Jack Grealish

[DannyInvincible]

Sarcasm Danny,...sarcasm.

Hehe, but he did seem to possess some sense of grievance, as if I was getting away with something he wasn't.

For the record, my point about Roy Keane being in possible agreement with Kevin Grealish was based on the words of Kevin Grealish himself: "Yeah definitely, [Jack] hasn't even played a full game in a Premier League. As Roy Keane said, let him play in the Premier League first and see what he is made of." And we also know that Martin has had direct communication with the Grealish's as well in recent weeks. :)

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

It should be up to the manager if he is called up for the Scotland game. If he isn't ready to play against Scotland he isn't ready to play against USA. Frankly, he hasn't done enough to warrant a senior call up anyway. The reason he's getting one (USA) and not the other (Scotland) is because he is not ready to commit himself, not because he doesn't think (layman's terms) he isn't ready to play Intl. Football. What was stopping Brian Lenihan? I am not judging him and he's ours to lose but let's not hatch our chickens. I would respect him a lot more if he would not pass the buck to Roy Keane, like in this circumstance.

[DeLorean]

It should be up to the manager if he is called up for the Scotland game. If he isn't ready to play against Scotland he isn't ready to play against USA.

Agree with the first bit and by extension disagree with the second bit. If MON feels that playing against the US would be of some benefit, but thinks (agrees) a game as big as the Scottish one is too early for him, then surely that's his prerogative also. Pairing the two games off as the same thing is nonsensical, they're worlds apart. Fair enough if you feel he doesn't warrant a call up but that's MON's call, as you pointed out in the first place.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

The issue is that he is not ready to commit to a competitive game. Once he is ready to commit to England or Ireland - and he is free to take his time on this - then he should be called up for senior Intl. football. What is the point in calling up a player for a friendly if he may not ever play in a meaningful game?

Fair enough if people think the reason he doesn't want to be considered for Scotland is honestly because he doesn't think he's ready for a game of that caliber, a pretty unusual stance or perspective for a professional footballer to take.

In any road, I am not even sure he is worthy of an Intl. call up of any description when he isn't getting on the Villa bench. There are several more experienced players that could be given a chance and who are available for the Scotland game too.

And people may scoff at that notion but the lad Krzysztof Mączyński who scored for Poland against Scotland only made his debut in 2013 and is playing in China.

Sometimes you just need to give players chances, even if at first glance Millwall and Bournemouth aren't glamorous clubs, and names like Williams, O'Kane and Arter don't carry any cachet.

[DeLorean]

The issue is that he is not ready to commit to a competitive game.

The issue for who? I think accepting a call up for the US game would be a clear indication of his intentions. There are various reasons why the US game would be a good, low key starting point for him. It's not necessarily the black and white long term commitment issue you're making it out to be.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

I'm not making it out to be a black and white issue. There was still a chance he would declare for Ireland when he turned down call ups in September and there is still a chance he will declare for England after making himself available for selection for the U.S.A. game.

I hope he fulfills his talent and plays for Ireland but my chickens aren't hatching just yet.

[tetsujin1979]

I'm not making it out to be a black and white issue. There was still a chance he would declare for Ireland when he turned down call ups in September and there is still a chance he will declare for England after making himself available for selection for the U.S.A. game.

I hope he fulfills his talent and plays for Ireland but my chickens aren't hatching just yet.
You're going to have to clarify that - what call up was turned down by Grealish?

<EDIT>

sorry, u21 call up, forgot about that.

[DeLorean]

Jack Grealish not the answer - Villa boss Lambert (http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/english-soccer/jack-grealish-not-the-answer-villa-boss-lambert-1.1979342)

[Stuttgart88]

Wrt Lambert's point about defence being the issue rather than in attack, they have scored only four goals all season FFS!

I thought Clark was ok last night and was even more of a goal threat than their own forwards. That Sanchez bloke passed the ball straight to a QPR guys feet for the second goal, having got away with an equally rubbish pass only a minute earlier. If it was cricket I'd be investigating spot fixing.

I thought Clark was blameless for both goals. In the Dunne thread it's said he might have been tighter for the first goal but he nearly blocked it and the shot was perfect, like Matt Holland in Niigata, starting the ball outside the post and drawing it back in. For the second Clark held his position to prevent a cut back to Hoylett(?) who was attacking the penalty box. Clark was careless in possession once or twice but was usually looking to use the ball positively and I don't think Cleverley and co helped him much by showing short as often as they could have.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

You're going to have to clarify that - what call up was turned down by Grealish?

<EDIT>

sorry, u21 call up, forgot about that.

Well that too, but I was referring to the senior series of games, when he told management he didn't want to be selected yet.

[paul_oshea]

Tets, give this fella a ban.

Are you the Gestapo now?

[tetsujin1979]

Well that too, but I was referring to the senior series of games, when he told management he didn't want to be selected yet.
Hmmm, that's a bit different from refusing a call up.
There was no indication from management of a call up during that meeting, at least that I'm aware of.

[Stuttgart88]

It's all semantics* really. While most Irish born / single nationality footballers would feel anytime is a good time to be called up, obviously there are complications in his case. It's too extreme to say he refused a call up, and clearly that soundbite suits TOWK's views on JG, but equally it'd be a bit "head in the sand" to think it's not a situation that warrants concern.

My own view is that it's not a straightforward case and O'Neill is playing the situation very well. I don't think Grealish is ready for the cauldron of Glasgow yet but a home friendly against the USA would be a useful intro to senior football should it transpire. It's not a simple case of saying if he's ready for one he's ready for the other.

*speaking of semantics I was very disappointed that the Financial Times didn't publish a letter I wrote recently. Some FT readers were arguing in the letter pages about the true meaning of "anti-Semitic" in context of the latest Israel military action in Palestine and whether being anti- Israeli military action was the same as being anti-Jewish, and a third guy pedantically pointed out that Arabs are also Semites, not just Jews, despite the common modern understanding of the term anti-Semite meaning being anti-Jewish.

I wrote that I found arguing over the true meaning of anti-Semitic boring. Did that make me anti-semantic?

I thought it was funny...

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

The majority of news media in Ireland wrote that he turned down a call up and what was inferred from the articles is that O'Neill and Keane wanted to call him up but understood and accepted his reasons for not accepting a call up. That's fairly standard diplomacy, granted it wasn't something taken for granted under Trapattoni.

The complication is that he (and his father) are unwilling to close the door on future England honors.

You make it sound like I am attacking Grealish when I am just being pragmatic. I'm trying to use more flowery words than "refused" but what would you really call it?

I understand that he is born and bred in England and has two countries chasing him but at the same time - and for the same reason - I am far more inclined to believe that it is an attachment to England and an unwillingness to close the door on them that is behind not making himself available to participate against Gibraltar, Germany and Scotland, rather than not being "ready for the size of the occasion" or "a competitive match coming too soon". The lad has played against Man City and Arsenal now, and with relish.

If all you get from what I am saying is that I am implying he is not attached to Ireland, using Ireland for career advancement and is some kind of mercenary then fair enough. I'd like to think it's a bit more nuanced than that.

[DannyInvincible]

What is the point in calling up a player for a friendly if he may not ever play in a meaningful game?

The idea would be to bring him in and show him the ropes, no? To make him feel welcome and to help him get a feel for what senior international football will be like. He's highly unlikely to switch to England at this point, but calling him into a friendly squad, nevertheless, can't do him or us any harm, can it? Especially not if it persuades him to forget about any residing smidgen of an intention that he might still harbour of playing for England. Would you rather we ignored him or what until he publicly declares his undying and irrevocable commitment to Ériu, Banbha and Fódhla?


Fair enough if people think the reason he doesn't want to be considered for Scotland is honestly because he doesn't think he's ready for a game of that caliber, a pretty unusual stance or perspective for a professional footballer to take.

Roy Keane seems to think the same, and possibly O'Neill, with whom the Grealish's had discussions. Can we be sure that Kevin Grealish's words weren't coloured by an accord reached with Martin or Roy to the effect that Jack would feature in the USA friendly squad rather than the competitive squad for Scotland. We don't know exactly what was discussed and agreed, and we can't fill the gaps in knowledge with our presumptions either.


Well that too, but I was referring to the senior series of games, when he told management he didn't want to be selected yet.

He pulled out of an under-21 squad in order to sign a new high-profile contract with Villa and to play in a friendly game for them - that's reasonable enough, putting faith in the explanation he offered, and was to Noel King's satisfaction - but he hasn't rejected any specific senior call-ups, as you imply. He informed O'Neill that he wasn't ready generally for senior international football - things were all coming a bit fast for him - and he wanted to focus on challenging for regular football at Villa for the mean time. O'Neill seemingly agreed and said he'd give him time. It would be naive not to acknowledge his eligibility for England, certainly, and the prospect, for him, of completely cutting off that option has surely been something playing away at the back of his mind, but I think it is grossly unfair to accuse the guy of stringing us along or deceiving us as to his true ambitions just because he might be a bit uncertain or timid to make an irreversible jump in our favour.

As I said before, such a stance as Grealish's is not unprecedented in international football. Ryan McLaughlin and Rory Donnelly did the same recently with the IFA but they were always committed to them, or at least McLaughlin was very keen to impress upon NI fans that his commitment should never have been in doubt; he just wanted to focus on progression at Liverpool.

[DannyInvincible]

The majority of news media in Ireland wrote that he turned down a call up and what was inferred from the articles is that O'Neill and Keane wanted to call him up but understood and accepted his reasons for not accepting a call up.

Did they? Quotes? Anyway, you don't have to be told not to believe every spin the media put on things surely? Sure we both know how some in the media twisted Robbie's words on eventual acceptance of retirement some day into a bullsh*t "I'll walk out on Trap!" story, don't we?... ;)


If all you get from what I am saying is that I am implying he is not attached to Ireland, using Ireland for career advancement and is some kind of mercenary then fair enough. I'd like to think it's a bit more nuanced than that.

You have said things like that though during prior discussions, no?

[Stuttgart88]

I don't recall any single media outlet saying he refused a call up, not one. As I said, there's a fair amount of semantics associated with the situation and what was said but nobody in the O'Neill, Grealish or any other camp expressed the situation in terms of a call up or anything that was "refused". What was reported left it open for anyone inclined to push his agenda to say a call up was refused and that is what TOWK is doing.

Sure the situation is nuanced, that's what we've been saying all along. I have noticed very little appreciation of nuance in TOWKs contributions to this issue.

[Charlie Darwin]

Sorry to change the subject, but Grealish scored for Villa U21s tonight at home to Wolves.

[tetsujin1979]

The majority of news media in Ireland wrote that he turned down a call up and what was inferred from the articles is that O'Neill and Keane wanted to call him up but understood and accepted his reasons for not accepting a call up. That's fairly standard diplomacy, granted it wasn't something taken for granted under Trapattoni.

The complication is that he (and his father) are unwilling to close the door on future England honors.

You make it sound like I am attacking Grealish when I am just being pragmatic. I'm trying to use more flowery words than "refused" but what would you really call it?

I understand that he is born and bred in England and has two countries chasing him but at the same time - and for the same reason - I am far more inclined to believe that it is an attachment to England and an unwillingness to close the door on them that is behind not making himself available to participate against Gibraltar, Germany and Scotland, rather than not being "ready for the size of the occasion" or "a competitive match coming too soon". The lad has played against Man City and Arsenal now, and with relish.

If all you get from what I am saying is that I am implying he is not attached to Ireland, using Ireland for career advancement and is some kind of mercenary then fair enough. I'd like to think it's a bit more nuanced than that.
I'm aware they met, I'm aware that his future was discussed, but I'm not aware of a call up to the squad for either game in October. I've made the point elsewhere that there are multiple deductions to be made from any crumb of information that's been made public over the last few months. You can infer whatever you want, but anything posted in this thread is going to have to be backed up with either quotes from the player, management or a published article. You have 24 hours to either provide proof, or you can delete or edit your original post, or face an infraction.

[liamoo11]

Sorry to change the subject, but Grealish scored for Villa U21s tonight at home to Wolves.

I know it's only the reserves but good to c him scoring a long range effort needs to add that and goals in general to his game. Anyone know what's story with Graham Burke?

[Stuttgart88]

It looks like TOWK's latest tactic, apart from digging up old discredited arguments, is to cite media (official or social) sources to back up his argument, the authenticity of these sources being even more ambiguous, if not outright fictional,than the point he's trying to prove as fact.

[Stuttgart88]

Anyone know what's story with Graham Burke?tne media is suggesting he's about to walk out on ireland and play for England once he qualifies through residency.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

I'm not going to involve myself in this debate or post in this thread anymore. Hold me to that.

What is the point when people keep reducing everything you say on the issue to soundbites, put words in your mouth, reduce you to a meme, twist everything you say, make overdramatic comments like "Would you rather we ignored him or what until he publicly declares his undying and irrevocable commitment to Ériu, Banbha and Fódhla?", make non-sequitur and passive aggressive comments about Robbie Keane and Richard Keogh that have absolutely nothing to do with Jack Grealish and when you now have to post every comment with the threat of being infracted hovering over you.

http://i.imgur.com/bkXGj2t.jpg

"though it is widely accepted that O'Neill would have brought him into the senior squad had Jack Grealish said that he was ready" (Granted this is Paul Rowan not John Fallon so don't take what he says as gospel). Also haven't seen quotes from O'Neill or Keane saying he wasn't going to be called up.

https://twitter.com/McDonnellDan/status/502397012990758912

"He felt comfortable playing under-age but it's totally different thing committing yourself at senior level."

Listen if he plays for Ireland great. If he plays for England best of luck to him. He's ours to lose, obviously. But it's not cut and dry yet. Amazing how much has changed in two months.

[tricky_colour]

Wrt Lambert's point about defence being the issue rather than in attack, they have scored only four goals all season FFS!

I thought Clark was ok last night and was even more of a goal threat than their own forwards. That Sanchez bloke passed the ball straight to a QPR guys feet for the second goal, having got away with an equally rubbish pass only a minute earlier. If it was cricket I'd be investigating spot fixing.

I thought Clark was blameless for both goals. In the Dunne thread it's said he might have been tighter for the first goal but he nearly blocked it and the shot was perfect, like Matt Holland in Niigata, starting the ball outside the post and drawing it back in. For the second Clark held his position to prevent a cut back to Hoylett(?) who was attacking the penalty box. Clark was careless in possession once or twice but was usually looking to use the ball positively and I don't think Cleverley and co helped him much by showing short as often as they could have.

Lambert must be off his rocker, it is hard to believe that comment is even serious, their goals conceded is
decent for a team in their position, Everton for example have conceded 3 more and all the teams below them
have conceded more and indeed two above.
There goal scoring record is truly shocking - 4!!
4 in 9 games the worst in the league.

I am surprised he is still in a job after his comments, how can someone with such bad judgement continue to be manager?
(and remember he signed Roy Keane too :p)

[DannyInvincible]

I'm not going to involve myself in this debate or post in this thread anymore. Hold me to that.

What is the point when people keep reducing everything you say on the issue to soundbites, put words in your mouth, reduce you to a meme, twist everything you say, make overdramatic comments like "Would you rather we ignored him or what until he publicly declares his undying and irrevocable commitment to Ériu, Banbha and Fódhla?", make non-sequitur and passive aggressive comments about Robbie Keane and Richard Keogh that have absolutely nothing to do with Jack Grealish and when you now have to post every comment with the threat of being infracted hovering over you.

C'mon, I was resorting to hyperbole for light effect, but there was a serious question nevertheless; do you think we should ignore him/leave him out in the cold until he comes round to committing to tying himself? And you can't seriously call foul given the tactics you've employed in debate on here. The threat of infraction spires from your incessant habit of jumping to concrete conclusions without any concrete grounds for doing so. An infraction is not something I'd be a fan of dishing out if I had the power, but tets has a responsibility to ensure debate is grounded in verifiable fact, so spare us the forlorn victim cry. If it compels you to double-check and back up some of your rasher assertions, that's a good thing for debate on here.


"though it is widely accepted that O'Neill would have brought him into the senior squad had Jack Grealish said that he was ready" (Granted this is Paul Rowan not John Fallon so don't take what he says as gospel). Also haven't seen quotes from O'Neill or Keane saying he wasn't going to be called up.

Do they make public announcements on other players that the public think they've considered calling up but haven't? And what Rowan says isn't quite the same as Grealish rejecting a senior call-up. There was no call-up for Grealish to reject.

[tetsujin1979]

I'm not going to involve myself in this debate or post in this thread anymore. Hold me to that.Will do


What is the point when people keep reducing everything you say on the issue to soundbites, put words in your mouth, reduce you to a meme, twist everything you say, make overdramatic comments like "Would you rather we ignored him or what until he publicly declares his undying and irrevocable commitment to Ériu, Banbha and Fódhla?", make non-sequitur and passive aggressive comments about Robbie Keane and Richard Keogh that have absolutely nothing to do with Jack GrealishThat's exactly what you've done to all three players. Any statement made by them has been adapted to suit your own point of view. Anything that contradicts it is ignored


and when you now have to post every comment with the threat of being infracted hovering over you.You're free to post whatever you want, as long as you can back it up. This is the only thread in the Ireland forum with that policy. It's not an unreasonable request to include proof with any allegation, and ensures the discussion does not descend into farce. Nobody else has a problem with the policy, and only two users have been threatened with an infraction since I introduced it.



http://i.imgur.com/bkXGj2t.jpg

"though it is widely accepted that O'Neill would have brought him into the senior squad had Jack Grealish said that he was ready" (Granted this is Paul Rowan not John Fallon so don't take what he says as gospel).This goes back to what I said above, there was no call up, even the journalist admits the possibility of a call up was only "accepted", but you've turned this into a refusal on his part


Also haven't seen quotes from O'Neill or Keane saying he wasn't going to be called up.Both Keane and O'Neill are reluctant to discuss Grealish at all. O'Neill has said very little about the meeting, and from what he has said it appears they spoke more about life in general than football. I've only seen Keane mention him in passing. As for not saying he wasn't going to be called up, is the absence of evidence the evidence of absence?


Listen if he plays for Ireland great. If he plays for England best of luck to him. He's ours to lose, obviously. But it's not cut and dry yet. Amazing how much has changed in two months.From what I can tell nothing has changed in two months apart from his new contract - he's still playing for Villa, he's still only played for Ireland, he still hasn't confirmed his international allegiance.

[Charlie Darwin]

Relax lads, we can get the pitchforks back out:

Otis ‏@OtisMarlow (https://twitter.com/OtisMarlow) 49m49 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/OtisMarlow/status/527440873731403776)
@RobBrennan82 (https://twitter.com/RobBrennan82) Met Grealish the other night , he said he was still undecided when I told him he should play for England not Ireland ! ;)

[Deckydee]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/european-championships/lambert-warns-of-dangers-in-rushing-grealish-into-bigtime-30701288.html

[SwanVsDalton]

Brian Kerr wants a Grealish call-up and says he's the best underage Irish attacking player (http://thescore.thejournal.ie/jack-grealish-ireland-senior-call-up-1751496-Oct2014/?utm_source=facebook_short) since Duff and Keane

[paul_oshea]

Kerr, who coached both Duff and Keane to success at the 1998 U16 European Championships also told TheScore.ie that Grealish’s swagger should not mask his ability to work for the greater good of the team.


Something seriously wrong here...

[Charlie Darwin]

Brian Kerr wants a Grealish call-up and says he's the best underage Irish attacking player (http://thescore.thejournal.ie/jack-grealish-ireland-senior-call-up-1751496-Oct2014/?utm_source=facebook_short) since Duff and Keane
Somewhere on Merseyside, Aiden McGeady is crying into his post-training penne.

[DannyInvincible]

I wonder what's up with Grealish now then. Will he be called up later? Has he gotten cold feet? Or does Martin simply not fancy him at the minute? And what was his father talking about then recently, as if something had been agreed with the management in relation to a senior call-up?

[BonnieShels]

The only thing that annoys me about all this is that now that he's not going to be in these squads it means the stupid to-ing and fro-ing and the media circus will continue into March next year now and then of course... the game v the Tans in June.

[OwenGoal]

tried to post this in the squad thread but seems to have got lost in the ether, but that journo Fallon really has to follow up on this. His credibility is on the line. It was really poor not to have cited any sources. His report was more or less endorsed by McDonnell in the Indo, so he should follow up on the Grealish omission too. Why were these questions asked during the squad announcement? Was it not a press conf?

[DannyInvincible]

tried to post this in the squad thread but seems to have got lost in the ether

Aye, why is the Scotland game thread locked?


but that journo Fallon really has to follow up on this. His credibility is on the line. It was really poor not to have cited any sources. His report was more or less endorsed by McDonnell in the Indo, so he should follow up on the Grealish omission too. Why were these questions asked during the squad announcement? Was it not a press conf?

Strange alright.

[Charlie Darwin]

It's pretty simple really.

Fallon talked to Jack's dad, who said Jack would make himself available for the USA friendly.
Fallon ran with it, Jack's dad posted the article approvingly.
Martin O'Neill said "oh really?" and decided just to stick with the players who are fully committed.

[OwenGoal]

[QUOTE=DannyInvincible;1788029]Aye, why is the Scotland game thread locked?


Er, have I broken the internet.

[DannyInvincible]

The spin that Fallon put on it was that Grealish would be making his senior debut against the US, as if he had some inside info from, not only Grealish's side, but from Martin O'Neill also. Grealish can't decide he'll be making his debut by simply making himself available. That's a decision only Martin O'Neill can make so long as Grealish first makes himself available. Fallon wrote as if he had some insight into Martin O'Neill's thoughts on it all and as if O'Neill was planning on handing Grealish his debut: http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/european-championships/jack-grealish-ready-to-accept-senior-call-from-oneill-30670984.html


MARTIN O'NEILL'S promising start to the European Championship qualifying campaign is poised for a boost by news of Jack Grealish's likely senior debut against the USA next month.

...

Grealish is not expected to figure in Ireland's next crunch Euro 2016 qualifier on November 14 in Scotland as O'Neill intends staying loyal to his squad that eked out a 1-1 draw away to the world champions on Tuesday. It is now most probable, however, that the 19-year-old will figure four days later at Lansdowne Road when the Americans visit.

[OwenGoal]

It's pretty simple really.

Fallon talked to Jack's dad, who said Jack would make himself available for the USA friendly.
Fallon ran with it, Jack's dad posted the article approvingly.
Martin O'Neill said "oh really?" and decided just to stick with the players who are fully committed.

But why didn't he quote the Da? Even unnamed; 'sources close to the player' etc. For a supposedly respected reporter he took a very big risk and it blew up on him.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Should have been capped v.Gib along with any other floating parties. End of.

[Charlie Darwin]

But why didn't he quote the Da? Even unnamed; 'sources close to the player' etc. For a supposedly respected reporter he took a very big risk and it blew up on him.
Well presumably the da didn't want to be named. 'Sources close to the player' is journalistic tourette's - there's no reason to put it in because everybody knows when there's no quotes that that's what it is.

I take Danny's point that Fallon's article seems to indicate O'Neill had made his mind up, but he may just have got that impression from Grealish Sr. As far as I know, O'Neill isn't close to anybody in the media (in fact he's openly hostile) so there's never going to be any hints coming from his end.

[ybig]

id say grealish will eventually commit to the Republic.. Hopefully anyway

[BonnieShels]

What I want to know has Stutts subjected Jack to his fabled gut?

[Charlie Darwin]

I can't speak for Stutts but I believe he previously stated that Grealish has a provisional pass on the gut test, pending further analysis.

[BonnieShels]

I said nowt about the test.

But now that you brought it up I think we need a revaluation.

[gastric]

Could it be that if we end up with an injured winger or someone has to go back to England after the Scottish game, our Jack will come to the rescue? Would make his ascent to senior football look very dignified and not seem like we are panicking about losing him. Just a wild and speculative theory, that keeps me in hope that this will be resolved sometime soon!

[Olé Olé]

I like Gastric's potential version of events. Who knows?

One thing I must say, is that there's a solid chance that Jack's father is a tad excitable. The version of events regarding Fallon sounds fairly plausible and it's not outside the realms of possibility that Kevin inferred to Fallon that Jack would be made available for USA game and also inferred that this would result in Martin O'Neill picking him.

People seem to be expecting a lot of the circumstances surrounding Jack to be black and white but if his father is excitable and Jack is a teenager, mixed messages and a touch of grey are bound to be exuded.

[DeLorean]

One thing I must say, is that there's a solid chance that Jack's father is a tad excitable. The version of events regarding Fallon sounds fairly plausible and it's not outside the realms of possibility that Kevin inferred to Fallon that Jack would be made available for USA game and also inferred that this would result in Martin O'Neill picking him.

People seem to be expecting a lot of the circumstances surrounding Jack to be black and white but if his father is excitable and Jack is a teenager, mixed messages and a touch of grey are bound to be exuded.

I think there's a good chance that's getting closer the truth. I don't know anything about Mr. Grealish but he seems to like being involved. He doesn't seem to be in any way helpful and I think MON might be getting a bit tired of dealing with a person who seems a bit unprofessional. The fact that his brother was posting this and that on message boards suggests there isn't much cop on there overall.

[Stuttgart88]

Could it be that if we end up with an injured winger or someone has to go back to England after the Scottish game, our Jack will come to the rescue? Would make his ascent to senior football look very dignified and not seem like we are panicking about losing him. Just a wild and speculative theory, that keeps me in hope that this will be resolved sometime soon!i dunno, it's not like announcing his call up now now would result in the actual qualifier being a sideshow or anything hysterical like that.

[greendeiseboy]

His father stated on his facebook page on October 19 (under the same one where he posted the Jack v Brad Guzan message) that there was "Nothing happening in this" so I assume he knew at this stage that Jack wasn't being called/accepting a call up.


Looks to me that his father jumped the gun on this.