2021 UEFA European Under-21 Championships

[tetsujin1979]

Still eligible for the under 19's, so I'd imagine (hope) so

[tetsujin1979]

Troy Parrott the latest star product of inner-city club: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/2d0d34e0-45c1-11e9-924d-9729bcd51a7f


Troy Parrott’s rise through the Tottenham and Ireland ranks comes as no surprise to his Belvedere coach, Vincent Butler, he tells Ciarán Kennedy

[jbyrne]

Troy Parrott the latest star product of inner-city club: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/2d0d34e0-45c1-11e9-924d-9729bcd51a7f

any chance you can copy the article and post it?

[Diggs246]

If he does the business at his age at under 21 international level, he is going to be the real deal

[tetsujin1979]

any chance you can copy the article and post it? it's free to register, you'll be able to read it after that

[geysir]

it's free to register, you'll be able to read it after that
Disclaimer : Not free if he's resident outside the UK and Ireland

[backstothewall]

Inter's 20-year-old defender Ryan Nolan 'on standby' as Kenny picks Ireland squad https://the42.ie/4540400

Am I the only one thinking it is absurd that a guy who is the captain of the Inter Milan youth side and would is breaking into their 1st team squad can't make our u21 squad?

[tetsujin1979]

Disclaimer : Not free if he's resident outside the UK and Ireland

fair enough, I had missed that


From the bottom of Buckingham Street in the north inner city of Dublin, kids kicking a ball around only need to look up the long, sloping road to see the behemoth of Croke Park looming.

Not many children grow up so close to the home of the GAA, yet it is an area of the city largely untouched by Gaelic games and the success of the Dublin footballers, with the only flags lining the streets leftover bunting from the visit of Pope Francis last August.

Instead, the boys and girls of Buckingham Street dream of growing up to play professional soccer, and for many, that dream starts at Belvedere FC.

“Kids from this area, they are nearly all purely soccer,” says Vincent Butler, director of football affairs at the club.

Chances are, if you are one of the thousands of young footballers to have togged out in Belvedere colours, at some stage Butler has run the rule over you, having been involved with the club since it began in 1971.

Every weekend, there are Belvedere graduates lining out at all levels from regional divisions in Ireland right up to the Premier League, but currently, there is one name on everybody’s lips: Troy Parrott.

“He’s created a bit of interest, alright,” says Butler.

“There are not that many kids going to Premier League clubs now but you do get a few, like Troy. Sean Brennan is with Southampton, Kevin Healy is at West Brom and a few others.

“We have 18 players over there [Britain] at the moment, four of them wouldn’t have played senior first-team football [yet] because they are too young. The other 14 have played competitive first-team games this season. Matt Doherty and Darragh Lenihan are both doing well.”

On the occasion of Parrott’s 17th birthday last month, he signed his first professional contract with Tottenham Hotspur after hovering around the fringes of the first team.

Butler has been over and back to London to check in on his progress at Spurs, and was instantly struck by how much of an impression the Dubliner has made, with manager Mauricio Pochettino already expressing his confidence in the young player’s abilities.

“He’s a very nice fella, Pochettino,” Butler says. “I was being shown around the academy premises and met him on the stairs. He said ‘Oh, you’re the guy looking after Troy!’ A lot of other managers, you wouldn’t meet them, and they wouldn’t have any knowledge [of who you are] really.

“I knew Troy was doing really well because he was getting great reviews. Apart from getting views from Spurs you would hear it from other clubs. A scout from Man City said he was doing great and Chelsea were looking for him. I mean, if they got the chance they would have come in and taken him.”

Parrott first went on trial with Spurs at the age of 15, and within a few days Butler received a text from a member of Tottenham’s academy coaching staff to say he was “fitting in perfectly”, outlining how impressed the club were with the personable and confident striker.

“He got in straight away,” Butler says.

Butler was present last December as Tottenham took on Inter Milan in a Uefa Youth League game, Parrott scoring a superb goal from the edge of the box in a 4-2 defeat. The goal subsequently did the rounds on social media, generating giddy excitement among Ireland supporters desperate to see a natural goalscorer coming through given the senior team’s struggles to replace Robbie Keane, now working as an assistant coach to Mick McCarthy in the Ireland senior team. Yet Butler explains that there is much more to Parrott’s game than an ability to find the net.

“There was an Italian TV company over who covered the match against Inter Milan, and I’m not sure who did it, but they compiled a DVD just of Troy. The commentator is calling him ‘Parratta’, and it’s three or four minutes long. And he was just really good. The amount of things he did, he was superb.

“Troy has got good composure around the goal. He’s also very determined and never stops running in a match. He’s always looking for the ball. He’s brave, he’ll go for anything, and he’s dedicated.”

And it is that dedication, more than anything, which sets Parrott apart. Butler has seen many young Irish footballers go over to England and fail to adapt to their new surroundings, but he has no such fears for Belvedere’s latest protégé, who grew up in an area of Dublin which has had an unfavourable reputation over the years, with the lack of green space available often leading some to pursue less productive pasttimes.

That is one of the reasons why Belvedere place such a heavy emphasis on developing the technical skills of players, putting talented kids on the right path from the very start. Visit the Belvedere academy, and you can see boys and girls as young as four years of age being taught how to trap the ball, or dribble around a set of cones.

Yet too often other distractions have derailed promising careers, something which Parrott is already aware of.

When he was travelling back home to play in underage matches for Ireland, Tottenham offered him the opportunity to take a couple of days before and after the games to spend some time in Dublin. Parrott decided his time would be put to better use at Tottenham’s training facilities, so opted to travel back the day before games and return to London straight away. Living in digs near Tottenham’s training ground, he is picked up for training and dropped home every day, while on weekends he can visit an aunt who lives in London. Those little comforts can make a world of difference, and Butler has seen first-hand the importance that having the right set-up can make.

“I remember one [player] was signed by Liverpool and they had him in digs in Southport. It took him about two hours to get in every morning and then two hours to get back, and there was nobody living out there. He just went home eventually, never played football again,” says Butler. There are countless similar stories, from all around the country, of promising footballers who could have made it.

“Troy seems to like it and they all seem to like him, and that’s half the battle. All he has to do now is produce the goods and they’ll keep him there, and he’ll do well for them.

“Some people say that kids from that area might have great talent, but they don’t have the dedication or concentration. Troy has proved everybody wrong.”



Wonder who the Liverpool player is?

[Olé Olé]

John Paul Kelly?

[tetsujin1979]

John Paul Kelly?

Possibly, but he did play in the League of Ireland after leaving Liverpool

[Olé Olé]

It's funny. I spoke to a barber recently who said he knew both Jack Byrne and Troy Parrott and it seemed like he genuinely did. He said that there is a marked difference in attitude between the pair. In fact, that story about Troy not taking extra time off could be contrasted to a story this guy had about Byrne saying he was sick one weekend but actually going home to Dublin from Blackburn for his mate's birthday.

[tetsujin1979]

Limerick's Will Fitzgerald is on stand by: https://twitter.com/LimerickFCie/status/1106462312280539136

[CraftyToePoke]

Hasn't played yet for Limerick this run, or been on the bench, must be due to play tonight so. Kenny likes this player.

[tetsujin1979]

he's namedchecked Fitzgerald a few times

[CraftyToePoke]

He'd be a Dundalk player now if SK had stayed there according to some also.

[Kingdom]

John Paul Kelly?

It's not Joxer.

[tetsujin1979]

Parrott out of the squad after not recovering from an operation on his toe in time.
Probably not enough time to call up a replacement (maybe McAuley?)

[tetsujin1979]

Simon Power out with a calf injury now, Brandon Kavanagh called up
1108027311746703368

[liamoo11]

Simon Power out with a calf injury now, Brandon Kavanagh called up
1108027311746703368

Great I like him. But it's odd when a lad can't get into the 19s squad but can make the 21s

[Olé Olé]

Great I like him. But it's odd when a lad can't get into the 19s squad but can make the 21s

Wasn't aware of that. But even so, if Kenny can pull a few wins out of the bag with a squad ibcludeong so many young LOI players then he is doing something positive for the future of Irish football.

[liamoo11]

Wasn't aware of that. But even so, if Kenny can pull a few wins out of the bag with a squad ibcludeong so many young LOI players then he is doing something positive for the future of Irish football.

Ah yeah can't disagree with that. Would be nice to see kavanagh play a bit more at rovers but lots of playmakers floating around that side. It was good young bolger moved on even if 23s football at Cardiff doesnt seem fitting for his talent.

[Buller]

I heard that over 5000 tickets sold for the game against Luxembourg in Tallaght Stadium tomorrow?! Surely that cant be right.

[liamoo11]

https://www.uefa.com/under21/season=2021/matches/round=2001101/match=2026497/lineups/index.html?iv=true interesting team. Hopefully play nice football

[gally]

any live streams for the people abroad please

[Olé Olé]

Really nice team. I think it'll set up more as a Kenny special of 4-2-3-1 with Ronan being 10 and flanked by Farrugia and Elbouzedi.

Also, interesting to see that Coventry and Ronan are the only lads that weren't born in Ireland. Not sure on Coventry but we know Ronan strongly went with us based on his experience of both camps and his aul lad's influence. Big change from the King days.

[Razors left peg]

any live streams for the people abroad please
It's on Eirsport on mobdro

[Razors left peg]

Well it was, and now its just stuck on a loop.... any other stream suggestions?

[geysir]

The stream has gone tits up. It's the one true stream that feeds all.

[geysir]

Hungary v Croatia is not too bad.

[Olé Olé]

Goal from Idah. Lovely header.

[tommy_c12000]

All the goals, and some highlights on EirSport twitter page which is keeping me happy. 2-0 at the moment. Any insight from people actually watching the game?

[pineapple stu]

FAI twitter also showing the goals

[Olé Olé]

Ireland on top (as the scoreline suggests) but Luxembourg can move the ball a bit. The widemen are getting a lot of joy for us and Elbouzedi has seen a lot of ball.

[Olé Olé]

The more I watch the Farrugia finish, the better it gets.

[tetsujin1979]

Ronan has a few tricks, but he's trying to cover every blade of grass, calm down lad!
Idah looks a proper centre half.
O'Connor looks really slight for a defender, but he'd good on the ball.
You can see the difference in actual first team football between O'Shea and Masterson.

[backstothewall]

I've only seen the goals but Idah looks like the striker the senior team are missing.

Is it too late to add him to the senior squad?

[johnnyc]

Good performance. Not afraid to try and play football. Very impressed with Ronan.

[Diggs246]

I've only seen the goals but Idah looks like the striker the senior team are missing.

Is it too late to add him to the senior squad?

Was anyone from the senior management team there I wonder?

[Olé Olé]

I've only seen the goals but Idah looks like the striker the senior team are missing.

Is it too late to add him to the senior squad?
I wouldn't say so. I would hope he would be called in to train tomorrow or something. Ronan too should be looked at. Kenny has stated before he wants to ensure that the 21s are a supply chain for the seniors so hopefully Mick takes note. It's not as if the senior side has overwhelming options.

[liamoo11]

I wouldn't say so. I would hope he would be called in to train tomorrow or something. Ronan too should be looked at. Kenny has stated before he wants to ensure that the 21s are a supply chain for the seniors so hopefully Mick takes note. It's not as if the senior side has overwhelming options.

Kenny has done very well with ronan I think. Ronan spent almost all first half of season on bench and rarely involved at walsall and then made what seems a strange move to slovakian football. Would have been easy for Kenny to have disregarded him

Pity Norwich are having such a good season idah would surely have been close to a debut there

[Olé Olé]

Kenny has done very well with ronan I think. Ronan spent almost all first half of season on bench and rarely involved at walsall and then made what seems a strange move to slovakian football. Would have been easy for Kenny to have disregarded him

Pity Norwich are having such a good season idah would surely have been close to a debut there

Newstalk aired a half hour interview with Kenny yesterday in which Kenny specifically spoke of how good a player Ronan is but that he can't play in a team that.goes back to front fast. Kenny said you need to play through Ronan. For two of the goals that was definitely the case. Kenny spoke about the loan moves and how the style of play may not have suited him at the clubs. So the writing was on the wall there from that interview.

[jbyrne]

I heard that over 5000 tickets sold for the game against Luxembourg in Tallaght Stadium tomorrow?! Surely that cant be right.

4772 confirmed attendance

[Sullivinho]

There's genuine cause for excitement with Kenny. In word and deed he seems to be the antidote to 15 years of reductive tactics and treading international water. You ultimately live and die by the quality of player available of course, but he'll no doubt promote some of these lads with him next year and the likes of Ronan and Idah look ready for it. Yeah, it was Luxembourg but there's something different in the air...

[samhaydenjr]

Crikey, Adam Idah, whatever level you put him at he just scores. Remember that again he's playing an age group higher as he's only just turned 18. Probably a bit premature to be thinking of putting him in the senior squad for the qualifiers in June but he should be monitored very, very closely for the rest of the season, pre-season and the start of next season with an eye on the Bulgaria and New Zealand games

[nigel-harps1954]

Idah could do worse than looking for a loan move to play some senior football such is his progression.

[Olé Olé]

There's genuine cause for excitement with Kenny. In word and deed he seems to be the antidote to 15 years of reductive tactics and treading international water. You ultimately live and die by the quality of player available of course, but he'll no doubt promote some of these lads with him next year and the likes of Ronan and Idah look ready for it. Yeah, it was Luxembourg but there's something different in the air...
Ya know there's a couple points you make in there that are very interesting. Kenny put faith in, for example, Neil Farrugia who is 19 and has very little LOI experience and even less at the Premier Division level. He trusted the ability of the lad. Conor Ronan has bounced around lower level English sides to little success in recent times but was trusted to play by Kenny. Young Idah, ditto.

The points that Kenny made in his programme notes for Dundalk that we all heard about are being put into action. After the year we have had, I think we would all rather if we went and tried something instead of focusing on our limitations like the previous senior and under 21 managers did.

[Closed Account]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6967919/Bournemouth-eye-20-year-old-West-Brom-defender-Dara-OShea.html

[Olé Olé]

There's a few golden touches from Kenny so far. He spoke glowingly of O'Shea and it looks like O'Shea is on a lot of radars. He spoke very highly of Farrugia and Scales and they're off to Man City for training. He spoke about Ronan before the Lux game stating he can prosper once he's playing in a side that goes through the lines and Ronan goes and assists a goal or two and looks brilliantly sharp between the midfield and forward lines. Someone on here questioned why Ndaba was in the squad before Ryan Nolan and Ndaba looks to make his senior debut this year. He has an eye for a player...

[tetsujin1979]

O'Shea did look the better of the two centre halves against Luxembourg. You could see the difference first team football, even at league two, was having on him compared to Masterson

[elatedscum]

I'd like to see the 19s eligible lads (Parrott, Idah, Coventry, L O'Connor, Kavanagh, Collins, Connolly) kept for Armenia. And use the Toulon tournament to work with the lads he's already worked with, along with the likes of: Ryan Nolan, Tyreke Wilson, Josh Barrett, Kian Flanagan, Ronan Hale, Simon Power