Liam George

[ArdeeBhoy]

Just to say LG spoke to the RISSC last week and gave quite a candid account of what it was like playing in that '98 team and scoring the winning penno, how he always aspired to play for Ireland (despite being 'called up'for, er, England.) and where his career went 'wrong'.

This was largely based on numerous injuries, which despite him being Luton's top scorer, led to him getting a free as he fell out with Joe Kinnear...centred on playing an alien system, which suited JK but not Liam. Kinnear used the excuse of a new contract to get rid of him, more justified by his injury record than ability.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liam_George

Then drifted through a host of clubs, including a brief spell in the LOI, whose standard he was not polite about (at the time) as he felt it was too robust/basic compared to the FL, before eventually going into non-league, from which he's totally retired as is now a fully qualified physio.

As he said, his experience of football injuries left him ideally placed...

His best story related to a certain fierce Corkonian and when he pulled rank with the FAI gombeen men in mid-flight;LG thought the plane was going to be diverted to make an 'emergency landing' ​...

[Irwin3]

Just to say LG spoke to the RISSC last week and gave quite a candid account of what it was like playing in that '98 team and scoring the winning penno, how he always aspired to play for Ireland (despite being 'called up'for, er, England.) and where his career went 'wrong'.

This was largely based on numerous injuries, which despite him being Luton's top scorer, led to him getting a free as he fell out with Joe Kinnear...centred on playing an alien system, which suited JK but not Liam. Kinnear used the excuse of a new contract to get rid of him, more justified by his injury record than ability.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liam_George

Then drifted through a host of clubs, including a brief spell in the LOI, whose standard he was not polite about (at the time) as he felt it was too robust/basic compared to the FL, before eventually going into non-league, from which he's totally retired as is now a fully qualified physio.

As he said, his experience of football injuries left him ideally placed...

His best story related to a certain fierce Corkonian and when he pulled rank with the FAI gombeen men in mid-flight;LG thought the plane was going to be diverted to make an 'emergency landing' ​...

It's a shame that injuries kept Liam from having a fruitful career but it turns out Kinnear was spot on. After being released from Luton, George ended up playing a handful of games for 20 teams never staying anywhere longer than a year.

These were the days when Kinnear was on the ball. He brought in Steve Howard for £50,000 as his main striker (target-man style which George might've been alluding to) and he scored 24 in the 01/02 season during which George was released. Howard ended up scoring 103 goals for Luton in 228 games before being sold for £1,000,000 to Derby County.

[Dodge]

Then drifted through a host of clubs, including a brief spell in the LOI, whose standard he was not polite about (at the time) as he felt it was too robust/basic compared to the FL, before eventually going into non-league,
Thanks for the update. Always been fascinated by that team. Simply put though George wasn't good enough for LOI level. It wasn't just the robustness, he wasn't good enough technically either.

6 of that team played with Pats at one stage or another and he was by far the worst. Shame as it seems injuries meant he didn't develop enough

[ArdeeBhoy]

Aye, he'd say different as was quite disparaging about the LOI of those times (about half the audience there would have had at least a passing LOI interest) and did have a good pedigree/reputation beforehand, but will split the difference as clearly you've seen far more of the LOI/Pats, than he ever will. And it was 10 years ago.

And injuries were his main blight, quite a shame...

[Crosby87]

Sort of with the topic of injuries, if there was one player who you thought was going to be really good or great even for Ireland, but got ruined by injuries, who would it be? Is there one that sticks out?
I think if Steven Reid never had those problems he would have been way above average. I guess that's kind of obvious. He just seemed better suited at Intl football than domestic. Terry Dixon is another one that may have had a vastly better trajectory had he never busted that kneecap.

[Eminence Grise]

Kieron Brady, Sunderland. Classy... Retired around 22, I think.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Keith O'Neill, Richard Sadlier and to a lesser extent Stephen McPhail.

[gastric]

Kieron Brady, Sunderland. Classy... Retired around 22, I think.

Had a very bad attitude too! Mark Kelly and Colin Healy are another two, whose careers were cut short or affected by injury. Such injuries certainly stifled our ability to succeed at internatonal level.

[Charlie Darwin]

Thanks for the update. Always been fascinated by that team. Simply put though George wasn't good enough for LOI level. It wasn't just the robustness, he wasn't good enough technically either.

6 of that team played with Pats at one stage or another and he was by far the worst. Shame as it seems injuries meant he didn't develop enough
I remember Joe O'Cearuill saying something similar before heading back to the total football of the Ishtmian League.


Sort of with the topic of injuries, if there was one player who you thought was going to be really good or great even for Ireland, but got ruined by injuries, who would it be? Is there one that sticks out?
I think if Steven Reid never had those problems he would have been way above average. I guess that's kind of obvious. He just seemed better suited at Intl football than domestic. Terry Dixon is another one that may have had a vastly better trajectory had he never busted that kneecap.
I don't think you can put Dixon and Reid in the same league. Reid did the business at a World Cup, Dixon looked good in the reserve leagues. Not to say he didn't have the potential to be a very good player, just that so did 100 other players of his kind in England.

[CraftyToePoke]

Joey O'Brien maybe ? Operating in midfield for Bolton at Europa League level when the injuries began i.i.r.c.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Just to say LG spoke to the RISSC last week and gave quite a candid account of what it was like playing in that '98 team and scoring the winning penno, how he always aspired to play for Ireland (despite being 'called up' for, er, England.) and where his career went 'wrong'.

This was largely based on numerous injuries, which despite him being Luton's top scorer, led to him getting a free as he fell out with Joe Kinnear...centred on playing an alien system, which suited JK but not Liam. Kinnear used the excuse of a new contract to get rid of him, more justified by his injury record than ability.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liam_George

Then drifted through a host of clubs, including a brief spell in the LOI, whose standard he was not polite about (at the time) as he felt it was too robust/basic compared to the FL, before eventually going into non-league, from which he's totally retired as is now a fully qualified physio.

As he said, his experience of football injuries left him ideally placed...

His best story related to a certain fierce Corkonian and when he pulled rank with the FAI gombeen men in mid-flight;LG thought the plane was going to be diverted to make an 'emergency landing' ​...

http://www.rissc.org/features/Meeting260713.htm