'Artey!!!

[roboyle]

Ian Harte must be doing something right - I see Levante won away from home at the weekend - newly promoted team up to fifth in the table and he's been ever-present for them so far... I know he made an unwise outburst after the last squad announcement but is there much hope for a recall? Would have been a great option to have for the Faroes match, particularly when Andy Reid's set pieces seemed all over the place...

[barglee]

Definetely should be given another chance,
our only natural left back.....

bring in for the friendlys coming up at least

[Chippy]

Natural left back !!!!!! I presume you're having a laugh .....

[jbyrne]

as with Kevin Kilbane it became trendy to slag off Ian Harte without genuine reason..... always gave 110% and wasnt he our top scorer in the last world cup qualifying campaign?? our use of deadball situations recently has been very poor to put it mildly and therefore Harte should always be in the squad, especially against the weaker teams who come to lansdowne to pack the defence, for this reason alone. scored from 30 yards in his competitive debut for levante. when have we threatened to do this recently?? cant do any harm to at least have the option in the squad

[thejollyrodger]

Kerr should fly out to Espana and see what his form is, Hearte always seemed like he was capable but was lacking in confidence or something. His recent comments cant have helped but I wouldnt use that to rule him out.

Kerr should include him in the squad in the forthcoming qualifiers and see what's he like. If he turns out to be inconsistent and generally crap then Kerr can drop him and that will be the end of that.

However if he is playing well and fits in well under the kerr regieme then he could provide us with some real dead ball expertise. Thats something that is really lacking in the entire squad.

[barglee]

as with Kevin Kilbane it became trendy to slag off Ian Harte without genuine reason.....

i agree with that.....

why is there always a player who weve to slag off

harte had a bad world cup but was fairly good for us in the qualifying.
he seems to be doing ok in spain

[Beavis]

Lads no-one picking on Harte but lets face it he is the most defensively inept left-back we've had.Has anyone ever actually seen him make a decent tackle.Look at McCarthy era videos and I believe that at least a third of our goals conceded can be put down purely to his poor positional play,absence of pace,inability to tackle,errors etc.
Definitely a threat from set plays and creative passing,so maybe bring him in as a midfielder like he started as(?)

[ken foree]

he's as slow as a buckin ship and has admitted the pace of the game in spain suits him. i like him though, there's no doubting the talent of his left foot (and sometimes his right one for that matter). maybe kerr could pick him and mcgeady for the next friendly and set little aido at him in training to expose his defending to scrutiny. this step might not even be necessary though :o

[John83]

Lads no-one picking on Harte but lets face it he is the most defensively inept left-back we've had.Has anyone ever actually seen him make a decent tackle.Look at McCarthy era videos and I believe that at least a third of our goals conceded can be put down purely to his poor positional play,absence of pace,inability to tackle,errors etc.I don't think he's that incompetant - just lazy. He doesn't close anyone down, just doesn't make the effort.

That said, I'd be happy to play him against the likes of Cyprus or the Faroes, where he's not going to be severely tested, and will contribute to the attack.

[TheJamaicanP.M.]

I think Harte should be a part of the Irish squad. He is playing with a team that's coming fifth in the strongest league in Europe. The move to Spain has probably given him the confidence that he needed. Harte was always a good footballer. However, lack of pace was his problem. He was considered a good enough defender to play in the centre of defence for us for over a year (1997-98). I think some people are too quick to criticise him. He is in a different class to Alan Maybury of Hearts in the SFL.

Brian Kerr seems overly-interested in making a point. On another note, what must Michael Doyle of Coventry make of the current situation? Despite playing 38 times last season, Doyle is some way off the Irish squad. At the weekend, he once again started for the sky blues. However, his Irish team mate Graham Barrett only came on as a sub. Despite this, Barrett is in the Irish squad. I'm beginning to think that Kerr has his favourites.

[Dillo]

Ian Harte has one of the best left peg's in the business and this alone entitles him a place in Kerr's green army. As the PM rightly pointed out, Harte's playing in the best league in Europe and this can only improve him as a pro. As for Alan Maybury, I don't think a Rangers supporter playing for Hearts in the SPL should be let within an asses roar of an Irish jersey.

[Irish_Praha]

I agree with you that Harte is better than Maybury and Doyle is possibly better than Barrett. However, these are only fringe players at the moment that would not be within smelling distance of starting a difficult competitive game. When O'Shea was injured for the Swiss game who played LB? .... Finnan, Maybury wasn't even considered. All he got was 5 mins in the Cyprus game. Barrett only warmed the bench for the Swiss and the Faore game and wasn't even included in the match day squad for the other two games. I think the reason he would be in the squad before Doyle is because he plays RMF and can also be used up front if required. I think Doyle plays CMF for Coventry and we already have Roy, Delap, Kilbane, Holland, Miller and Quinn in the squad for that position.
Maybe Kerr does have his favourite squad/fringe players but when it comes down to the starting 11 I think he's pretty focused on picking the best 11 players rather than his 11 best friends.

IMO Harte, Dunne and Elliott should deffo get a run in the upcoming friendlies.

[Closed Account 2]

He always scores a few and at the moment is playing in a pretty decent side in possibly the top league in Europe. He's got a decent coach incharge of him now (first time for 2-3 years), if he's playing well he sould def get a chance in the Croatia or Portugal match.

[Kingdom]

That said, I'd be happy to play him against the likes of Cyprus where he's not going to be severely tested, and will contribute to the attack.

Lad ,
I was out in Nicosia when we played the Cypriots the last time(like many others). They had this lad called Okkas, now playing CL football in Greece, and he simply blew Harte away over there(when at times it got hairy before RMK took over!!), so there is no doubt that it could happen again.

[davey]

give him ago - i'm sill waiting form o'sheas next balls up - we're not blessed in that area what with juust Maybury ( My old suggestion of Kilbane at left back seems redundant now :)

[tetsujin1979]

I think Doyle plays CMF for Coventry and we already have Roy, Delap, Kilbane, Holland, Miller and Quinn in the squad for that position.

I thought Doyle was more of a left winger? Even there he's got Duff, Reid, and probably Kilbane there ahead of him.

Nice to be talking about serious strength in depth!

[TerryPhelan]

Lads no-one picking on Harte but lets face it he is the most defensively inept left-back we've had.

I demand you take that back.
Ahem.

[Irish_Praha]

[QUOTE=tetsujin1979]I thought Doyle was more of a left winger? Even there he's got Duff, Reid, and probably Kilbane there ahead of him.
[QUOTE]

I'm not sure which position he plays most regularly but he played CMF last Saturday. Anyway CMF or LMF he would have several better players keeping him out of the squad.

From the coventry FC website:

Name: Michael Doyle
Position: Midfielder
Date of Birth: 08/07/1981
Place of Birth: Dublin

Profile
The 2003-2004 season was a landmark season for the tenacious midfielder who signed in the summer of 2003 after impressing during a trial spell.

Coming through the ranks at Celtic, the 23-year-old found his opportunities limited and joined the Sky Blues in search of first team football and soon made his mark.

Hard-working and energetic, Micky is one of the first names on the team sheet and his performances were rewarded at the end of the season when he picked up the Young Player of the Year award.

The Dubliner also proved he is a threat in front of goal, netting three goals over the campaign, including a superb volley against Cardiff City.

Comfortable on the left or in the centre, Micky’s talents have been recognised by Republic of Ireland manager Brian Kerr who gave him his first senior call-up at the end of the campaign.

[eirebhoy]

I thought Doyle was more of a left winger? Even there he's got Duff, Reid, and probably Kilbane there ahead of him.
No Doyle is a regular in the centre for Coventry.

[barglee]

we're not blessed in that area what with juust Maybury
maybury isnt even a left back, hes a right back isnt he?

[John83]

Lad ,
I was out in Nicosia when we played the Cypriots the last time(like many others). They had this lad called Okkas, now playing CL football in Greece, and he simply blew Harte away over there(when at times it got hairy before RMK took over!!), so there is no doubt that it could happen again.
My bad. I assumed he'd be skilled enough to handle them. If it's not the case, I don't want him in the squad, no matter how sweet a left peg he has.

[thejollyrodger]

Harte 'baffled' as Kerr continues to ignore value of his left foot
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=94&si=1274382&issue_id=11590

IAN HARTE was ten days into pre-season training with Leeds when the call came. It was his agent. How did he fancy a move to Spain?

It wasn't Barcelona, Madrid, Deportivo or Valencia. It wasn't even Bilbao, Sevilla or Betis. It was Levante UD, the second team in the city of Valencia and they'd just returned to La Liga after more than four decades outside the top flight.

So he came to Spain, liked what he saw, signed a four-year deal and while his former friends at Leeds are suffering the onset of winter in gloomy East Yorkshire, we're sitting in a hotel lobby while the warm Mediterranean sun shines outside.

But it hasn't all been sweetness and light for Harte as his Ireland career, or what's left of it, remains under a cloud.

He acknowledges the quality of recent performances - Paris in particular - and singles out Israel as the dark horse in the group. The problem is that he hasn't been selected for the last three squads.

Does it hurt?

"What do you think?

"It's disappointing because I played in recent games. Against Australia I was on the bench, came on, created the two goals and we won 2-1. I scored in the Croatia game, so I think that when I've been in I've done well. But all of a sudden I've been forced out with no explanation."

It's the lack of communication from Brian Kerr that's most frustrating for him. In the summer he had to have a series of injections for a foot injury that he'd carried since the World Cup in Japan and Korea. It meant he missed the friendly games in England and Holland, but without it he'd have faced an operation and six to eight weeks out of the game, so he expected some understanding from the Ireland boss.

"I spoke to Brian to ask why I wasn't in the squad and he said the players who came on the trip in the summer did well and that was it. There were other players who didn't travel who are in the squad now, so I asked why was there one rule for me and one for the others, but he just said 'it's my decision'.

"I understand when players have come in and done well, that's part of football," added Harte, "but what I don't understand is that there are eight defenders in the squad and not one of them is left-footed. I could have stayed at Leeds and possibly been in his radar more, but I thought moving to Spain would improve me. I'm playing week in, week out in the top Spanish league against some of the best players in the world and there are two right-footed players (John O'Shea and Alan Maybury) battling for the left back position."

"I'm baffled," he says.

There's never been any falling out with Kerr. He describes his relationship with the boss as "fine", but he seems resigned to being left in the cold for the immediate future. "I know the reality before the squad even comes out now. I'm just disappointed."

But it's been a good start for Harte at Levante. His debut couldn't have gone better, scoring his side's first La Liga goal in 41 years as they drew 1-1 away to Real Sociedad. Since then results have been excellent.

"When I came to look around, I liked the ambition of the club. The owner spent a lot of money bringing certain players into the squad and he's very ambitious. He's looking for us to finish in the top six."

It's a tough league but he's convinced the quality in the team will firmly establish them in the top flight.

"When you look at some of the players in training, technically they're unbelievable. The top 10 is certainly in reach. We've got to be pleased with what we've done so far, but it's a long season and there's no point starting well and then fading."

He's also impressed with the style of football they play and, with former German international Bernd Schuster at the helm, they have an experienced and wily manager who knows La Liga well from his eight years as a player for Barcelona.

"He loves the ball on the floor. In England you're running full out for 90 minutes but here it's slower, more patient, passing the ball across the defence and taking your chances when they come."

Ian Harte's next chance at international level - if it ever arrives - will certainly influence the level of satisfaction he derives from what remains of his footballing career.

Andrew Mangan

Hearte sounds like harte is getting his confidence back, I think Kerr should have him in the squad at least, give him a few friendlies and then maybe think again about competitive games.

[eirebhoy]

Hearte sounds like harte is getting his confidence back
Spot on. Thats the one thing that was affecting his game but he seems to be over confident these days.

[inexile]

nothing wrong be have confidence bordering on cockiness all the great players have it but i think the much maligned ian harte could still do some sort of a job for ireland he has to be better than maybury he seems to be more than surviving in what is gernerally viewed as the best league in the world and no matter what we say he has a wealth of experience for a fella of his age and when he was at the top of his game was twice (i think) voted on to the premiership team of the year by his peers so the calibre is there

[wallis]

I thought he always put it in for us when he played. If theres one thing we are missing its some decent dead ball delivery and some free kicks

[thejollyrodger]

I dont think a player can have too much confidence, if they think they are modern day Pele then all the better. A lot of the problems with players is the lack of confidence, even duffer had the problem.

Too much confidence, well you just agree with the player and ignore whatever dribble he is saying. Take Bellamy for example, on fire, loads of confidence but would tell anyone who would listen how great he is. He should keep his mouth shut. You wouldnt drop him from the team though cos he is playing brilliantly.

Hearte is playing for a decent side (5th or 6th at the moment) in the best league in the world (UEFA co-efficients alone) so he should be in the squad at least. He hasnt been given a proper chance by Kerr. That's an unprofessional decision by Kerr.

However, for me, whether Hearte actually gets comptetive game is another discussion. :)

[Bowsy]

I've slagged off Harte in the past but deserves a squad place. His ability at deadballs, the fact that he's a natural left footer and the fact that he's a lot better than Maybury and playing at a higher level mean he should be in the squad. Also, for all Harte's faults O'Shea at the moment is providing very little more defensively while providing considerably less in attacking terms.

[eirebhoy]

I dont think a player can have too much confidence, if they think they are modern day Pele then all the better.
I didn't mean it in a bad way.

[thejollyrodger]

hearte set up the goal for levante ! the only goal in the game. They are fourth now :eek: I really cant belive he is playing that well :confused: still fair play to hearte :)

[tricky_colour]

We are too quick to right off players when they have the odd bad game.
He is as good a left-back as any other we have and he deserves another
chance, he may enjoy the slower pace of the game in Spain as he is
an excelent passer of the ball, in my opinion, and he gets forward well.
I fancy he would do well away against Israel as he will be well aclimatised
to the heat. I have always been of the opinion that his plusses outweight
any minuses. He may have been more exposed with Ireland relying on Duff
to do all the attacking and little in the defensive department. Mourinho
may be doing us a favour if he improves Duff defensively which would
take some of the heat off Harte.

[finlma]

Levante are now up to third in La Liga and Harte is playing well from what I hear. Surely he has to be a better option than Maybury.

[tricky_colour]

I have alway liked Harte when he plays, especially the attacking side
of his game when he his moving forward with the ball with his head
up looking to play a killer pass, long or short, he seems a clever player
to me who understands the game, he is not great for pace though
but I think Dunne (RIchard) has pace so they would play well togeather
defensively.
None of the other left back options really excite me.
I think he had a lot of ground to cover playing behind Duff which
made him look weaker defensively than he really is (especially
when he was knackered).
He is also probably our best free kick option and he really wants to
play for Ireland which is a major plus in my book.
He surely must be in the squad at the very least.

[dr_peepee]

Defo a must for the squad....

He'll do a decent job from left back so long as there's a pacy centre half there to compensate for his failings. He does have something to offer though. It wasn't too long ago he was named the best left full in the premiership by his fello pro's.

I'm pleased to see his career in spain has started so well. Though I havent seen anything of him. He'll return to the squad for the friendlies. By the end of the freindlies i think Harte and Delap will hold their place in the squad at the expense of recent regulars Maybury and Barrett.

[thejollyrodger]

I sometimes wonder is this really the same Harte as Japan, but he defintely has to be included in the squad.



Harte in top form for lofty Levante
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=94&si=1283543&issue_id=11663

IRELAND's forgotten-man Ian Harte maintained his 100 per cent appearance record in the Primera Liga as minnows Levante went third thanks to a 1-0 home win over Athletic Bilbao.

The former Leeds man is not expected to be named in Brian Kerr's squad to face Croatia next week, but he has been instrumental in helping the promoted club to their current lofty heights.

Harte was almost on the scoresheet with a free-kick yesterday but it was fellow full-back Jesus Jesule who scored the vital goal to seal Levante's sixth win in ten league games this season.

Levante were lying second yesterday afternoon but Madrid's victory in last night's clash against Malaga saw them leap-frog Levante and close the gap on leaders Barcelona.

Luis Figo put Madrid ahead in the 19th minute, converting from the spot with customary efficiency after Zinedine Zidane had been brought down on the fringe of the area by Malaga defender Gerardo.

--article cut ---

Simon Baskett

[jbyrne]

I sometimes wonder is this really the same Harte as Japan, but he defintely has to be included in the squad.

i think its acknowledged that Harte was carrying an injury in the world cup. had to get pain killing injections before each game which wore off after 20 mins or so. i admit that at least one of the goals against us was probably his fault but as always he gave everything.

we dont have a natural left back in the squad at the moment so he should be included for sure for the upcoming friendlys, and the qualifiers. without him we have no real threat from dead ball situations

[Donal81]

as with Kevin Kilbane it became trendy to slag off Ian Harte without genuine reason.....

Are you f*cking mad? So football fans criticised Kilbane's and Harte's performances to follow a trend? I don't know what planet you were on during the 2002 qualifiers as well as the 2004 qualifiers. Both gave their all and no one can accuse them of not trying but they were both utter rubbish in the world cup and its qualifiers. Harte, for all his effort, has no pace, no awareness and no ability to mark or track back. The first one is manageable. The second two are basic elements of a defender. Unless he's improved dramatically over the past number of months, any campaign for his inclusion seems pointless.

[colster]

I don't know why everyone is calling for Harte to be included in the squad. Our defence has been pretty good over the last few games. Who would he replace. Maybury perhaps but he's done well when he's had a game.

[Donal81]

Ummm, why? Because we have Ashley Cole and Bixente Lizarazu vying for that position?

I too share a lot of your doubts about Harte's abilities, but it's not as if we're spoiled for choice at left back. John O'Shea is the wekaest link on the current team and needs a challenger.

What's the point in calling up someone who has proved himself to be a poor defender? Maybury hasn't proven anything, fair enough, but he hasn't proved himself to be woeful. John O'Shea may need some competition but is he likely to receive it from Harte?

[Colm55]

Defo a must for the squad....

He'll do a decent job from left back so long as there's a pacy centre half there to compensate for his failings. .

How can he do a decent job if someone has to compensate for his failings ?????

If he can do a decent job, no one should have to compensate for his failings
and be rightly included, as you pointed out he has failings, i think he should not be in the squad ! !

[jbyrne]

Maybury hasn't proven anything, fair enough, but he hasn't proved himself to be woeful

so you have to prove yourself to be woeful to be excluded from an Ireland squad..... great, i must still have a chance of getting in the squad one day!

harte was top scorer in last wc campaign and is only natural left back we have playing at a decent level. i stand my view that it became trendy to slag off harte and kilbane without foundation. kilbane in particular has proved many wrong with his recent motm performances...... fact!!

[Donal81]

so you have to prove yourself to be woeful to be excluded from an Ireland squad..... great, i must still have a chance of getting in the squad one day!

harte was top scorer in last wc campaign and is only natural left back we have playing at a decent level. i stand my view that it became trendy to slag off harte and kilbane without foundation. kilbane in particular has proved many wrong with his recent motm performances...... fact!!

What I meant in regard to Maybury was that when he's come in, he hasn't played terribly or brilliantly. He hasn't been given a chance to shine in the Ireland team. I'm not saying he ever will but Harte has had his chance.

Regarding Kilbane, let's get this straight. Kilbane never performed well for Ireland until very, very recently and he's been in the squad for a long time. He was criticised for his performances as a winger. Now he's in central midfield, his performances have improved and he's done very well. This is a good thing, obviously, but it is by no means a vindication for those who defended him while he was on the left wing. If anything, taking him off the wing only proves that he was f*cking terrible there. A good performance against France is not vindication of any sort.

Also, tell me this. How much foundation do you need to criticise the two without being part of this trend you talk about? They were the weakest links in McCarthy sides without question. Kilbane couldn't attack and Harte couldn't defend. Harte could add to attack, Kilbane could add to defence at times, but in their positions they were useless. On that issue, I don't understand where you're coming from. The notion that they received criticism as a result of a trend instead of playing poorly is ridiculous, frankly.

They both give their all, definitely, as I've written a million times on this. But you and I would also give our all if we were picked for the Croatia game. Does that mean we shouldn't be subjected to criticism?

[eirebhoy]

Why are we all saying Harte in for Maybury? Maybury has played better for Ireland at LB than O'Shea but O'Shea will always be in the squad because he plays for Man U. At the moment, and for the forseable future, O'Shea is a utility player at United and hasn't played at LB in ages while Maybury is playing against the likes of Feyenoord, Shalke and Basle.

I'd personally prefer us to have better options at LB but unfortunately we don't. O'Shea has been poor for over a season now and gets away with so much because of the club he plays for.