Enda Stevens D Stoke City b.1990

[pineapple stu]

Yeah, that's a fair way of looking at it too. We're still struggling in this position I think - I wouldn't write O'Dowda off yet, but equally I don't think we're in a position to put Stevens out to pasture. Which, with respect to him, isn't a great position to be in.

[pineapple stu]

Sent off for only the second time in his career tonight, away against QPR.

Though Stoke took the lead within minutes

[pineapple stu]

Played 90 minutes on Friday in his first game for almost four months. A 2-0 win lifts them nicely clear of the drop; they're now five points clear of the drop with nine games to go.

[Demesne Lad]

Stevens (35 in July) is to leave Stoke City (Derby Telegraph, 5 May). He played in 18 of the 46 2024/5 Championship games, averaging 66 minutes, but has not been in the squad since 12 March.

[seanfhear]

He has knocked a decent career out of it, fair dues to him. Curtailed by a fair amount by injuries, for clubs and Country.

I think he would have a good few more appearances for us ( and his clubs ) bar a lot of injuries. Good physical attributes for a fullback i.e. A decent size in comparison to some of the vertically challenged others.

Can some-one rid me of vertically challenged full-backs ~ To paraphrase Shakespeare or was it King Henry the VIII ? !

[Eirambler]

Looked miles off his best the last time we called him up. Wonder if he might return to Ireland for the last year or two of his career.

[pineapple stu]

That was against France away wasn't it? Wouldn't have been the only one of the squad to have struggled in that one

But yeah, probably not going to get a Championship team at 35 (players born the day after Italia 90 are almost 35 now!) so hard to see him getting capped again. Our Coleman/Brady/McClean/Stevens/Doherty wingbacks are drifting away and while there's been a bit of success with replacements (O'Brien the obvious one) I'm not sure we have someone really nailed down there?

[John83]

We have various imperfect options on the right, quick centre halves like O'Shea and O'Brien comfortable at full back rather than real wing backs, or wingers with high work rates like Ogbene, but we're very thin on the left. Long may Brady's second wind last.

We'll see where Stevens gets his next game. If he's able to get on the pitch from time to time for a Championship club then he's surely a useful backup for us, but a real stopgap option at his age.

[Eirambler]

I would be fairly certain that he's done at international level. Even allowing for our weakness at left back, I thought it was striking how far off it he looked in that France game, even compared to the rest of our own team. And that was a year and a half ago now. More recently he hasn't been getting a game for one of the worst teams in the Championship.

[Demesne Lad]

We have various imperfect options on the right, quick centre halves like O'Shea and O'Brien comfortable at full back rather than real wing backs, or wingers with high work rates like Ogbene, but we're very thin on the left. Long may Brady's second wind last.

We'll see where Stevens gets his next game. If he's able to get on the pitch from time to time for a Championship club then he's surely a useful backup for us, but a real stopgap option at his age.

We could keep an eye on Alex Murphy, 21 next month; 13 appearances and 2 goals for Bolton W in EFL One since 28 January, averaging 74 mins. He is 6' 2" and played at CB twice, but as LB or LMid on 11 occasions. It will be interesting to see what Newcastle do with him in 2025/26.

[Eirambler]

He seemed to be in and out of the Bolton team, I was hoping for a bit more from him but it was a first loan out so maybe too soon to judge. Bolton have also been linked to a move for Sean Roughan from Lincoln. I was hoping he'd get a Championship move but might have to settle for a bigger League 1 team or SPL.