted by Waylander
Cant believe Keith O Neill has not got a mention yet, or David Connolly. Does Dunphy actually have an Irish cap, I didn't think he ever made the team.

Keith O'Neill was originally in my team but he cried off with an injury just after the squad was announced :-)

Dunphy did indeed play. Several times. I've seen him.

nasty_crash

I can believe that Waylander is the only who mentioned Connolly!! him and Harte are the only ever irish players i know that run away from the ball! as bad as aldo was connolly is much worse!!!

Robbo

John Sheridan could easily fill in one of those midfield slots.

Pigman II

Originally posted by Robbo
John Sheridan could easily fill in one of those midfield slots.

John Sheridan was a class player whose time was wasted even turning up for Ireland during the Charlton Era.


Kelham O'Hanlon

Thomas Butler : Brian Carey : Liam Daish : Pierce O'Leary

Ken De Mange : Mike Milligan : Roy Keane : Mark Kelly

Owen Coyle : Gary Howlett

//

BTW Eamon Dunphy played 23 times for Ireland (and probably would have played more times except that he was in the same position as Johnny Giles) so he couldn't have been as bad as even he himself likes to let on.

ElNino

Originally posted by ciano
heres a list of a few who'd defo make the team!

Butler (anyone remember his one and only cap? LOL)

Paul Butler was the name and he only got half a cap

If I remember correctly he was taken off at half time against the Czechs at Lansdowne in a friendly after being destroyed by their lighthouse - Kohler.

pickarooney

I'd give Chris Morris the nod ahead of Harte. Breen would make it but for some stiff competition and his bizarrely high number of international goals.

Hairy Homer

Originally posted by Pigman II

BTW Eamon Dunphy played 23 times for Ireland (and probably would have played more times except that he was in the same position as Johnny Giles) so he couldn't have been as bad as even he himself likes to let on.

TBH I was a very small boy when I saw him play but even then he was loathed by a very vocal section of the crowd in a way that good players usually aren't.

From a mate in England who is a life-long Millwall fan and who remembers Dunphy from his time there, I believe that the ironic thing is that he was actually quite a skilfull player but one who was easily intimidated out of games by the hatchet men who proliferated in the Second Division of the 1960s and 1970s.

In other words the very type of 'Sunshine Boy' he now purports to hate.

I wonder what a psychologist would make of that.

kirn

this is one of my pet hates, so sorry for the rant, but:

every player who as ever played for ireland has done his best, and deserves some credit.

he was probably one of the better players available in his position at the time and he got asked to play.

for some their first few caps were proably the proudest moments of their lives... they don't deserve to get slagged off...

shame on you!

[/gets off high horse]

Hairy Homer

Originally posted by kirn
this is one of my pet hates, so sorry for the rant, but:

every player who as ever played for ireland has done his best, and deserves some credit.

he was probably one of the better players available in his position at the time and he got asked to play.

for some their first few caps were proably the proudest moments of their lives... they don't deserve to get slagged off...

shame on you!

[/gets off high horse]

As I said in the first post. Cruel but fun.

ie Not meant to be taken too seriously.

For what it's worth, any of them would be welcome in our five a side team.

kirn

yeah i know.

as i said, pet hate.

i just won't read this!

Lennoxschips

Pigman II, you might not like Roy Keane, but if it wasn't for him the Dutch would have been at the World Cup.