Opening Day EPL Irish Starters...

[olegunnar]

Folan, Hunt start for Hull (Kilbane not on bench)
O'Dea starts for Celtic

[Colbert Report]

Hull are playing a 4-5-1 with Folan as the lone striker. I can't imagine him playing very many matches once Hull bring in that new lad from Spain for twelve million. Let's home he can do something today.

Hunt vs. Cech. I can't wait for the first through ball to be played down the left wing.

[happydays97]

Nice tackle by Hunt in the first minute :D

[Colbert Report]

Hunt scores on his debut! Chelsea supporters must be sick.

[elroy]

Hunt scores on his debut! Chelsea supporters must be sick.

Ha ha delighted for the lad, was getting awful abuse!!!

[co. down green]

McGeady scores for Celtic

[Billsthoughts]

hunt for hull - good goal?

[Colbert Report]

No, an easy tap-in off a deflected shot. Well taken though, kept his head and tapped it into an empty goal from five yards out.

[Wangball]

O'Dea is captaining Celtic and a 1st half double for McGeady

[elroy]

No, an easy tap-in off a deflected shot. Well taken though, kept his head and tapped it into an empty goal from five yards out.

Took it well, had to volley it in as opposed to a standard tap in. Playing well in fairness, one of Hulls best players, other than the goal anything of note going forward for Hull has been down the left and he put in a couple of good crosses as well.

[tetsujin1979]

second season in a row the opening Irish scorer of the Premier League season plays for Hull!
Congrats Stephen Hunt

[Umberside]

second season in a row the opening Irish scorer of the Premier League season plays for Hull!
Congrats Stephen Hunt

Who did it last year?

[Colbert Report]

Caleb Folan?

[Umberside]

Caleb Folan?

Yes, I should have known. :o

[Colbert Report]

Given, Dunne and Ireland all start today for Manchester City away to Blackburn.

Keith Andrews starts for Blackburn.

[Dillonman]

So far so good for the Irish! may it continue!

[Razors left peg]

Ward and Foley both start as the 2 full backs for Wolves, Keogh up top too

[Predator]

They're not starting, but I think both Shane Duffy and Séamus Coleman are on the bench for Everton versus Arsenal. So's that imposter James Wallace, but we now know he's not Irish at all!

[shakermaker1982]

I thought Folan was decent. Won nearly every header against Terry, unfortunately for Hull they didn't have many going forward to support. Hunt needs to take his time when on the ball. Full of energy but needs to calm it down a little when in possession.

[stiffler]

Wilson starts for Portsmouth today, home to Fulham.

[tetsujin1979]

Wilson starts for Portsmouth today, home to Fulham.
He's at centre half, instead of right full.

[Colbert Report]

Richard Dunne looks very out of shape.

[Closed Account]

Given
Foley Wilson Dunne Ward
Lawrence Andrews McCann Hunt
Folan Keogh

Subs:Ireland Delap Not a bad opening day lineup.......
On the actual Subs Bench

O'Brien Kelly Whelanhttp://i32.tinypic.com/2dlt44l.jpg

[elroy]

Looks like Whelan has lost his place at Stoke to new signing Whitehead.

[Umberside]

Stephen Ireland scored today in Man City's 2-0 win at Blackburn.

[Paddy Garcia]

Looks like Whelan has lost his place at Stoke to new signing Whitehead.

That's a huge concern.

[carloz]

Whealan wasn't a starter at the start of last season, with Olifinjana keeping him out of the team, but he fought his way back in. Id wait a few weeks before getting concerned about that one

[irishultra]

Fahey and Carr start at Old Trafford. Think Fahey is part of a 3 man midfield but not too sure. Oh and Carsley. And O'Shea.

[shaneker]

O'Shea captaining Man U against Birmingham today according to BBC, great stuff if true since Fletcher, Scholes and Rooney are playing too. Fair play John. Gibson on the bench.

Carr, Carsley and Fahey all playing for Brum, new signing O'Shea on the bench.

[Dillonman]

Clinton Morrison continued his rich vein of form yesterday, himself and Best both scored for Coventry. Why is Morrison not getting picked anymore, he has a pretty good record for us!

[irishultra]

Don't forget Franck Queudrue :p

[olegunnar]

Shane Long, Jay Tabb started for Reading, Noel Hunt came on

St. Ledger started for PNE, (Eddie Nolan didn't)

Colin Healy, Damien Delaney & Jon Walters started for Ipswich, Owen Garvan came on

Leon Best & Clinton Morrison started for Coventry

Jon Macken for Barnsley

Stephen McPhail started for Cardiff

[olegunnar]

No action then for Kilbane, Nolan, Whelan, James McCarthy...
Duff either,due to signing for new club
Gibson on bench at Manu

[Razors left peg]

No action then for Kilbane, Nolan, Whelan, James McCarthy...
Duff either,due to signing for new club
Gibson on bench at Manu

Whelan came on in the 76th minute

[olegunnar]

Westwood in for Coventry
Joe Murphy & Clifford Byrne in for Scunthorpe

[peadar1987]

Delap and Lawrence started for Stoke. Lawrence set up the first goal with a great cross from a free kick, and the second was an own goal forced by a Rory Delap throw.

I think we need Rory Delap in the Irish team. He's a better midfielder than Whelan or Andrews, and obviously there's the throw as well.

[olegunnar]

We have Folan as an obvious target for a delap throw, Doyle is good in air, Robbie can sniff out an opening... Gibbo well able to strike a second ball as is whelo...

We'd have at least as much joy with it as stoke??

[peadar1987]

We have Folan as an obvious target for a delap throw, Doyle is good in air, Robbie can sniff out an opening... Gibbo well able to strike a second ball as is whelo...

We'd have at least as much joy with it as stoke??

Probably not as much joy as Stoke, we have some monsters in the side, Shawcross is 6'6" I think, Faye is big, so are Lawrence, Beattie, Fuller and Sidibe. Still, it beats the normal Irish throw in tactic of "short throw to the full-back, who hammers it into the first man".

[Eirambler]

Has to be seen as a positive start to the Premier League season from an Irish point of view. By my count there were 20 Irish players involved in games this weekend despite Doyle being injured and Duff not signing for Fulham in time to play.

I make it something like 44 Irish players listed in 1st team squads at Premier League clubs, which must be the most in a long time, and a lot are young guys coming through. Every Premiership team other than Liverpool, Chelsea, West Ham (no sign of Terry Dixon) and Arsenal have Irish players and all 24 Championship clubs have Irish players on their books also.

On the down side Kilbane didn't even make the bench for Hull and there wasn't an Irish player to be found on the Sunderland team or bench, despite there still being a large number at the club.

[Colbert Report]

Robbie Keane subbed off at 66 minutes against Liverpool. He seemed to be limping off.

[olegunnar]

He always does that after he's taken off, and not played too well...

Classic from junior league, i'm only coming off cos im hurt!!

[elroy]

there wasn't an Irish player to be found on the Sunderland team or bench, despite there still being a large number at the club.

Yet another experienced manager not sharing the views of a sizeable contingent here re Andy Reid so i take it

[Colbert Report]

Andy Reid should be on the bench for Ireland. When we're down a goal late in a match he's capable of going on and creating something in the offensive third of the pitch.

[olegunnar]

Shay Given (Newcastle United) - Started
John O'Shea (Manchester United) - Started
Richard Dunne (Manchester City) - Started
Sean St. Ledger (Preston North End) - Started
Kevin Kilbane (Wigan Athletic) - Not in Squad
Damien Duff (Newcastle United) - Transferring to Fulham
Glenn Whelan (Stoke City) - Used Substitute
Darron Gibson (Manchester United) - Unused Substitute
Aiden McGeady (Celtic) - Started
Robbie Keane (Tottenham Hotspur) - Started
Kevin Doyle (Wolverhampton Wanderers) - Injured

Substitutes:
Caleb Folan (Hull City) - Started
Stephen Hunt (Hull City) - Started
Keith Andrews (Blackburn Rovers) - Started
Eddie Nolan (Preston North End) - Unused Substitute
Keiren Westwood (Coventry City) - Started

Liam Lawrence (Stoke City) - Started
Liam Miller (unattached) -
Andy Keogh (Wolves) - Started
Stephen Kelly (Fulham) - Unused Substitute
Kevin Foley (Wolves) - Started
Shane Long (Reading) - Started


Also in Premiership this weekend.....

Carr, Carsley, Fahey all Start for Birmingham, O'Shea is Used Substitute
Ward starts for Wolves
Andy O'Brien Unused Substitute for Bolton W
Stephen Ireland Started for Man City
Chris McCann started for Burnley
Rory Delap Started for Stoke
Marc Wilson Started for Portsmouth


18 Starting Irish Players in EPL this weekend
2 Used Substitutes
3 not used from bench

23 Players in match squads in EPL

Excludes Scottish Premier & Championship players

Hopefully we can keep this up all season!!!!


Question ??

Of the starting premiership players this weekend, who has best claims for squad inclusion??

Ward?
Carr?
McCann?

[Colbert Report]

Stephen Carr. With McShane injured and Finnan not available, I'd rather have Carr in at RB in order to keep the O'Shea/Dunne CB partnership intact. This at the expense of Sean St. Ledger who I don't rate as highly as most seem to on here.

[olegunnar]

18 Starting Irish Players in EPL this weekend
2 Used Substitutes
3 not used from bench

23 Players in match squads in EPL



Based in Scotland... (starters in BOLD)

Celtic - Darren O'Dea, Aiden McGeady & Willo Flood
Kilmarnock - Tim Clancy & Connor Sammon
Hibs - Graham Stack, David van Zanten & Patrick Cregg
M'Well - Jim O'Brien
St. Johnstone - Andy Jackson & Graham Gartland
Dundee Utd -Sean Dillon & Jon Daly
Hamilton - David Elebert

6 Starters in SPL

[tetsujin1979]

Robbie Keane subbed off at 66 minutes against Liverpool. He seemed to be limping off.

When they showed the replay of his shot that Reina saved, he seemed to be shaking his head at the bench, that he wasn't feeling right

[Crosby87]

I saw the same looks like a lingering problem he has had for a while.
He was much better than Torres today anyway, and thats a fact.

[dr_peepee]

I thought he played well today and was denied by excellent Goalkeeping (appart from that fluff in the the first half the went way over). He was good against Aus too. He didn't come as deep in that game for whatever reason. Maybe it was down to Doyles fitness, I dunno. I'm happy with his form though. Fingers crossed he's not injured.

[shakermaker1982]

Tony Gale was having a big moan about the chances Keane missed on SSN. I haven't seen the highlights yet so cannot comment on whether they were sitters but Keane seems to attract a lot more criticism since he left Liverpool by pundits and fans alike. All strikers miss. Michael Owen messed up one on one with the keeper today and that will hardly feature in tomorrows match report.