2023 UEFA Under-21 Championship

[elatedscum]

I'd say a squad will be announced soon. This is what I'd pick:


Maher
Odumosu


O’Connor
Lyons


McGuinness
O’Brien
Cashin
McEntee


Bagan


Kilkenny
Coventry
Devoy
Johansson
Connell


Tierney
Noss


Ebosele
Okoflex
Wright
O’Neill
Burns


Odubeko
Ferguson
Kayode
Omochere

I think you've got enough cover at full back with Lyons able to cover both sides, Ebosele able to step in at the right and Luca Connell at the left if needed. If you were gonna keep playing 3 at the back in all the games, you might need another centre half (one of Roughan, Ogungbo or Redmond probably). Being honest, I can't see him picking any of Connell, Omochere or Okoflex. I also assumed that Smallbone was injured cause he hasn't been involved in any squads for about a month.

Also, if Costelloe or Springett were picked ahead of Okoflex or Burns, I don't think anyone would argue about that.

[Jd2793]

a few loi lads in the 21s squad, will games be postponed on the weekend of 10-11th? we have waterford that weekend , disaster if harrington is out.

[tetsujin1979]

25 players in the squad, first call up for Adaramola, Armstrong, Hodge, and Armstrong
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[elatedscum]

a few loi lads in the 21s squad, will games be postponed on the weekend of 10-11th? we have waterford that weekend , disaster if harrington is out.

My understanding is, if you have a keeper called up, you can get it postponed - unless they’ve changed it this season. Normally two players required, but one if it’s a keeper

[elatedscum]

25 players in the squad, first call up for Adaramola, Armstrong, Hodge, and Armstrong

Worth noting that Cashin is still awaiting paperwork etc but he is joining the squad and they expect him to be available for some of the games if not all

[elatedscum]

To the avid LOI fans, where would you rank

Darragh Burns
Liam Kerrigan
Jack Moylan
Promise Omochere
Brandon Kavanagh

I’ve only seen a handful of games but from what I’ve seen all 5 have impressed to varying degrees. Kinda surprised they’ve only looked at 2 at any point during the campaign

[CraftyToePoke]

Worth noting that Cashin is still awaiting paperwork etc but he is joining the squad and they expect him to be available for some of the games if not all

Worth noting as well what Crawford said about this :

Cashin, a centre-back, was born in England but qualifies for Ireland via a grandparent, and played 18 times in the Championship for Wayne Rooney’s Derby last season. He will link up with the squad this week in the hope he earns the green light from Fifa during the window, and thus be available to face Bosnia, Montenegro, or Italy.

“It’s frustrating, it’s disappointing”, said Crawford. “We hope we can get it done in time during the camp and get a green jersey on him. It’s out of our hands. Everyone is working behind the scenes to get this over the line, but from my point of view it’s frustrating and disappointed that we are still at this juncture.

“I’m not going to go into it, but as I say, it’s disappointing. These are three huge games for the U21s and you’d like to get your best players there. Unfortunately there are quite a few people involved in the process, and where we are at now is a race against time to get him across the line for us.”


Crawford described Cashin only being cleared to play the final game against Italy as “the worst-case scenario.”

“There was a case of a wrong document handed in which caused a problem, there’s been family holidays, there was another issue, among others. It is what it is. We haven’t been able to name him in the squad but he’ll be coming over with the necessary documents on Friday and it’s a race against time. From my end, it’s disappointing and frustrating.”


- https://www.the42.ie/eiran-cashin-ireland-5774652-May2022/

[JR89]

With the FAI involved I'd say worst case scenario is more than likely gonna be the scenario that happens.

[CraftyToePoke]

With the FAI involved I'd say worst case scenario is more than likely gonna be the scenario that happens.

I'm more drawn towards the wrong document submitted, family holiday. Im all for taking a kick at the FAI but when warranted.

[JR89]

I'm more drawn towards the wrong document submitted, family holiday. Im all for taking a kick at the FAI but when warranted.

Wrong documents are probably handed in the whole time and championship players are on holidays after the season. Gavin Kilkenny is over in Spain with his family on holidays before the internationals. Cashin is joining up with the squad on Friday with the documents needed to finalise his switch. Probably wouldn't need it rushed through if the FAI had got it sorted before this year.

[pineapple stu]

To the avid LOI fans, where would you rank

Darragh Burns
Liam Kerrigan
Jack Moylan
Promise Omochere
Brandon Kavanagh

I’ve only seen a handful of games but from what I’ve seen all 5 have impressed to varying degrees. Kinda surprised they’ve only looked at 2 at any point during the campaign
Kerrigan has impressed in a poor UCD team so far this season, though has been a bit quieter in the second round of games as I think teams are paying more attention to him. He's found space harder to come by lately for example; the first round of games he was regularly causing proper problems running straight at defenders.

He's linked with a move to England at the moment, but it's hard to really place that in any meaningful context - there's obviously a big difference between signing for a 23s team and going straight into a first-team (which he'll hardly do, given he's coming from part-time football), and that's before you consider what division in England he might go to (Lincoln were mentioned, but not sure if that was Collie Whelan or Kerrigan or both)

[Jd2793]

be interesting to see where kerrigan would land alright. hes a good talent id hate to see him sign with a 23s team tbh. id be hoping a l1 side would have a bit of faith in him and give him a place in the first team squad either that or a move to derry perhaps?

[tetsujin1979]

One minor point about the squad - if Conor Noss does play in any of the three upcoming games, he'll be tied to us. He turned 21 in January, and an appearance in any competitive game at 21, or older, ties you to that association.
Coventry and Smallbone, both 22, are already tied to us, having appeared in qualifiers since their 21st birthdays

[ColourfulPeanut]

One minor point about the squad - if Conor Noss does play in any of the three upcoming games, he'll be tied to us. He turned 21 in January, and an appearance in any competitive game at 21, or older, ties you to that association.
Coventry and Smallbone, both 22, are already tied to us, having appeared in qualifiers since their 21st birthdays
I know that rule is about as clear as mud but I don't think that's the case from my understanding.

Doesn't that only apply if the player doesn't have citizenship at the time of playing for the country, assuming it's not an "A" international? I don't think U21s tie them unless they don't already have the nationality, which Noss, Coventry and Smallbone do.

From the FIFA rules

a) the player:i) was fielded in a match in an official competition at any level(with the exception of “A” international level) in any kind offootball for his current association;
and
ii) at the time of being fielded for his first match in an official competition in any kind of football for his current association,he already held the nationality of the association which he wishes to represent.

b) the player: i) was fielded in a match in an official competition at any level(with the exception of “A” international level) in any kind of football for his current association;
ii) at the time of being fielded for his first match in an official competition in any kind of football for his current association, he did not hold the nationality of the association which he wishes to represent;
iii) at the time of being fielded for his last match in an official competition in any kind of football for his current association, he had not turned 21 years old; and
iv) meets any of the requirements provided in article 6 or article 7

The problem arises for us because these English born granny rule lads would need to have their Irish passport sorted before they turned 21, due to our Foreign Birth Register. This means they'd be ineligble for us as soon as they kick a ball at any level for another country, once turning 21, but doesn't work in reverse for cases like Noss. If my interpretation is correct, Noss won't be tied until he plays 1 senior competitive game because he already has German nationality.

[zero]

Oisin McEntee has been released by Newcastle and has joined Walsall (16th in league 2 last season).

https://www.saddlers.co.uk/news/2022/may/saddlers-snap-up-oisin-mcentee-from-newcastle-united/

[Eirambler]

Peanut has the eligibility rules correct. None of Smallbone, Coventry or Noss are tied to us, nor will they be if they play in this round of Under 21 games.

This is because they held the citizenship of their country of birth before ever playing for Ireland.

If any of them took a competitive senior cap they'd be tied to us though, as they are now all 21 or older. So if any of the three were promoted to the seniors this June and were subsequently capped, that would confirm them for Ireland.

[tetsujin1979]

That's unlikely, the U21s final qualifier against Italy is the same night as the second game against Ukraine

[Eirambler]

That's unlikely, the U21s final qualifier against Italy is the same night at the second game against Ukraine

Yes, it probably won't happen. But if we had a couple of midfield injuries in the earlier games it's not beyond possibility that Coventry might get a call up at some stage this month off the back of his performances for MK Dons. Especially with Hodge playing well and available to step in for the 21s.

There aren't too many other decent and fit central midfield options out there, what kind of condition would someone like Jack Taylor be in at that point, about a month after the end of his club season? Similar story for Jake Doyle-Hayes, who has been no move than average in a poor Hibs team.

[JR89]

There's also the possiblity that second place is beyond us after this weekend rendering the Italy game a dead rubber. If so could see one or two maybe stay with the seniors.

Think we need two wins and Sweden to drop points against Italy for us to get the playoff, but a win and draw would do as long as Sweden then lose to Italy. Could be wrong though.

[CSAD]

There's also the possiblity that second place is beyond us after this weekend rendering the Italy game a dead rubber. If so could see one or two maybe stay with the seniors.

Think we need two wins and Sweden to drop points against Italy for us to get the playoff, but a win and draw would do as long as Sweden then lose to Italy. Could be wrong though.

If we beat Bosnia & Montenegro who are already eliminated and Sweden beat Luxembourg then it means Sweden will have to beat Italy otherwise we’ll have secured 2nd.

[geysir]

One minor point about the squad - if Conor Noss does play in any of the three upcoming games, he'll be tied to us. He turned 21 in January, and an appearance in any competitive game at 21, or older, ties you to that association.
Coventry and Smallbone, both 22, are already tied to us, having appeared in qualifiers since their 21st birthdays

There is that, but if Ireland is his first country to play for, there are more regulations which would allow him to declare for another country that he's eligible for.
He can switch if
he was fielded in no more than three matches at “A” international
level in any kind of football for his current association, whether
in an official competition or non-official competition:
v) at least three years have passed since being fielded for his last
match at “A” international level in any kind of football for his
current association, whether in an official competition or non-
official competition; and
vi) has never participated in any kind of football at “A”
international level in the final tour nament of the FIFA World
Cup or a final tournament of a confederation competition.

[JR89]

Looking like Cashin won't be available in time for our two games this weekend.

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[seanfhear]

Looking like Cashin won't be available in time for our two games this weekend.

1532333576292818945
What ever happened to ~ ~ Stroke Politicians ? ?

[SkStu]

Off topic but i cant believe how old Jim Crawford is looking. Maybe its just that photo but I still think of him as a Bohs youngster. Time is our greatest enemy.

[Diggs246]

Off topic but i cant believe how old Jim Crawford is looking. Maybe its just that photo but I still think of him as a Bohs youngster. Time is our greatest enemy.

Time and the British!

[seanfhear]

Time and the British!
And Now, The Globalists.

[tetsujin1979]

Sweden beat Luxembourg 3-0 to top the group ahead of Italy on goal difference.
They're only one game left, against Italy, who also have to play Luxembourg and ourselves.
https://www.uefa.com/under21/match/2031833--luxembourg-vs-sweden/

[tetsujin1979]

Eiran Cashin's paperwork has been completed, so he's available for selection tonight and Monday
1532674990071586817

[gally]

Disappointed Hodge not on the bench

[JR89]

No Cashin on the bench either and back to 4-2-3-1

1532779281008541696

[tommy_c12000]

If Cashin not available, I’d have O’Brien in for McEntee. And if purely considering development, I’d have Ferguson and Noss in for Tierney and Wright. But given that the result takes precedence, I trust Crawford with his selection. Pretty good team. Looking forward to the game!

[JR89]

If Cashin not available, I’d have O’Brien in for McEntee. And if purely considering development, I’d have Ferguson and Noss in for Tierney and Wright. But given that the result takes precedence, I trust Crawford with his selection. Pretty good team. Looking forward to the game!

He's available just wasn't selected. Probably found out late on Thursday or this morning he was available and the match day squad would have already been decided by then.

[Eirambler]

I trust Crawford with his selection.

That might be your first mistake right there.

[tetsujin1979]

Powerful finish from Smallbone for the opener, Odubeko might have gotten a little lucky with the through ball
1532798903762014208

[tommy_c12000]

Poor Kenny Cunningham seems like a nervous wreck with their passing game…. Just get the ball in the box!

[pineapple stu]

Why are we playing in orange? (Especially with their keeper in red)

[tommy_c12000]

Odubeko is a long way from the finished article, I would bring Ferguson on at HT, need someone better at holding up/linking up play. I’ve been unimpressed with Tierney as well, time to give Noss a run out? Maher been ok, should have come out to sweep up for their one true opportunity- he hesitated and to my eye he would have made it - but thankfully he made the save, his distribution has been poor. Others doing ok.

[tommy_c12000]

Why were we not able to make the substitution at the time of McEntee’s injury?! Bizarre that we had to be playing with 10 men for 2 minutes.

[passinginterest]

Odubeko is a long way from the finished article, I would bring Ferguson on at HT, need someone better at holding up/linking up play. I’ve been unimpressed with Tierney as well, time to give Noss a run out? Maher been ok, should have come out to sweep up for their one true opportunity- he hesitated and to my eye he would have made it - but thankfully he made the save, his distribution has been poor. Others doing ok.

I think Tierney has been a bit unlucky, he makes some super runs and finds a lot of space. We seem to be very conservative with our forward passing and not getting the ball to him in those spaces enough. Similar with Odubeko, not really enough good ball in to him. Started second half well. I think Bagan is still very underrated, sitting near the bench and they seem worried about their 7 so Bangan is not attacking a lot but his positioning is excellent and he never gives the ball away.

[pineapple stu]

Why were we not able to make the substitution at the time of McEntee’s injury?! Bizarre that we had to be playing with 10 men for 2 minutes.
Couldn't understand that - and they should have scored in that time too.

I can only presume the sub wasn't ready to come on, but that sounds really careless if so

[tommy_c12000]

Crawford needs to do something here. Ferguson and Noss for Odubeko and Tierney please

[tommy_c12000]

Crawford needs to do something here. Ferguson and Noss for Odubeko and Tierney please

Excellent, the motivational post works again!!

[SkStu]

Massive horn!

[passinginterest]

Solid performance without being great. Took their chances well and defended solidly for the most part (blessed to get away with the free header from the corner). They lacked a bit of dynamism and creativity I though, a little too happy to play the safe pass too often.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

What were Ticketmaster at with the ticketing? I looked online at lunch and there was only a few single tickets available. Then watch the game and there’s no one at it.

[tetsujin1979]

Really bad accident on the M50, tailbacks in both directions, made it really tough to get there

[passinginterest]

What were Ticketmaster at with the ticketing? I looked online at lunch and there was only a few single tickets available. Then watch the game and there’s no one at it.

There was definitely something weird with the way the tickets were being sold alright. The accident on the m50 would have definite had an impact but it didn’t explain the random scattering of single tickets they were making available to buy.

[elatedscum]

There was definitely something weird with the way the tickets were being sold alright. The accident on the m50 would have definite had an impact but it didn’t explain the random scattering of single tickets they were making available to buy.

I think loads of season ticket holders signed up for free tickets and didn’t go. That’s what I heard anyway

[elatedscum]

Very solid win, without play well for large portions of the game but always looked the more likely to score.

Felt awful sorry for Conor Noss. They had him doing an intense warm up for 30 mins of the second half with the fitness coach - sprints and everything. Then he looks up and sees ireland have made their last set of subs (Devoy for Kilkenny - but one sub left overall) and tells the fitness coach, both look confused and he trudges back to the stands where he sits alone. Looked totally disconsolate.

Maher is pretty impressive. Regularly makes winning saves. Thought both fullbacks were very solid on both sides, both going forward and defending. You could nitpick about Lee’s performance but overall he’s finding form again. McGuinness is a real leader at the back, gradual improvements since the start of the campaign. McEntee was good and we suffered a little after he came off for about 10 mins. I thought the midfield was disappointing. Coventry and Kilkenny are two of the best players in the side but Kilkenny in particular was very anonymous and Coventry wasn’t as influential as he can be. Tierney also didn’t have the impact you’d have come to expect in recent times. Saying that, the assist for Mipo’s goal was pure class. Wouldn’t really agree with playing Smallbone or Tierney wide - like has happened - I’d just choose one of them or Noss to play behind the striker. Smallbone was good, he’s very progressive, likes to receive the ball on the half turn, so he can drive forward. Both Wright and O’Neill did well, a lot more good than bad. Up top, Odubeko and Ferguson are still a long way from the finished article. Odubeko wins plenty of headers, more than his fair share. He gets to the first ball more often than you’d hope and he has a bit of spark about him. Gave the ball away badly a few times and the decision making was poor at times, when he shot in the second half, where he should have squared to Smallbone. Still, he’s probably better than anyone else we have who hasn’t graduated to the seniors. Ferguson is equally raw but there’s obviously a player in there. I wonder if there’s any more pace in the body - he’s young enough at 17 that he could gain an extra yard or two. Would make a huge difference.

This 21s are a weird team - they get results - they often don’t play particularly well but they carve out plenty of chances while not playing great. Even at home to Italy, they were 1-0 down and Tierney missed a sitter late on to get a draw.

Were it not for a couple of missed penalties and that sitter miss, they could be topping the group - all that while missing up to 9 players who have moved to the senior team

[CSAD]

Very solid win, without play well for large portions of the game but always looked the more likely to score.

Felt awful sorry for Conor Noss. They had him doing an intense warm up for 30 mins of the second half with the fitness coach - sprints and everything. Then he looks up and sees ireland have made their last set of subs (Devoy for Kilkenny - but one sub left overall) and tells the fitness coach, both look confused and he trudges back to the stands where he sits alone. Looked totally disconsolate.

Maher is pretty impressive. Regularly makes winning saves. Thought both fullbacks were very solid on both sides, both going forward and defending. You could nitpick about Lee’s performance but overall he’s finding form again. McGuinness is a real leader at the back, gradual improvements since the start of the campaign. McEntee was good and we suffered a little after he came off for about 10 mins. I thought the midfield was disappointing. Coventry and Kilkenny are two of the best players in the side but Kilkenny in particular was very anonymous and Coventry wasn’t as influential as he can be. Tierney also didn’t have the impact you’d have come to expect in recent times. Saying that, the assist for Mipo’s goal was pure class. Wouldn’t really agree with playing Smallbone or Tierney wide - like has happened - I’d just choose one of them or Noss to play behind the striker. Smallbone was good, he’s very progressive, likes to receive the ball on the half turn, so he can drive forward. Both Wright and O’Neill did well, a lot more good than bad. Up top, Odubeko and Ferguson are still a long way from the finished article. Odubeko wins plenty of headers, more than his fair share. He gets to the first ball more often than you’d hope and he has a bit of spark about him. Gave the ball away badly a few times and the decision making was poor at times, when he shot in the second half, where he should have squared to Smallbone. Still, he’s probably better than anyone else we have who hasn’t graduated to the seniors. Ferguson is equally raw but there’s obviously a player in there. I wonder if there’s any more pace in the body - he’s young enough at 17 that he could gain an extra yard or two. Would make a huge difference.

This 21s are a weird team - they get results - they often don’t play particularly well but they carve out plenty of chances while not playing great. Even at home to Italy, they were 1-0 down and Tierney missed a sitter late on to get a draw.

Were it not for a couple of missed penalties and that sitter miss, they could be topping the group - all that while missing up to 9 players who have moved to the senior team


I think individually it’s a good team but as a collective I don’t think it’s amazing, it feels like a lot of the goals or chances we create are down to individuals making something happen rather than training ground moves coming off. Funny enough similar to the senior team we did the double over our direct rivals Sweden and Bosnia but lose and draw away to the winnable games in the group.