Republic of Ireland v Hungary - Saturday, 6 September 2025 - 2026 World Cup Qualifier

[sbgawa]

Burkes minutes wouldnt be anywhere near Amonds, he certainly has the technical ability to play at that level but i dont see it happening at this stage.
He was superb agaisnt Drogs at the weekend , best player outside Pat Byrne in my time watching Rovers and not by much.

[pineapple stu]

Burkes minutes wouldnt be anywhere near Amonds, .
Fair, yeah. Just looked it up and it's 1500 v 2500

That makes the goalscoring record comparable, but Amond is with a weaker side of course

[ontheotherhand]

Fair, yeah. Just looked it up and it's 1500 v 2500

That makes the goalscoring record comparable, but Amond is with a weaker side of course

They are completely different players. Burke is an advanced playmaker who scores and assists. Amond is an out-and-out striker.

[Kingdom]

Burkes minutes wouldnt be anywhere near Amonds, he certainly has the technical ability to play at that level but i dont see it happening at this stage.
He was superb agaisnt Drogs at the weekend , best player outside Pat Byrne in my time watching Rovers and not by much.

I think it's worth supporting this point.
Some of the things I've seen Graham Burke do on a football pitch - high up important - are wonderful and would beg the question 'why isn't he elsewhere?'. But the question also needs to be asked whether is the Rovers set-up and the support network there allowing him to maximise his talent (for whatever reason) and if that's the case, then why should we 'discrimate' against that just because he's playing domestically.

The same could equally have been said about a Git Forrester. It's one thing to take relatively light-hearted abuse from a travelling mob of 450 Rovers fans compared to getting dogs abuse from 15k of your own fans in London Road.

And the output he provides for a team is in way comparable to what Amond provides. Their roles are totally different (I would have thought).

[ontheotherhand]

I think it's worth supporting this point.
Some of the things I've seen Graham Burke do on a football pitch - high up important - are wonderful and would beg the question 'why isn't he elsewhere?'. But the question also needs to be asked whether is the Rovers set-up and the support network there allowing him to maximise his talent (for whatever reason) and if that's the case, then why should we 'discrimate' against that just because he's playing domestically.

The same could equally have been said about a Git Forrester. It's one thing to take relatively light-hearted abuse from a travelling mob of 450 Rovers fans compared to getting dogs abuse from 15k of your own fans in London Road.

And the output he provides for a team is in way comparable to what Amond provides. Their roles are totally different (I would have thought).

Ah, he's one of the best players I've ever seen in Ireland. You're right, though, Rovers cater to his skillset, and he's happy here. He's back to his best this season, and that's the main reason Byrne wasn't getting enough minutes to keep him happy. Burke has been better, and we can't really play both of them, particularly not in Europe. Sometimes it works, but really you need to let Burke float and get involved in the play wherever he wants. Not sure that would work for Ireland. I used to think it was more his lack of speed that held him back from a move elsewhere, but he's actually deceptively fast. He just glides past players. So good in tight spaces as well. He probably should have moved to a country other than England to play, but I'm glad he didn't.

I'd personally love to see us have a technician like that in the squad, but I don't know if we will ever utilise them properly. We had Hoolahan and failed to get the most out of him, and he was a level above anything we can call on now.

[Razors left peg]

Log in to foot.ie kinda excited that its match week at the start of a new WC... see a debate about Graham Burke getting in squad.... immediate realization that we probably arent qualifying :sad:

[seanfhear]

Log in to foot.ie kinda excited that its match week at the start of a new WC... see a debate about Graham Burke getting in squad.... immediate realization that we probably arent qualifying :sad:
It's the hope that gets ya !

[MoydowMonty]

If Burke gets called into the Ireland squad again then call it all off. There's a reason he doesn't start week in week out for Shams.

On a sidenote, while it's obviously good that the game on Saturday sold out, I hate that it did. Between those poxy bundle packages and then the singular tickets costing something like €80 minimum. That just sets such a bad precedent. And if you're not living around Dublin, forget about going to an Ireland game at a reasonable price again. You either pay for several games that will be a nightmare to get to all, or pay double the amount you should be for a single game.

[Eirambler]

Log in to foot.ie kinda excited that its match week at the start of a new WC... see a debate about Graham Burke getting in squad.... immediate realization that we probably arent qualifying :sad:

Let's be honest though, I doubt Burke is anywhere close to a call up. Difficult to see any domestic based player other than Honohan getting in a squad any time soon. Obviously there are longer term prospects such as Melia, but he's a year or two away at a minimum I'd say.

[ontheotherhand]

If Burke gets called into the Ireland squad again then call it all off. There's a reason he doesn't start week in week out for Shams.

On a sidenote, while it's obviously good that the game on Saturday sold out, I hate that it did. Between those poxy bundle packages and then the singular tickets costing something like €80 minimum. That just sets such a bad precedent. And if you're not living around Dublin, forget about going to an Ireland game at a reasonable price again. You either pay for several games that will be a nightmare to get to all, or pay double the amount you should be for a single game.

He's one of the first names on the teamsheet when we are playing our full-strength team. Not sure what you mean here.

Anyway, the discussion was from a fairly throwaway comment earlier in the thread, there's 0 chance Graham Burke is called up to another Irish squad. No need for the histrionics folks. Nobody is claiming he will qualify us for the WC.

[elatedscum]

On a sidenote, while it's obviously good that the game on Saturday sold out, I hate that it did. Between those poxy bundle packages and then the singular tickets costing something like €80 minimum. That just sets such a bad precedent. And if you're not living around Dublin, forget about going to an Ireland game at a reasonable price again. You either pay for several games that will be a nightmare to get to all, or pay double the amount you should be for a single game.

Premium tickets were at €100. Up €20 from the last competitive game... Shocking stuff

[Diggs246]

I bought two tickets on Ticketmaster for 55 lids each ( upper west) that is fair for a WC qualifier

I remember when we played in croke Park under trap and if memory serves it was more expensive and the was circa 14 years ago

[Razors left peg]

Might as well get the ball rolling on predicted starting line up

Kelleher
O'Brien Collins O'Shea
Doherty Cullen Taylor Manning
Azaz Johnston
Ferguson

[MoydowMonty]

Premium tickets were at €100. Up €20 from the last competitive game... Shocking stuff

There is no middle finger big enough

[elatedscum]

Might as well get the ball rolling on predicted starting line up

Kelleher
O'Brien Collins O'Shea
Doherty Cullen Taylor Manning
Azaz Johnston
Ferguson

Kelleher

Doherty
O’Brien
Collins
Manning

Cullen
Knight
Azaz

Ogbene
Ferguson
Szmodics

[Eirambler]

I think McAteer will be very close after June. Question might be whether HH considers Manning to be strong enough defensively to play left back, or whether he wants to move Doherty across or play Scales there.

Kelleher
O'Brien Collins O'Shea Doherty
Cullen Knight
McAteer Azaz Manning
Ferguson

[Kingdom]

From reading a few pieces the last few days, I'm wondering is Lawal a banker to start? And if he is, at who's expense?

Kelleher, Doherty, Collins, Cullen, Knight, Ferguson. They are bankers - I'm not sure anyone can disagree with that given what we've seen from 88 and what is available.

Dara O'Shea is likely, but was dropped specifically in one of the recent games.
Manning is probable, given issues with set-pieces in Smallbone & Brady's absence.

So that makes:
Kelleher, Doherty, Collins, O'Shea, Manning, Cullen, Knight, Ferguson. and leaves 3 places available.

If Lawal goes into centre-midfield given his versatility (and my hunch above), that would leave 2 wide players or 2 supporting attack players behind Ferguson.
Kelleher, Doherty, Collins, O'Shea, Manning, Cullen, Lawal, Knight, Ferguson.

So that would be 2 from Azaz, Szmodics, Ogbene, McAteer, Johnston. I cannot see him omitting Azaz, nor can I see him picking one of the wider players (Cheo/Johnston) along with Azaz as it would seem imbalanced. So I'm gonna suggest he'll pick both Azaz & Smodzics who will play off Evan, and go wider on the defensive and in the press, and narrow when countering on the attack. That would tie in with not losing the game in Dublin and then rotating as has been suggested given the 4 day turnaround in Yerevan where there might be more scope for front-foot football and playing a higher attacking team with Cheo and Johnston in from the start.

Kelleher, Doherty, Collins, O'Shea, Manning, Cullen, Knight, Azaz, Ferguson, Ferguson.

On the other possibilities (352; O'Brien vs Manning in a 4231; etc):
- I think it would be an extremely bad idea to play Jake O'Brien right back in a 4 up against a high-positioned Kerkez; imo it would be a recipe for disaster.
- despite my preference for 3 at the back given our strengths, we just can't adapt to it sufficiently, so I'd prefer the 4 defenders that we seem comfortable with.

[SkStu]

I cannot see him not omitting Azaz.

https://media.makeameme.org/created/brain-explosion-f10a6a85a2.jpg

[ifk101]

It's a 4-4-2 shape these days, no? That's HH's preference from what I can see. Don't think the Lawal suggestion is too far left field as the midfield picks indicate HH wants physicality and height in the central midfield area.

[SkStu]

He seemed to be a fan of the 4-5-1 (variants) that shifts to 3 at the back but it was 3-4-2-1 v. Senegal IIRC. I'd go with the 3-4-2-1 myself...

------------------CK
-----Jake------Collins------Dara-----
Dots---Cullen---Knight---Manning
--------Azaz---------Johnstinho-----
-------------Fergilicious------------

I am desperate for Lawal to be the answer to the MF problem we have but it might be a step too far to hand him his debut in a start v. Hungary in a WCQ?

[Kingdom]

https://media.makeameme.org/created/brain-explosion-f10a6a85a2.jpg

I read that in a 'Flaming Dragon' Tropic Thunder accent

[Razors left peg]

From reading a few pieces the last few days, I'm wondering is Lawal a banker to start? And if he is, at who's expense?

Kelleher, Doherty, Collins, Cullen, Knight, Ferguson. They are bankers - I'm not sure anyone can disagree with that given what we've seen from 88 and what is available.

Dara O'Shea is likely, but was dropped specifically in one of the recent games.
Manning is probable, given issues with set-pieces in Smallbone & Brady's absence.

So that makes:
Kelleher, Doherty, Collins, O'Shea, Manning, Cullen, Knight, Ferguson. and leaves 3 places available.

If Lawal goes into centre-midfield given his versatility (and my hunch above), that would leave 2 wide players or 2 supporting attack players behind Ferguson.
Kelleher, Doherty, Collins, O'Shea, Manning, Cullen, Lawal, Knight, Ferguson.

So that would be 2 from Azaz, Szmodics, Ogbene, McAteer, Johnston. I cannot see him omitting Azaz, nor can I see him picking one of the wider players (Cheo/Johnston) along with Azaz as it would seem imbalanced. So I'm gonna suggest he'll pick both Azaz & Smodzics who will play off Evan, and go wider on the defensive and in the press, and narrow when countering on the attack. That would tie in with not losing the game in Dublin and then rotating as has been suggested given the 4 day turnaround in Yerevan where there might be more scope for front-foot football and playing a higher attacking team with Cheo and Johnston in from the start.

Kelleher, Doherty, Collins, O'Shea, Manning, Cullen, Knight, Azaz, Ferguson, Ferguson.

On the other possibilities (352; O'Brien vs Manning in a 4231; etc):
- I think it would be an extremely bad idea to play Jake O'Brien right back in a 4 up against a high-positioned Kerkez; imo it would be a recipe for disaster.
- despite my preference for 3 at the back given our strengths, we just can't adapt to it sufficiently, so I'd prefer the 4 defenders that we seem comfortable with.


Im not sure I agree that Knight is a banker. A probability for sure but I think we've seen enough evidence that a Knight Cullen midfield is crap.

[SkStu]

I thought banker = HH seems to really like him...

[pineapple stu]

I am desperate for Lawal to be the answer to the MF problem we have but it might be a step too far to hand him his debut in a start v. Hungary in a WCQ?
You'd have to think so. He's got so little first-team experience really - relegation with Fleetwood, not a dozen games in the Championship

We had a lot of those kind of players under Kenny and it was part of why we didn't do so well. (Along with, for example, not bothering to defend long shots). It's a bit worrying that we're still in that position five years later to be honest - we seem to have had a fair few players just not really make it.

That said, if he's in the squad (ahead of Molumby, for right or wrong), he has to be an option to start I'd say

[Razors left peg]

Could Knight play in one of the 10 positions beside Azaz?

[Diggs246]

Yep, Taylor is the better player and far more likely to score or assist imo

It's a big call though, Knight has the international experience.

Id take the chance on Taylor and Cullen.

[Razors left peg]

Yep, Taylor is the better player and far more likely to score or assist imo

It's a big call though, Knight has the international experience.

Id take the chance on Taylor and Cullen.

Taylor also adds a bit of size in the midfield

[zero]

i would expect O'Shea at RB with his pace to get back and block kerkez if he gets free. probably that's Doherty then at LB and Collins and either O'Brien or Scales in the middle.

Would be very surprised to see Lawal starting.

[elatedscum]

I think McAteer will be very close after June. Question might be whether HH considers Manning to be strong enough defensively to play left back, or whether he wants to move Doherty across or play Scales there.

Kelleher
O'Brien Collins O'Shea Doherty
Cullen Knight
McAteer Azaz Manning
Ferguson

I think this is as likely a team as any.

He could switch the back line up whatever way he wants, the way it's currently laid out or playing Doherty at right back, O'Shea on the left and O'Brien in the middle. O’Shea has played LB for both Kenny and HH. Alternatively, either O’Brien or O’Shea at RB to handle an overlapping Kerkez. He has preferred to play Manning at LW/LM rather than LB. He’s also played Szmodics in that wide position whenever fit, so I probably think that’s 6 players into 5 slots, with the back 4 and the LM/LW. I suppose Scales has an outside chance to start somewhere but it seems far less likely.

Kelleher and Ferguson will surely start.

Right wing is probably between McAteer and Ogbene. McAteer did well against Senegal and is probably more fit than Ogbene. Ogbene maybe provides more pace across the pitch than anyone else. The ultra conservative John O’Shea team would have Knight playing wide right - but Jesus talk about a lack of pace in attack with Szmodics, Ferguson and Knight.

As for the midfield, Cullen starts - he’s playing well in the premier league in midfield. Pretty sure Knight will start, given how much he’s played so far. He’s started 8 of the 9 games he’s been available for under HH, the only one he didn’t start being HH’s first game. I guess Azaz starts over Taylor in the third midfield slot. Maybe they give Lawal the job of marking and handling Dom Szoboszlai. Lawal is probably the most athletic and physical of the midfielders but it’d be asking a huge amount. Seems like more of a Molumby job.

[Kingdom]

Could Knight play in one of the 10 positions beside Azaz?

For me, Jason Knight's best use in an Irish team is when we are away to the first and second seeds as an aggressive pressing option as part of a front 3. We won't have much of the ball, we'll be sitting in and trying to force errors and that's what he is good at and has the engine for.

[Kingdom]

I think this is as likely a team as any.

He could switch the back line up whatever way he wants, the way it's currently laid out or playing Doherty at right back, O'Shea on the left and O'Brien in the middle. O’Shea has played LB for both Kenny and HH. Alternatively, either O’Brien or O’Shea at RB to handle an overlapping Kerkez. He has preferred to play Manning at LW/LM rather than LB. He’s also played Szmodics in that wide position whenever fit, so I probably think that’s 6 players into 5 slots, with the back 4 and the LM/LW. I suppose Scales has an outside chance to start somewhere but it seems far less likely.


https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2025/0903/1531689-set-piece-maestro-manning-ready-to-take-aim-at-hungary/


"Repetition, repetition, repetition; a Ryan Manning mantra when it comes to practising free-kicks back at his club, Southampton.

The left-footer, comfortable in defence or further upfield, appears to have found the midas touch around the penalty area, already scoring twice from setpieces this season.

And it is a role that the Galway native would relish should he get the nod to start Saturday's World Cup qualifier against Hungary on Saturday at Aviva Stadium.

Manning forced his way into Heimir Hallgrimsson’s emerging side, and has since become one of the creative outlets in the team, while establishing a potent partnership with fellow ciotóg Robbie Brady.

An injury for Preston’s Brady means that the manager will need to rethink how he accounts for the left flank of the field at Lansdowne, however, it would appear that Manning will certainly be asked to play a role either in attack or defence.

"I had a good start to the season," said Manning, speaking to the press after training. "A couple of free kicks and some good performances.

"Just happy to be back in the squad and obviously we're prepping now for two massive games and I think there's 20-22 lads that are ready to play. It's just about showing a bit in training now over the next few days, taking on all the information and prepping for Saturday."

"I don't know, I'm happy just to be on the pitch," he added, when asked where he might be utilised for the visit of the Hungarians.

"For me, obviously playing a bit further forward in the last few camps, I've really enjoyed. It just gives another option for me to get up the pitch and gives the manager something else that he can do with me.

"Missing Robbie is a big miss for us because he's done so well over the last few years. But yeah, like I said, I'm just ready to be in contention and hopefully play."

And Manning said that he would be more than willing to put his hand up for set-piece duty, should Ireland find themselves in prime position in and around the penalty box.

"I'm not too sure about penalties, but for free kicks I'll put my hand up," he said. "I've been fortunate enough to score a couple over the last few weeks and confidence is pretty high at the minute. Hopefully we get something within shooting range on Saturday.

"I suppose I compare it a little bit to golf, you find something that just works and you sort of go with it.

"I've been doing that, I don't want to speak too much in case I lose it again. It's just repetition - just putting the walls up in training and just doing them over and over again and then a bit of luck on the day that they go in."

And when it comes to repetition, Manning has something in common with Hallgrimsson, who employs similar methods when it comes to getting his message across to the players.

"Consistent and clear message" was how John O’Shea put it when it comes to maintaining the players’ focus ahead of games, and Manning believes that the communication methods are paying dividends.

"He's very clear in his information," said Manning. "It doesn't really change game by game, it's just a standard way that we play.

"Because we all play different ways at clubs with different formations, different styles, it's very clear here now that it's something that we don't have to change each camp.

"I think that's shown with the performances, each camp we're improving, the results have been improving. He’s just really clear in his information. I think we're all starting to gel and get used to it now."

Hallgrimsson referred to Manning as a potential matchwinner within the collective, and the former QPR man admitted that the expression of trust really helps to concentrate on performing at the highest level.

"I think for anyone having the sort of backing of the manager and him realising that you can potentially win a match is a massive help.

"And it just probably allows you to be able to prepare properly for the game and relax, enjoy the environment.

"I think that comes with [the fact that] it's my fifth or sixth season coming away with Ireland and you know, you're used to everyone.

"You’re one of the senior members of the squad, and that means you have to take on other roles and responsibilities in terms of new boys coming in and hoping that they settle well."

Manning echoed the sentiments of goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher, who believes that the next step for the squad is qualification, and the Southampton man added that it was time for the players to "step up" and embrace the challenge.

As a six-year-old, Manning was hauled off to the local pub back in 2002 to watch Ireland’s last involvement in the World Cup, a penalty-shootout defeat to Spain in Seoul, and he feels that it is time to hand the next generation similar experiences, watching the national team on the biggest stage.

"We've had a tough few years with qualification campaigns but I feel like the squad now, when you look at it, you've got four or five club captains within the squad, you've got a lot of people who have a lot of caps, good experienced Premier League players and Championship players.

"The squad is probably in as good a place as it has been in the last few years so I think now is probably the time that we need to step up as a group and put in the performances to qualify and get to a tournament.

"Believe it or not, I remember the penalty shootout against Spain," he said. "I think I was in my local pub with my family watching it. So we want to be able to create memories like that in a World Cup campaign.

"I remember the Euro campaigns and it's such a good time at home here in Ireland. I think we definitely need to qualify for a major tournament now and sort of create some memories for the younger generation."

On a more sombre note, Manning paid tribute to former manager Ollie Horgan who died last week, and recalled some great days playing under his tutelage with the Ireland schoolboys.

"It was awful news to hear during the week about Ollie," said Manning. "He brought me off, I spent some time in his car, he's bringing me to different schoolboy camps, and we had such a brilliant campaign under him when I was doing my Leaving Cert.

"He was such a good character, some funny stories. He's obviously an incredible servant to Irish football, schoolboys and the League of Ireland. I know he’ll be missed hugely at Galway United, I think he had such a good influence there. He worked with my brother for a few years. It's a huge loss for Irish football."
"

[CraftyToePoke]

Is Cullen the banker everyone thinks ?
He wasn't available for the last two games v Senegal and Luxembourg and there was some consensus we had a midfield that began to look and behave like a midfield for the first time in a good while. He'd drawn criticism previously too.

And he's tiny, with HH clearly wanting big intimidating disruptor types.

[Kingdom]

When I refer to 'banker' it's in the context of what I think 88 wants, not what I consider should be a banker.

But your point is fair. However...it would be a massive call to not pick the starting sitting midfielder of a club in the Premier League who has had a significantly better start to the season in the PL than he's had previously, by picking, relatively speaking, a nobody.

[CraftyToePoke]

But your point is fair. However...it would be a massive call to not pick the starting sitting midfielder of a club in the Premier League who has had a significantly better start to the season in the PL than he's had previously, by picking, relatively speaking, a nobody.

Oh indeed. It'd take some set of balls to drop Mr EPL when we have so few. Equally, he hasn't played well in green for some time and wasn't missed in last window. He was also on the pitch for pretty much all the long range concessions that blighted us with most of them fired from his patch of pitch. Its an interesting one, I expect he'll play but needs to play well.

[Kingdom]

anyone have a contact point in the FAI for away tickets? My SSC didn't ask members about Lisbon~!

[Razors left peg]

Is Cullen the banker everyone thinks ?
He wasn't available for the last two games v Senegal and Luxembourg and there was some consensus we had a midfield that began to look and behave like a midfield for the first time in a good while. He'd drawn criticism previously too.

And he's tiny, with HH clearly wanting big intimidating disruptor types.

Im not Cullens biggest fan, but he has started pretty well in the Premiership this season so Id expect him to play

[elatedscum]

Listened to that RTE podcast. Few interesting things from it. Journalist reckoned that it wasn’t a certainty than Kerkez would start and he thought he wouldn’t be surprised if Nagy started cause he’s better defensively and more orthodox and experienced and Kerkez has missed a lot of games and hasn’t really done well in the system. He was also hugely complimentary of Alex Toth and his elite potential and his development under Robbie Keane but was doubtful he’d fit both him and Szoboszlai in the same team. He also highlighted Sallai who will play right wing and plays right back for Galatasaray as a noted attacking threat and said Varga would play as centre forward and was playing very well for Robbie Keane after a long term injury last summer and taking a while to return to his best form. He also said he was very surprised that Callum O’Dowda wasn’t called up, especially considering that five of his teammates were involved with Hungary and many were likely to start, so even the insider knowledge us to their strengths and weaknesses would be a huge benefit.


Finally, I think it’s worth noting that Bence Dardai has chosen to play for Hungary. Not a stretch to make comparisons with both Paul Nebel and Liam Delap. Nebel in that he’s German born and grew up there and was a really highly regarded Germany u16, 17, 18 and 19 before switching at age 19 while playing regularly in the Bundesliga. Delap in that his father was a Hungary international and he began representing the country of his birth rather than the country his father represented before eventually switching. Our record over the last decade has been really poor in recruiting the elite options with us failing to get Jack Grealish, Declan Rice, Liam Delap, Paul Nebel, Jack McGlynn, Conor Bradley to name but a few. Hungary got Dardai and they also got Kerkez who is born and raised in Serbia and qualifies for Hungary just through his grandmother to name but two.

[SkStu]

Yeah but the only thing not Hungarian about Dardai is where he was born and that was because his dad was playing in Germany at the time. Everyone and everything around him was Hungarian. His dad is a former Hungarian manager as well as played for them, his brothers play for Hungary. His favourite dinner is goulash. Its remarkably different from Delap and Nebel to be fair. We do still suck at convincing potential quality players to love the EIRE. In addition to the list of yours, imagine Dewsbury-Hall in an Irish jersey? Swoon.

Liams dad was an Ireland international btw, not Hungarian ;)

[Razors left peg]

I think our success in acquiring "elite" options would dramatically improve if we were qualifying for tournaments.

[elatedscum]

Yeah but the only thing not Hungarian about Dardai is where he was born and that was because his dad was playing in Germany at the time. Everyone and everything around him was Hungarian. His dad is a former Hungarian manager as well as played for them, his brothers play for Hungary. His favourite dinner is goulash.

Except he was born in Berlin, grew up and lived his entire life in Germany, his first language is German, he went to school in germany, he collects jerseys from all his underage german teammates. When asked what he watches, he says German youtubers. And for the record, his favourite dinner is a smash burger, specifically from Berlin :p https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Nj58NTQiA

You could compare him to Owen Elding in that his father moved to Ireland for work or to Cheo Ogbene or Festy Ebosele in that both parents are from Nigeria. But the fact is, he was a german u15-u19, winning an u17 euros in Hungary for Germany and he chose to defect less than 2 years later. I know nationalities are very complicated but he's clearly both Hungarian and German. Hungary got both Kerkez and him.

We get Oisin Gallagher and Sean Moore but lose Conor Bradley and Justin Devenny. We get Josh Cullen and Conor Coventry but not Declan Rice. We get Callum Robinson and lose Jack Grealish. We get whoever that random lad who plays in MLS was and we don't get Jack McGlynn. We get Connor Noss but don't get Paul Nebel.

It's not that we're not winning any battles (see Michael Obafemi, Rocco Vata), it's just seems that the ones that really matter, we've lost to both bigger teams and smaller teams.

[elatedscum]

Except he was born in Berlin, grew up and lived his entire life in Germany, his first language is German, he went to school in germany, he collects jerseys from all his underage german teammates. When asked what he watches, he says German youtubers. And for the record, his favourite dinner is a smash burger, specifically from Berlin :p https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Nj58NTQiA

You could compare him to Owen Elding in that his father moved to Ireland for work or to Cheo Ogbene or Festy Ebosele in that both parents are from Nigeria. But the fact is, he was a german u15-u19, winning an u17 euros in Hungary for Germany and he chose to defect less than 2 years later. I know nationalities are very complicated but he's clearly both Hungarian and German. Hungary got both Kerkez and him.

We get Oisin Gallagher and Sean Moore but lose Conor Bradley and Justin Devenny. We get Josh Cullen and Conor Coventry but not Declan Rice. We get Callum Robinson and lose Jack Grealish. We get whoever that random lad who plays in MLS was and we don't get Jack McGlynn. We get Connor Noss but don't get Paul Nebel.

It's not that we're not winning any battles (see Michael Obafemi, Rocco Vata), it's just seems that the ones that really matter, we've lost to both bigger teams and smaller teams.

The question possibly is - are the FAI able to identify the next great talent and are we doing enough to convince him to play for us? For example, have we invited JJ Gabriel to Lansdowne Road to see us play Hungary? Has he been introduced to Caoimhin Kelleher and Evan Ferguson and Nathan Collins? That's what we should have been doing with Liam Delap, making sure he was encouraged to embrace his Irishness and he had memories of Ireland and connected his father's Irish career to his own potential career. Seeing a full stadium in a competitive game. Once a few years ago, I was on the pitch just before a competitive Ireland match. It was one of the most incredible experiences, just how big the stadium was and how electric it felt leading up to a game.

Anyway this is a total aside to the game on Saturday but I just thought it was notable.

[SkStu]

It is - and you are 100% right (my only beef was the comparisons you chose) - your point stands without them!

I dont know if this is in exactly the same vein but I think that, with most of our diaspora in England we are up against the "Rule Britannia" machine. Its impossible for most born there, even ones with Irish parents, not to get caught up in the relentless "proud Englander" mentality/culture. So there's an additional barrier even before things agents whispering about earnings potential and sponsorship deals etc get in your ears. Rightly or wrongly, I dont see that cultural challenge as being so acute in mainland Europe so perhaps the stakes are different and just aren't as high?

Its interesting that we seem to do fair to middling with some of the countries where the Irish eligible talent is smaller? Theres a few highly rated youngsters in Spain, France, Portugal that have chosen us for underage...whether they stick or twist if/when they fulfil their potential and the stakes gets higher remains to be seen i suppose. Nordies are just...different. We've won over a few quality Scots but maybe lost a few battles there that we should or could have won. We lost out on a couple of Danes and Finns... Dont know that we ever lost Nebel - I think the degree of the connection is still the biggest factor in likelihood of winning - 4 grandparents > 1 grandparent... an Irish dad > an Irish mammy (maybe? :)...that gets your foot in the door...you still need to work hard to overcome all the other obstacles i mentioned above...

Without doubt, we definitely lost Grealish. Rice is a w@nkbag. There are so many others we could/should have won where our foot was well and truly in the door in terms of a family connection (Kane dad, Rooney would have accepted a senior call up, Ampadu Wales).

Good post.

[Razors left peg]

Except he was born in Berlin, grew up and lived his entire life in Germany, his first language is German, he went to school in germany, he collects jerseys from all his underage german teammates. When asked what he watches, he says German youtubers. And for the record, his favourite dinner is a smash burger, specifically from Berlin :p https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Nj58NTQiA

You could compare him to Owen Elding in that his father moved to Ireland for work or to Cheo Ogbene or Festy Ebosele in that both parents are from Nigeria. But the fact is, he was a german u15-u19, winning an u17 euros in Hungary for Germany and he chose to defect less than 2 years later. I know nationalities are very complicated but he's clearly both Hungarian and German. Hungary got both Kerkez and him.

We get Oisin Gallagher and Sean Moore but lose Conor Bradley and Justin Devenny. We get Josh Cullen and Conor Coventry but not Declan Rice. We get Callum Robinson and lose Jack Grealish. We get whoever that random lad who plays in MLS was and we don't get Jack McGlynn. We get Connor Noss but don't get Paul Nebel.

It's not that we're not winning any battles (see Michael Obafemi, Rocco Vata), it's just seems that the ones that really matter, we've lost to both bigger teams and smaller teams.

We got Rice and Grealish.... and lost them because of Martin O'Neill and his stubborness

[tetsujin1979]

We didn't lose Conor Bradley, we never had him in the first place

[elatedscum]

We didn't lose Conor Bradley, we never had him in the first place

There’s a guy I’ve known since i was about 4 years old who was a close family friend and friend of his late father - along with being a big Liverpool and Ireland fan (from the north). I can’t remember his exactly quote now but it was something along the lines of “I can’t believe how the FAI have ****ed this up and how he’s not playing for Ireland”. It was certainly his belief that from a very very young age, it was very clear that Conor was the brightest prospect to come out of the north since Norman Whiteside and it would have been very easy to have courted him and made him feel wanted at an early age while the IFA were doing the same thing. And if they had done that, he would have chosen to have played for us. I’ve never heard anything to contradict that.

[Razors left peg]

There’s a guy I’ve known since i was about 4 years old who was a close family friend and friend of his late father - along with being a big Liverpool and Ireland fan (from the north). I can’t remember his exactly quote now but it was something along the lines of “I can’t believe how the FAI have ****ed this up and how he’s not playing for Ireland”. It was certainly his belief that from a very very young age, it was very clear that Conor was the brightest prospect to come out of the north since Norman Whiteside and it would have been very easy to have courted him and made him feel wanted at an early age while the IFA were doing the same thing. And if they had done that, he would have chosen to have played for us. I’ve never heard anything to contradict that.

Bradley could have also reached out to FAI and say he wants to play for us and not NI... he seems happy enough with his decision

[liamoo11]

Bradley could have also reached out to FAI and say he wants to play for us and not NI... he seems happy enough with his decision

Exactly This is nonsense talk blamong the fai for a decision that clesrly bradley and his family made forvtheir own reasons. If Bradley wanted to play his family simply needed to contact the fai. It wasn't as if he was an unknown . When he played against us in the victory shield at under 16s it was known he was signing for Liverpool. That irish team had ollie o neill louie Barry and egan Riley so it wasn't like the fai were concentrating on just irish born lads. Lee Harkin who is from Derry played as well so he had obviously been bothered enough to contact the fai.

[Kingdom]

Listened to that RTE podcast. Few interesting things from it. Journalist reckoned that it wasn’t a certainty than Kerkez would start and he thought he wouldn’t be surprised if Nagy started cause he’s better defensively and more orthodox and experienced and Kerkez has missed a lot of games and hasn’t really done well in the system.

On Kerkez, I read a bit on him last week and there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of love for him at all, either in the press or to what some quotes were saying, the players either - and the clear references to his non-Magyar background seemed to be the basis for him taking some heat (similar to one of our flock and his clear bias for disparaging our players of African heritage). But it would be some move to not pick Kerkez in such an important game.


He also highlighted Sallai who will play right wing and plays right back for Galatasaray as a noted attacking threat and said Varga would play as centre forward and was playing very well for Robbie Keane after a long term injury last summer and taking a while to return to his best form.
Sallai looked relatively decent in the past. He's sort of a goal threat too.


He also said he was very surprised that Callum O’Dowda wasn’t called up, especially considering that five of his teammates were involved with Hungary and many were likely to start, so even the insider knowledge us to their strengths and weaknesses would be a huge benefit.
Even allowing for the fact that he's not there that long, surely it would have been the smart move? I suggested that he should have been there for that very reason - not to mention that we're not overly stacked on that side of the pitch and the boy is a danger from set-pieces too.


Finally, I think it’s worth noting that Bence Dardai has chosen to play for Hungary. Not a stretch to make comparisons with both Paul Nebel and Liam Delap. Nebel in that he’s German born and grew up there and was a really highly regarded Germany u16, 17, 18 and 19 before switching at age 19 while playing regularly in the Bundesliga. Delap in that his father was a Hungary international and he began representing the country of his birth rather than the country his father represented before eventually switching. Our record over the last decade has been really poor in recruiting the elite options with us failing to get Jack Grealish, Declan Rice, Liam Delap, Paul Nebel, Jack McGlynn, Conor Bradley to name but a few. Hungary got Dardai and they also got Kerkez who is born and raised in Serbia and qualifies for Hungary just through his grandmother to name but two.

Given you are so well-informed generally, I'm going to assume you not the Dardaí history? They are Magyar legends. Legends. He was never gonna play for anyone else but Hungary.

[Kingdom]

But the fact is, he was a german u15-u19, winning an u17 euros in Hungary for Germany and he chose to defect less than 2 years later. I know nationalities are very complicated but he's clearly both Hungarian and German. Hungary got both Kerkez and him.

And what we're seeing is that Underage football is all nice and wonderful, but **** gets real from 21s up.

[Kingdom]

I really really hope this optimism and positivity comes to fruition, but I'm not so sure to be honest.

https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2025/0905/1531704-ireland-on-the-cusp-of-something-special-mccarthy/


"My expectation is we're going to be in America next year."

Words from Ireland assistant coach Paddy McCarthy, uttered with absolute sincerity and belief on the eve of the World Cup qualifying campaign.

The Crystal Palace stalwart has watched the team emerge from adversity throughout the last 12 months under the guidance of new manager Heimir Hallgrimsson, and he is convinced that the current squad are on the cusp of something special heading into the opening game against Hungary on Saturday evening.

"Definite progress" is what McCarthy has witnessed since agreeing to be part of the coaching ticket for his national side, which started under John O'Shea’s interim time in charge in the summer of 2024.

And McCarthy said that it was a no-brainer to answer his country’s call, and has remained involved since Hallgrimsson took the reins ahead of the last Nations League campaign.

Those opening six games were a mixed bag for the new regime, with four humbling defeats to England and Greece, while two victories against Finland offered hope ahead of the 2025 calendar year.

That started with two hard-fought wins over Bulgaria, home and away, to maintain their Nations League second-tier status, and it also signalled the emergence of a more resilient Irish side, securing two come-from-behind wins.

"I am seeing patterns, I am seeing resilience," said McCarthy, speaking to the media this week.

"I think back to the two Bulgaria games, we go a goal behind, maybe previously this young team might not have had the capabilities of getting back into the game.

"Some lads with 30-odd caps are now the more experienced players in the team, they have been through a lot of adversity, and my belief is they have grown through that adversity.

"Any success story in sport will always have that, it's a definite that adversity is before success and I believe that although it was tough times before and they had a lot of criticism, maybe unjust, but we are on the cusp of something and I hope the players show their true capabilities as I am confident going into this campaign."

McCarthy has also told the players that they are good enough to qualify and added that he would not be taking time out from a very busy job at Crystal Palace if he felt that they had no chance.

"I hope so," said the Dubliner, when asked did the players believe they can qualify.

"I hope they understand I wouldn’t lie to them, hope they know I have a very busy job back in England and I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think they had the capabilities of qualifying for this tournament.

"So I want to work with great players and I feel we have great potential in this team at the moment and have seen the growth on and off the pitch in their confidence and stature.

"And I have felt an energy shift from you guys as well (the media), and an energy shift from the Irish public in general in support of this team.

"I think everyone is going into this campaign with a belief that we can qualify and the players are, from what I have seen and felt in the hotel and on the training pitch we just came off, I have really felt that.

"So I am looking forward to Saturday. Like I said, and I will reiterate, we will respect each opposition, but we will also have a great belief in what we can do and who we are."

McCarthy also took time to pay tribute to Hallgrimsson who he feels deserves most of the plaudits for turning the team around over the last 12 months, while also acknowledging the thankless task that Stephen Kenny performed for giving so many players vital experience.

"I think the great work that was done before has to be recognised, because there was a lot of great work to bed these young players and give them opportunity and recycle the team and put us in this position now.

"But certainly the manager has come in and I believe he has implemented his ideas quite quickly and has given autonomy to myself and John (O’Shea) to do what we want to do.

"His personality is very evident and that is infectious and I think any team is a representation of the manager and I think you will have seen that in the last number of games."

McCarthy had a long playing career in England, however, he never managed to win a senior cap, having represented Ireland from Under-17 to U21 level.

But the Edenmore man admits that he is in dreamland at the moment working for his long-time club, Palace, while helping with the national team.

"Any time my country calls me, I will be there in any capacity," he said. "As a player, I didn’t maybe didn’t get the caps I would have liked, but there are reasons for that.

"When I came into my prime, I suffered a lot with injuries, probably before that, maybe a lack of experience and maybe a little bit too ill-tempered and hot-headed. So there are reasons why I didn’t get the caps I potentially deserved.

"But yeah, absolutely I'm here now today. I'm humbled by the opportunity. I'm deeply grateful for getting a phone call when John rang me, it was a complete no-brainer, it was a straight yes.

"Then to be afforded and approved by the football club to allow me to do it alongside my day-to-day job, I mean, it's dreamland stuff and I'm hoping that I've made some sort of impact on the team and I can help get where we want to get it."
When Ireland last played at the World Cup in 2002, a 19-year-old McCarthy was taking his first tentative steps in English league football, while coming through at Manchester City.

And his memories of Ireland’s remarkable voyage throughout the group stages and into the knockout phase in Japan and Korea?

"Oh, my memory of that World Cup is probably Santa Ponsa in a bar with my friends," he pondered with a smile on his face.

"Quinn flicked it on and Robbie Keane scored the goal, so good memories.

"The Spain game, I’d just found out that my wife Niamh was pregnant, so there was a lot going on in my life at that moment alongside obviously being at Manchester City and looking to progress my career, fighting for a career in the game.

"So these moments inspire a generation like myself in '94 and 1990, people that were involved in that are legendary.

"I still see Charlie O’Leary in the presidential box after the game. He is a legend in my eyes because he lived close by where I’m from in Edenmore, he’s from Harmonstown, just by being the kit man in them competitions, he’s held in legendary status.

"What a guy, what an inspirational figure. So we have an opportunity now to inspire the next generation.

"I’ve got a 22-year-old son, a 15-year-old son who’ve never seen Ireland play in a World Cup.

"So Saturday, we go into it looking to achieve that, looking to inspire a nation. That’s the ambition, that’s the objective."