The Kevin Nolan saga

[NeilMcD]

As far as I can see Wayne Rooney as more rights to play for Ireland than Kevin Nolan does, so we should go for him too.

[eirebhoy]

tbh there is still loads o confusion over this. instead of quoting from FIFA regulations someone here who knows why he cant 100% play for us should post with bullet points the reasons why!!!
The FIFA regulations couldn't be clearer.

[Karlos]

This should be a sticky


I thought the previous 100 posts saying he couldn't play were a wind up!! :D

[Karlos]

Kevin Nolan has already represented England at underage level. This means that he could only change associations if:

- he is under the age of 21 and hasn't already changed associations.


SO i'm assuming there is still the possibility of James Milner (if indeed he is eligable) under these criteria? :)

[nedder]

Seen as we can't get Nolan, is it too late to pull out of the Euro qualifiers?? We'll have no hope!!

[Roverstillidie]

we have to get Nolan playing for us at all costs!

do we fu.ck.

have some pride

[thegit]

Ireland never needs to beg players to play there's plenty of passionate players waiting in the wings to give 110%. F**k him the last thing we need is someone with no pride for the green jersey.

[eirebhoy]

Well, having argued that we should forget about Nolan because he is not eligible, I am now wondering if he might not be eligible after all. The FIFA regulations are clear, but what is not clear to me is if he has actually represented England in a competitive international at under-age level.
I think so but not 100%.



November 3, 2000
Bolton manager Sam Allardyce seems to have got his way with the news that his young midfielder Kevin Nolan has been picked for the England u18 squad to face Belgium at Bradford's Valley Parade on November 16.

Allardyce called on the English FA not to lose the player to Ireland, who picked him for a recent friendly against Switzerland, and his cries seemed to have been heard at Lancaster Gate as Nolan has been included in the very next squad.

Irish manager Brian Kerr takes a philosophical outlook on what has happened.

He said: "I don't know what kind of influence that Sam Allardyce has on the move but if somebody does not want to play for Ireland then they shouldn't.

"A player needs to want to represent his country and it is not my job to convince them of their Irishness. I wish him well in his decision and hope it works out for him."

Nolan qualified for Ireland through his parents, who are Irish - but Allardyce seemed to be the motivating factor on him being picked for England.
http://www.kickinmagazine.ie/kevinnolan03112000.htm

[NeilMcD]

unless the rules change ha ha

[as_i_say]

well done. i always thought it was grandparents for him though...

[livehead1]

i thought it was only competative under 21 games that counted??

[livehead1]

also, does anyone know how australia were able to call up tim cahill, he played for samoa's full international team

[Closed Account 2]

think they did that in the amnesty didn't they... fair play to them he's a quality player would get into most international squads.

[bawn79]

I remember reading an article before the 2002 world cup when Tim was at Millwall and about how it was his dream to represent Ireland at the world cup through his grandparents. Dont really agree with mercenaries but he is one hell of a player!

[Zidane]

As far as I know it was Cahill who brought legal action to get the rule chaged so that he could represent Austrailia even after playing for Somoa. FIFA then allowed this one year rule so that you could change over.

I also remember reading about wanting to play for Ireland and then he changed him mind to play for his native Austrailia.

[feo123]

ragin if he cant play for us! he's way better than S.Reid, Kavanagh, miller, kilbane and more

[JoeSemi]

do we fu.ck.

have some pride

I take it you were on O' Connell street yesterday judging by that curt reply!:rolleyes:

[tricky_colour]

First of all, Kevin Nolan was born and has lived all his life in England. He has a British passport and actively wants to play football for England. He does not want to play for Ireland. He had a second chance to reconsider during the amnesty and showed no apparent reluctance to continue declaring for England. As far as I am concerned, he has every right to call himself English, which he does.

As for whether both his parents are Irish-born, I am not sure what the situation is. There are contradictory reports. For instance this (http://www.eleven-a-side.com/boysingreen/story.asp?newsid=9747) eleven-a-side article claims he qualified for Ireland only through the grandparent rule. Also, this (http://www.thefa.com/TheFACup/TheFASundayCup/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2004/01/FASC_200304_KevinNolan.htm)article talks about Kevin Nolan's father playing for a football team in England when he was just a teenager. So if Nolan's father was born in Ireland (I'm not sure he was), then he moved to England when he was still young. Finally, in this (http://www.kickinmagazine.ie/kevinnolan31102000.htm)article, Sam Allardyce is reported as saying that Kevin Nolan's father wanted him to play for England. So, although many in Ireland wanted Nolan to play for Ireland, it seems that he and his father always wanted to him to play for England, because they think of him as being English. So do I.


This article says his parents were from Dublin
http://www.irishabroad.com/news/irishpost/sport/AmnestyRuleEndNolanIrishHopes.asp
Ultimately nationality is a matter of opinion, if both his parents are from
Dublin then he is more Irish than English in my opinion, he certaintly doesn't
have any English blood in him as far as I can see, (nor does Rooney for that
matter, I believe) but as they have choosen England they must see themselves as English. I wonder whether Nolans father considers himself English or Irish and who he would support if England were playing Ireland?

[Donegalcelt]

Nolan spent his MOTD2 interview spaeaking about how much of a dream it would be to play for England, so it's definately time for us to move on

[eirebhoy]

I take it you were on O' Connell street yesterday judging by that curt reply!:rolleyes:
"we have to get Nolan playing for us at all costs!"

Someone that disagrees with the above statement must have been rioting on O'Connell street yesterday? Don't be ridiculous.

[tricky_colour]

Nolan spent his MOTD2 interview spaeaking about how much of a dream it would be to play for England, so it's definately time for us to move on

Well I guess it's better than being starved by them ;)

[Roverstillidie]

I take it you were on O' Connell street yesterday judging by that curt reply!:rolleyes:

yeah, wanting people to stop begging a player who has repeatedly stated that he has no interest in playing for us turns me into a rioter! not every 2/3ger actually considers themselves irish and the quicker people realise that the easier life will be

I wasnt even in the country on saturday :rolleyes:

[gally]

I was part of Stauntons webchat yesterday, and he stated that he is still pursuing Kevin Nolan to join us, I am more confused now as I thought that the amnesty had passed.

[Irish Pride]

There seems to be something going around that if you ask FIFA really really nicely you can get a player to switch. If Nolan declares for us then we have to ask FIFA for an exception to the rule change and so we might be able to get him that way. Jouralists, Managers, and former players seem to think we can get him. I'm not so sure. But for the last f*cking time, he doesnt want to play for us, he turned us down twice. he wants to play for England. Best of luck to him but please get over it.

[livehead1]

There seems to be something going around that if you ask FIFA really really nicely you can get a player to switch. If Nolan declares for us then we have to ask FIFA for an exception to the rule change and so we might be able to get him that way. Jouralists, Managers, and former players seem to think we can get him. I'm not so sure. But for the last f*cking time, he doesnt want to play for us, he turned us down twice. he wants to play for England. Best of luck to him but please get over it.

yeh there seems to be a kinda feeling that Fifa may bend but i think it comes down to the player making a big mistake at a yong age, not realising they were going to get tied up, which is not the case here. Nolan was brought into the england underage setup after allardyce told them two so they wouldn't lose him, he knows the craic, and has spent the following years attempting to gain further recognition from england, don't think fifa would let he change regardless.

[FarBeag]

He might want to be Irish after yesterday evenings performance.

[ramondo]

the last thing we need is someone with no pride for the green jersey.

Me arse - it's the results that count.

[Dodge]

yeah, wanting people to stop begging a player who has repeatedly stated that he has no interest in playing for us
I thought the first poster was being sarcastic tbh...


Me arse - it's the results that count.
:( :rolleyes:

[livehead1]

the nolan debate has been opened up again today with an extended piece in todays times uk on sunday, quotes from nolan saying he has discussed playing for us with staunton, and that he is a great guy and is seriously considering it. there is also an article on skysports which has a few of the quotes, not as much, but he seems to be taking the matter seriously and there could be a distinct possibility that ireland may be making a special appeal for nolan to be allowed to play for us. In the times article, this appeal is discussed by nolan ,and it is likely that he would be given approval to play for us, if, and this is the if, he makes his international allegiance clear

http://home.skysports.com/list.asp?hlid=370456&CPID=8&clid=&lid=2&title=Nolan+'fed+up'+with+England+talk

[pete]

Its been said here numerous times - he cannot play for Ireland!!! All this talk of special cases is stupid as FIFA are not going to open the door again for flood of similar cases. Nationality has nothing to do with this. He played U21 for england already! Sunday Times had big article on this again. Does about journalists actually do some research for a change.

The sooner Sven calls him up (media campaign would help as he alwasy listens to them) the better so this can be closed for good.

[Fergie's Son]

This is probably just part of the media campaign to get Nolan picked for England. He probably is negotiating a new contract so wants all the leverage he can get.

[Donal81]

Jesus I'm getting sick of this fella. You're probably right Fergie's Son.

He's getting annoyed with Sven so now he's considering Ireland? I wish every sports section of every Irish paper would simply have a masthead saying 'KEVIN NOLAN CANNOT PLAY FOR IRELAND AND DOESN'T REALLY WANT TO ANYWAY SO JUST LEAVE IT.'

[tetsujin1979]

from today's Indo:
http://www.unison.ie/sportsdesk/stories.php3?ca=12&si=1579873

KEVIN NOLAN, the Premiership Player of the Month for February, is wanted - by Irish manager Steve Staunton.

The Irish manager is appealing to FIFA about the eligibility of Bolton Wanderers captain Nolan to wear the green jersey.

If FIFA uphold the appeal, the final decision would rest with Nolan, who is eligible for Ireland through the grandparents' rule.

Nolan's teammate at Bolton, Joey O'Brien, admitted yesterday the two players had talked about it and he was still mulling over such a move.

"We have been talking about it," said O‘Brien. "I've seen an article in one of the papers over here about it.

"It's an ongoing thing and Steve (Staunton) has definitely talked to him. We had a chat about it and he hasn't made a decision yet about whether he wants to declare for Ireland.

"He would definitely be a good addition to the squad. He's a proven Premiership player now, having been around for a number of years, but he is only 23."

Nolan's chances of playing for England at this summer's World Cup appear slim after he was left out Sven-Goran Eriksson's squad for the friendly with Uruguay, while Staunton is keen to draft in Nolan in time for 2008 Euro Championship qualifiers.

[Cosmo]

from today's Indo:
http://www.unison.ie/sportsdesk/stories.php3?ca=12&si=1579873

KEVIN NOLAN, the Premiership Player of the Month for February, is wanted - by Irish manager Steve Staunton.

The Irish manager is appealing to FIFA about the eligibility of Bolton Wanderers captain Nolan to wear the green jersey.

If FIFA uphold the appeal, the final decision would rest with Nolan, who is eligible for Ireland through the grandparents' rule.

Nolan's teammate at Bolton, Joey O'Brien, admitted yesterday the two players had talked about it and he was still mulling over such a move.

"We have been talking about it," said O‘Brien. "I've seen an article in one of the papers over here about it.

"It's an ongoing thing and Steve (Staunton) has definitely talked to him. We had a chat about it and he hasn't made a decision yet about whether he wants to declare for Ireland.

"He would definitely be a good addition to the squad. He's a proven Premiership player now, having been around for a number of years, but he is only 23."

Nolan's chances of playing for England at this summer's World Cup appear slim after he was left out Sven-Goran Eriksson's squad for the friendly with Uruguay, while Staunton is keen to draft in Nolan in time for 2008 Euro Championship qualifiers.

According to this mornings mirror, if Nolan declares for Ireland, the FAI are hopeful that FIFA will let him play for us! Btw it stressed that he has to declare for Ireland before we know for definite either way.

Nolan should be told to f**k off :mad:

[gspain]

My understanding now is that he could play for us. The FIFA amnesty did expire but he did not play a competitive game for the England U21s. He did play for the U18s.

I still think it likely that he will be picked for England.

[FarBeag]

This is got to be the biggest abuse of the mercenary scenario ever. How can Staunton even consider approaching this pleb again.I really hope he is called into the squad he really wants to play for ‘Ingurland’ gets one game and is never picked again.

[Plastic Paddy]

Not sure I feel quite so bitter towards Nolan in this regard but it's clear that his loyalties lie with England and so I'd hope we don't pursue this line any further.

For this reason I'd rather have eleven Kevin Kilbanes in the Irish team than one Kevin Nolan.

:ball: PP

[noby]

totalfootball, the Irish/Nolan appeal, if there is one, would be base don the fact that other players have successfully appealed under similair circumstances. Tim Cahill being one example.

Anyway, as soon as they give Allardyce the England job, Nolan will be straight into the team.

[livehead1]

i hate the fact that he only wants to play for us as he can't get in the england squad, somewhat unfairly i believe. The only small bit of consolation is that he is a terrific player, captain of a top premiership side and 10 goals from midfield this season. We have been crying out for someone to shift the goalscoring burden from the 2 strikers. If he had put his lot in with us all them years ago when called up for the under 21's then im sure most people would be delighted to see him playing for us, its just somewhat depressing now that we seem to be relying on players like nolan. However, if he does declare, and is allowed to play for us, then i will be 100% behind him, the national side is bigger than one player, regardless of how they came to get in the side, once they are there, they need support.

[TheJamaicanP.M.]

However, if he does declare, and is allowed to play for us, then i will be 100% behind him, the national side is bigger than one player, regardless of how they came to get in the side, once they are there, they need support.

I agree fully with your post livehead.

[pete]

I think Nolan will be in the next england squad. Eriksson is so weak he lets the media pick his squads anyway. World Cup squads are about versatility more than quality.

[Metrostars]

I would love to see Nolan to be able to play for Ireland. Staunton brings him on as a sub for 5 minutes and then never to be picked again.

[gustavo]

Hehe now that would be funny!

[Jerry The Saint]

The Irish manager is appealing to FIFA about the eligibility of Bolton Wanderers captain Nolan to wear the green jersey.

If FIFA uphold the appeal, the final decision would rest with Nolan, who is eligible for Ireland through the grandparents' rule.

Talk about going about things arseways. I presume there's some cost involved in this silly "appeal" (especially if the FAI win it). And even after going out of their way to break the rules/cheat, Nolan still has the option of telling Staunton/FAI to get stuffed.:eek:

At the very least we shouldn't even waste the price of a phone call or a stamp on this nonsense until Nolan makes his mind up.:rolleyes:

[Only2keanos]

I think Stan is going about this the right way. If getting Nolan to play for us proves to be the difference between qualifying for a major tournament or not then nobody will really care how he came about playing. One thing is for sure is that if results dont go Stans way, he will be cast aside just as cheaply as Kerr was and nobody would say well at least he didnt pursue that Englishman that time.

The main reason I wouldnt have a problem with Nolan is that some people dont feel as strongly about their nationality as others. I am 100% Irish and it means a lot to me to say that, but I understand that some people are not that concerned with the town, county or country they are from. Maybe his influential manager was the key to him rejecting Irelands approaches before or maybe it is because he considers himself and English and always will. Either way, we can never know his real motives for sure, the only thing we can do is judge his performances, if and when he ever actually plays for Ireland. If he ends up playing for England, then good luck to him I say.

[tricky_colour]

Personally I don't think a players nationality should be fixed untill
he has played for a country at senior level. What they did at U21 and particularly U18 (when you are not technically an adult) shouldn't count.

Also what wrong with having duel nationality? You could even play
the first half for one country and the second half for the opposition :D,
or represent two different countries in the same competition, what wrong with
that? If you are eligible to play for two nations then why should you
be forced to choose just one?
Seems like FIFA are forcing you to be 100% one nationality when for many
people that is not the case.

[Qwerty]

You don't have to look very far, take Peter Charles the showjumper born in Liverpool of Irish Grandparents who represented English several times at international level, failed to be selected for the '92 Olympics and so switched his nationality to Ireland. He has always maintained he intended representing Ireland at some point but I don't know how true or honest this is. I think Charles was welcomed with open arms and made the Olympics at the expense of a native born Irishman...at least I don't recall any negative media coverage.

[tricky_colour]

If you look at athletics, you find that Qatar and Saudi Arabia have some fantastic runners now. They are Kenyan, and have simply been given citizenship and lots of money as an inducement to switch country.

In international football, at present, players are allowed to switch countries until they are 21, even if they have played in competitive internationals at underage level. If you remove this rule, what will ultimately happen is that, just as in athletics, some countries which are willing to give away citizenship to world class sportsmen and to pay them lots of money, will end up with the best teams. International football will end up being all about money, just as club football already is.

International football is already all about money, the ruling just reinforces the situation, players (and their parents) know which side their bread is buttered
on well before the age of 21. The situation is made worse because made, other national sides are depleted of players who don't make the grade of the country with the deepest pockets.
It's a bit like Chelsea stripping other clubs of their best players only for them
to languish in the reserves, it helps Chelsea because whilst the player is not playing for Chelsea it ensures he is not playing against them.
It's a bad ruling in my opinion, it make the situation worse not better because
it weakens the strength of other countries and thus makes them even more less attractive to players with duel nationality.

[tricky_colour]

You don't have to look very far, take Peter Charles the showjumper born in Liverpool of Irish Grandparents who represented English several times at international level, failed to be selected for the '92 Olympics and so switched his nationality to Ireland. He has always maintained he intended representing Ireland at some point but I don't know how true or honest this is. I think Charles was welcomed with open arms and made the Olympics at the expense of a native born Irishman...at least I don't recall any negative media coverage.

So what? He was eligible to represent Ireland so what's the problem?
He made the Olympics because he was best of those eligible, what wrong with that?

[CollegeTillIDie]

You don't have to look very far, take Peter Charles the showjumper born in Liverpool of Irish Grandparents who represented English several times at international level, failed to be selected for the '92 Olympics and so switched his nationality to Ireland. He has always maintained he intended representing Ireland at some point but I don't know how true or honest this is. I think Charles was welcomed with open arms and made the Olympics at the expense of a native born Irishman...at least I don't recall any negative media coverage.

Well it wasn't Charles that had the doped horse now was it?:mad: