Seamus Coleman – Everton – 20 – Right Defence
Signed in the January transfer window for £150,000 from Sligo Rovers perhaps this season may come too soon for Coleman to really make his mark in the Premiership. He is possibly more likely to get a run out in the early stages of the Carling Cup or alternatively could find himself loaned out to a lower division club at least for the first half of the season. Depending how he gets on in either situation will go a long way to determining his first team opportunites as the season draws on.
Terry Dixon – West Ham – 20 - Striker
It is testament to how highly Dixon is rated in the game that West Ham were willing to pay for such expensive treatment to help save his career and also offer him a 3 year contract when it looked to many that this same career may well be over before it had even begun. Strong, pacey and clinical Dixon has all the raw talent required to go to the very top of the game and after declaring himself fit for the new season there is every chance he can make a big impact at West Ham providing he can stay clear of further injury problems.
Aaron Doran -Blackburn Rovers - 18 – Left/Right/Central Midfield
From seemingly nowhere 17 year old Doran appeared on the horizon towards the end of last year by making a handful of substitute appearances for Blackburn where he showed enough to suggest that he has what it takes to be potentially a future star in the Premiership. Quick, skillful and tenacious he should find more opportunities to impress next season and may push for a regular starting place if he takes these opportunities. Has had an excellent pre-season thus far scoring Blackburn’s equaliser against Roma earlier this week.
Kevin Foley – Wolves – 24 – Right Defence/Midfield
Perhaps Wolves most consistent performer last year in their march to the Premiership, Foley should be a definite starter at least in the early part of the season. Good on the ball and solid defensively he is a fullback in the Dennis Irwin/Steve Finnan mould. If he can become half as good a player as either Finnan or Irwin then he should be able to stake a claim for one of the troublesome fullback positions in Trappatoni’s team.
Darron Gibson – Manchester United – 21 – Central/Right Midfield
Next season is a massive one for the young Derryman. With Ferguson reluctant to make any further signings before the transfer window closes and an aging Paul Scholes and an injury ravaged Owen Hargreaves as his competition for places he will never have a better opportunity to break into a United team competing on 4 fronts. His goals and performances in a number of games last season certainly showed that he has the ability to play at the top level in football but there still must be a question mark over his consistency.
Alan Judge - Blackburn Rovers – 20- Central/Right Midfield
Another promising young midfielder from the Blackburn Rovers academy Judge spent the second part of last season on loan at Plymouth where by all accounts he excelled in a right midfield position playing a large part in helping them to avoid the drop. Pacey, tricky and with bags of skill he is another Blackburn player that certainly has the talent to make a mark on the Premiership next year but his slight build and small stature may mean that he could struggle with the more physical side of the game.
Andy Keogh – Wolves – 23 – Striker
After having a poor first half to the season Keogh started to show some better form at the tail end of last season putting in some eye-catching performances and scoring some priceless goals as Wolves surged towards the Championship title. With Iwelumo being injured he should, at least initially, get a few more outings when the Premiership kicks off which he has to make the most of if he is to feature more regularly as the season progresses. His lack of a killer instinct in front of goal and his questionable physical presence could present too large an obstacle for him to overcome which he must do if he is to succeed at this level of the game.
Chris McCann – Burnley – 21 - Central Midfield
One of the young stars of Burnley’s perhaps surprising push for promotion last season McCann is box to box midfielder with a thunderous left foot and an invaluable ability to find the net when it matters. Tall, strong, good in the air, tough tackling and equally at home in attack or defence he certainly has all the attributes to succeed in the Premiership but much will depend on how Burnley adapt to life in the top tier of English football and whether he is capable of raising his game to the level required.
James McCarthy – Hamilton – 18 – Central Midfield
Still officially at Hamilton McCarthy is almost certain to find himself at one of the many Premiership clubs that have displayed an interest in his abilities before the season kicks off unless that is Celtic step in to hijack any potential move. Often compared to a young Stephen Gerrard McCarthy seemingly has all you would require in a midfielder, a fierce shot, a keen eye for a pass, an ability to find the goal on a regular basis and an acute awareness of what’s going on around him. Already has gained considerable experience in over 100 senior appearances at Hamilton far more than his young years would suggest and he should find an outlet for his talents wherever he ends up next season.
Joey O’Brien – Bolton – 23 – Right Defence/Central Midfield
A combination of a succession of injuries and being played out of position have served to stall the development of the promising O’Brien who looked like he could potentially be a real star when he first went on loan to Sheffield Wednesday and outshone an older and more experienced Glenn Whelan almost 5 years ago. With Megson appearing to prefer him in a central midfield berth he might finally start to realise that potential if he can steer clear of injuries this term. Strong defensively and with good distribution he could provide an alternative option to Andrews and Whelan if he keeps himself fit and Trappatoni forgives his outburst in the press at the start of last season.
Keith Treacy – Blackburn Rovers – 21 – Left Midfield
Last season appeared to start well for Treacy. He quickly found himself a regular fixture in Paul Ince’s plans and made numerous appearances from the bench with even the occasional start. However a combination of some poor performances and the replacement of Ince with Sam Allardyce meant that he found himself further down the pecking order as the season went on. Next year is a big one for him.
Stephen Ward – Wolves – 23 - Left Defence/Midfield
Another to watch at Wolves, Ward was forced last season to fill in at an unfamiliar role on the left side of defence due to injuries to other players but was so impressive he managed to make the position his own for most of the season. Has consistently improved every season thus far with Wolves and if he manages to do so again then he could find himself a regular in the starting 11 for yet another year.
Marc Wilson – Portsmouth – 21 – Right/Central Defence
Before succumbing to injury Wilson weighed in with a handful of first team appearances last season under Tony Adams where he didn’t look out of place. Has yet to feature under Paul Hart but as shown in his days at Nottingham Forest Hart is not afraid to throw young players into the first team and with Portsmouth’s squad looking thinner by the week he may feature more regularly this year.
Last edited by youngirish; 17/07/2009 at 4:56 PM.
I didn't even know who Doran was when he came on against Liverpool but Alderdyce really seems to rate him. If he keeps up his good pre-season form he may well get into the team ahead of Gamst Pederson for the start of the season.
McCann could make the world cup squad if we get there, if he does well this season.
Good review YI.
Think that it's a massive year for our midfield and fullback prospects. Positions are there for the taking and like Eirebhoy says think Doran and McCann could well be the Babb and McAtteer of the 2010 squad (if we get there). Foley, McCarthy and Gibson have a big season ahead of them and it will interesting to see how Garvan progresses under Keane.
Also hoping to see Shane Long get a more regular, and hopefully prolific, run out at Reading, as well as a few other surprises to emerge from the youth ranks.
Great post, it will make interesting reading this time next year to review each players progression (hopefully!)
Have a feeling that young Myler with Sunderland will break through this year, from what i've heard he was impressive for the reserves last year, and for the Irish u-21s. He comes from a good sporting family and hes the all action kind of player Steve Bruce seems to like.
Who's takin the cones??????
has Coleman been involved with the Everton 1st team in pre season friendlies yet?
Its really not that complicated!!!
yeah he started the match in their recent friendly
http://www.evertonfc.com/news/archiv...from-bury.html
Johnny Dunleavey - 18 - Wolves
Right back from Ballybofey, signed two years ago as a youth, recently signed a pro contract. McCarthy seems to rate the lad and could well be part of the squad later in the season. Could make an impact along the lines of Doran. Has captained Ireland at underage from under 16 to under 18, will most definitely be part of the u19's this season with a move to the u21's very likely.
Stephen Ireland??
COBH RAMBLERS FIRST DIV CHAMPS 2007
http://irish-abroad.appspot.com/GameDayDetails fantastic website by tetsujin1979
I think everyone knows about Stephen Ireland by this stage.
Extratime.ie
Yo te quiero, mi querida. Sin tus besos, yo soy nada.
Abri o portão de ouro, da maquina do tempo.
Mi mamá me hizo guapo, listo y antimadridista.
Stephen O'Halloran?
My Guarantee
Am looking for old Irish matches on VHS, PM me if you have some and I'll upload them here
Am I wrong or does there seem to be a massive (well fairly large) amount of young Irish players coming through. It is fair to say that these have great potential and are not the finished article by any means but having the shear numbers bodes well for the future. And to be honest our current squad is not too old bar a few players. I seem to remember over the last couple of years that the general consensus was that we were on a low ebb in terms of players coming through. What do people think.
I think the first post is a very good one with reason to be optimistic and there are others that are not mentioned, coupled with the young talent in our present squad we could well be entering a period where we have really good resources for the national team. I know we would be lucky if we got 3 or 4 to make it from the ones mentioned but should we not really expect as much. heres hoping, once again, great post, its nice to get some optimism on here, maybe its just a preseason thing!!
Originally Posted by DCross06
Have a feeling that young Myler with Sunderland will break through this year, from what i've heard he was impressive for the reserves last year, and for the Irish u-21s. He comes from a good sporting family and hes the all action kind of player Steve Bruce seems to like.
Agree think this is a huge year for him, was on bench for chelsea game last year, quite destructive, has alot of potetial
players like judge aren't very good at all. i have hopes for mccarthy, mccann, coleman and gibson, if those 3 midfielders become 2nd/3rd/4th/ quality players then it will be very good for ireland.(to understand my tier system players like andrews and whelan are about 8 steven reid-5/4-players like iniesta and xavi number 1)
i also have high hopes for gary deegan, definetly a better player than keith andrews anyway.
Last edited by irishultra; 19/07/2009 at 2:58 PM.
Who??
You've got no fans.
WTF????
"Joe Jordan is off to watch Young Boys tomorrow" Ian Darke
wtf what? it makes perfect sense unless you think whelan and andrews are actually good players. its very likely that irelands two starting central midfielders will be on the bench for their respective clubs next season.
Last edited by irishultra; 19/07/2009 at 4:22 PM.
I would suggest you know very little if anything about Judge tbh. Have a look on the Plymouth Argyle boards to see how they rate him.
Judge is one of the most promising players in that list I'd argue and as I stated his only problem may be his physique which didn't seem to cause him many issues in the Championship last season to be fair.
Last edited by youngirish; 19/07/2009 at 6:48 PM.
Whelan is a great player. 38 league starts for him in the Premiership this season if he stays healthy. Managers love him.
Great Post YI are the captions from you or collected from somewhere else? Just curious.
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