A couple of interesting articles with reference to his Irish heritage, and his regrets over not representing Ireland. Hints that he wants to be future coach of the National team.
http://www.readingfc.co.uk/page/News...322120,00.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo....html#comments
"Dúirt mé leat go raibh mé breoite."
I was just looking at his background, fairly similar to me.
You don't realise you are Irish so much at school because there are a lot of kids from similar
backgrounds, it's only when you leave school you become aware you are Irish when you meet so
many people who are English and have a slightly different culture.
‘I played for England at 17 in a youth tournament but I didn’t really know what I felt. I know now, and it is that one day I would like to make amends for that. My parents are Irish, my grandparents are Irish, my great-grandparents are Irish. I was born in England; my blood is Irish. That’s how I feel. All our street in Slough was Irish.’
By ‘making amends’ McDermott means managing the Republic of Ireland, though not just yet — ‘I’ve got to do my time in club football.’ This is his second full season as Reading manager.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...#ixzz1sngR09ti
Incredible quotes there. Seems like a very nice lad and at a great club, would love to see them do well this year and sign up a few more Irish as well.
As a kid following Arsenal I remember talk of him being the next big thing but I never heard of him after that. When he came to prominence at Reading I guessed it was the same guy but I wasn't sure until I read Chicago's post above.
Good luck to the man.
The rumour mill has started about Reading's buys for next season. The People reported yesterday that McDermott wants to buy Doyle and Stephen Hunt. While I acknowledge it is probably only gossip, Doyle I can understand, but Hunt seems to be past his best.
Hunt's best two seasons were the two before this and this year he's been plagued by injury. To say he's past his best is insane.
I haven't read this article, but read one about 2 months ago in the evening standard/metro....anyway ya he mentioned his father dying young and how if effected him badly especially not being playing for Ireland which he believed his father really wished for but didnt mention because he thought it would further his career playing with England. I got emotional reading that on the Tube!!
I'm a bloke,I'm an ocker
And I really love your knockers,I'm a labourer by day,
I **** up all me pay,Watching footy on TV,
Just feed me more VB,Just pour my beer,And get my smokes, And go away
He is certainly a great candidate for the Ireland job sometime in the future.
It will be interesting to see how he gets on in the Premiership next season.
Did playing for England at youth level rule him out of playing for Ireland back then?
It would have, yes. It was only in 2004 that FIFA introduced an allowance for players in possession of more than one nationality, but previously tied to an association, to switch once between associations for whom they were eligible before the age of 21. The age-cap of 21 was lifted altogether in 2009.Originally Posted by elroy
Yep, I believe Tim Cahill's case either drove that decision or he was one of the first to switch. Had it happened a few years earlier there's a good chance he would've played for Ireland.
My Guarantee
Am looking for old Irish matches on VHS, PM me if you have some and I'll upload them here
I remember reading an article with Cahill stating that as a 14 or 15 year-old he played in an under 20 matches for Samoa because the games were held in Samoa meaning he could travel to visit his grandmother, whom he had not seen in quite a while or was sick. He never envisaged that it would rule him out of playing international football for another country he was eligible for i.e. Ireland, Australia or England.
But when that issue was resolved an the door was open to claim for Ireland, I'm wondering why he neglected to do so and instead claimed for Australia. It could well be that Mick McCarthy, a former Millwall player, was the Irish manager around 2002 when Cahill initially stated a desire to play for Ireland and by the time the rules had changed McCarthy was manager of Sunderland.
The Good Friday Agreement changed all that, right?
2004 Olympics probably helped.
Think about something else we did during the summer of 2002 and haven't had any luck with since.
We did have a slight bit of luck with it, sure Roy came back to play under Kerr in 2004!Think about something else we did during the summer of 2002 and haven't had any luck with since.
But seriously, in 2004 we would have been looking forward to World Cup qualification having not qualified for the Euro's. It wasn't to be anyway. Cahill might never have been to Ireland and his connection with Ireland was surely diluted by his father having been born in England and Cahill subsequently being born in Australia (and to a Samoan mother). Still though, he could have been quite a player for us but at least we got Steven Reid from that Millwall team!
Probably saw a better chance of playing in World Cups regularly with Australia. Sure enough, he's played in both of them since 2002; neither of which we qualified for.
Also, 'Cay-hill' or 'Cah-hill'?
How does he pronounce his own name? - curious
I tweeted him that once but he never got back to me. I assume the Australian accent makes it sound like "Cay-hill" to English listeners previously unaware of the surname and its Irish origin, or does Gary Cahill refer to himself as a "Cay-hill" too?
I think he does say it Cay-hill. I've always wondered about Gary Cahill though.
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