Darron Gibson

[back of the net]

Speaking of embarrassments here's what the "best fans in the world" have to say about all this.

http://s18.postimage.org/4ydyktjlj/bestfans.jpg


I see that list is leaded by that sh*t stirrer Kieran Cunningham.

Gibson's attitude disgusts me.

His "disappointment" of the euros. Does that mean that the fans should stop going to games too?
Whether he should/not have been played in the euros is another story...Trap is the manager ...he makes the calls. Gibson knew that before he accepted his place in the euro squad.

I find his lame ass excuse pathetic.

[Noelys Guitar]

The reason Gibson is not going to run up during the week is that McCarthy has taken Gibsons spot. Trap has stated so. Laughable to think that a player who could not get a look in under the Italian spoofer is now keeping out a player who is playing well for Everton. The same merchants who are Traps cheerleaders are going to support Brady for manager. I Know its hard to believe if you really follow football but this is Ireland. Brady is being seriously considered.

[back of the net]

Ye all need to keep in mind that football is his job, and not necessarily his passion. .

WRONG

Playing for his club is his job. Playing for his country should be his passion as he isnt getting a large fee for it. Playing for their country should be the passion of EVERY player.
Been picked for your countries european championship squad is a huge honour for any player, whether they play in the championship or not.

Do you acknowledge that Trap picks the Team based on his own opinion not of what the fans think?

Equally do you acknowledge that Gibson understood that he may not get any game time in the euros when he accepted his place in the squad?

[SkStu]

The players. Do you think Gary Waddock would have turned down a call-up after Italia '90? Of course not, he would have been honoured.

It's 22 years ago CD. The profile of international football has changed, professional football has changed and professional footballers have changed.

Gibson proved beyond question that he wanted to play for Ireland, now he's proved that he doesn't want to play for Trapatoni and he is not the only one. Fair play Trap, your slowly but surely alienating every player with the ability to pass the ball from the squad, one by one.

[Colbert Report]

WRONG

Playing for his club is his job. Playing for his country should be his passion as he isnt getting a large fee for it. Playing for their country should be the passion of EVERY player.
Been picked for your countries european championship squad is a huge honour for any player, whether they play in the championship or not.

Do you acknowledge that Trap picks the Team based on his own opinion not of what the fans think?

Equally do you acknowledge that Gibson understood that he may not get any game time in the euros when he accepted his place in the squad?

Who are you to say what anyone's passion SHOULD be? I'm not even saying that he's no passionate about playing for Ireland, I'm just saying that it may or may not be. I play football at the amateur level and I've had plenty of managers pick players that far worse than me. Nothing more frustrating. If I had a nine hour flight out to the middle of Asia and I knew full well that I wouldn't have much chance of playing I would probably take a pass too.

[liamoo11]

i have been a huge supporter of gibsons and i think he is a far superior player to andrews and whelan. this is a mistake though he should have shut his mouth and turned up for his country

[Diarmo]

What an immature child. However it is starting to worry me this seeming lack of interest in playing for Ireland that many of our players have been cultivating over the past few years. This has become especially prevalent during Trapattoni's reign. Surely Trapattoni's methods and management style shouldn't be above criticism when it appears so many of our players have on occasions not been willing to make themselves available for his squads.

Not necessarily true. In another thread, someone revealed there were 21 withdrawals from Stan's USA tour squad in 2007.

[Paddy Garcia]

Not defending Stan - but those withdrawals were mostly with the explicit agreement of Stan

[geysir]

When he was at Man U, Gibson was not up the required standard to be in our first team. Trap was quite correct when he said Gibson should move from Man U.
Finally he did move clubs, had pulled out of a few Euro qual squads through injury, turned up for the pre-Euro friendlies and showed enough to satisfy most managers that at least he was a first sub. I'd definitely have sympathy with him when he didn't see one minute of Euro action, that appears to have been a píss poor decision by Trap.

McCarthy has also had to bide his time, has also had to sit on the bench while Green was used as a sub ahead of him, now James is on the cusp of a long intl career.
I'd hope Gibson has a change of heart and makes himself available for the October games but I doubt it as he has a stubborn belief in his own image that he's an outstanding talent.

[Stuttgart88]

Hopefully he's just making a point of protest. In the past Trap would have said stuff like "we have other players with mentality" but here he is keeping the door open and rightly so.

I don't agree with Gibson's decision. Being disappointed by selection decisions is part and parcel of a footballer's life and he should just grin and bear it. It's a team game and I was brought up to support my teammates even when I was not picked.

[ifk101]

Do you think Gary Waddock would have turned down a call-up after Italia '90? Of course not, he would have been honoured.

So you're trying to say Gibson isn't honoured to represent his country? :-)

[geysir]

Ironic that he probably would have had to pull out of the squad, due to picking up yet another injury.

[Murfinator]

When he was at Man U, Gibson was not up the required standard to be in our first team. Trap was quite correct when he said Gibson should move from Man U.
Finally he did move clubs, had pulled out of a few Euro qual squads through injury, turned up for the pre-Euro friendlies and showed enough to satisfy most managers that at least he was a first sub. I'd definitely have sympathy with him when he didn't see one minute of Euro action, that appears to have been a píss poor decision by Trap.

McCarthy has also had to bide his time, has also had to sit on the bench while Green was used as a sub ahead of him, now James is on the cusp of a long intl career.
I'd hope Gibson has a change of heart and makes himself available for the October games but I doubt it as he has a stubborn belief in his own image that he's an outstanding talent.

Ever think that if Gibson didn't withdraw from so many squads that he'd have probably established him as first choice backup instead of Green? The sub appearance is fairly irrelevant anyway given that it was at the tail end of a 4-0 destruction and long past when the game was over, he probably brought Green on to raise his profile for not having a club in such a trivial circumstance. Managers often do this.
As to why he was behind Whelan and Andrews? His own fault, Andrews had been out for almost an entire year where Gibson had a chance to establish himself and he played utter ****e during that period, and thats when he wasn't withdrawing from squads. He's a lad who in 19 appearances for us has very seldom done especially well and certainly never laid down a marker for a starting place. A petulant, average player we could do without.

[shakermaker1982]

I think he realises he is still behind Whelan, Andrews & now McCarthy.

Grin and bear it or stay at home with the family? He went with the latter. He's a way better player than Whelan & Andrews but isn't mobile to guarantee a start with the Trap's 4-4-2 formation.

[back of the net]

Who are you to say what anyone's passion SHOULD be? I'm not even saying that he's no passionate about playing for Ireland, I'm just saying that it may or may not be. I play football at the amateur level and I've had plenty of managers pick players that far worse than me. Nothing more frustrating. If I had a nine hour flight out to the middle of Asia and I knew full well that I wouldn't have much chance of playing I would probably take a pass too.

I am fan of the irish team(thats who I am to say what a players (who wants to play for us) passion should be) and I would expect anyone who declares for our team to have 100% passion or else I dont want them wearing the green jersey

Gibson has declared for us and did so for the euros.....in doing so it meant that another player was left out of the squad.

Travelling long distance comes with the territory of international football.
Gibson knew of Irelands trip to Kazakhstan before he accepted the place in the euro squad. So his "dissapointment" excuse is utter bullsh*t. If he was going to pick and choose what games he turns up for , then he should never have took another players place in the euro squad.

Your comparison of your amateur football career to Gibsons ignorance is completely irrelevant. Unlike Gibson, Im presuming you dont make 40000 pounds a week and are a few seasons away from an International call-up.

[youngirish]

No great loss anyway. No matter what some people seem to think on here a few passable performances in an Everton shirt over a dozen or so Premiership games does not a great player make. He hasn't, other than in the wildest fantasies of some Ireland supporters, ever been near to being one of Everton's best players during that time. Better than Whelan, unlikely to contribute as much to Ireland as an on form Andrews and significantly poorer than McCarthy is my assessment. How Paul Green gets in ahead of him, however, is another matter entirely.

Now step up David Meyler and take your chance.

[Charlie Darwin]

It's 22 years ago CD. The profile of international football has changed, professional football has changed and professional footballers have changed.

Gibson proved beyond question that he wanted to play for Ireland, now he's proved that he doesn't want to play for Trapatoni and he is not the only one. Fair play Trap, your slowly but surely alienating every player with the ability to pass the ball from the squad, one by one.
Who? Gibson and... Andy Reid? Hardly a comprehensive list of people who can pass the ball. James McCarthy is the best passer of the ball we have and he's fine, despite the ridiculous criticism he's been subject to from fans and the Irish media.

[SwanVsDalton]

Gibson's attitude is pathetic.

The idea it's Trap's fault - the guy who gave Gibson his chance, threw him on at the Stade de France in 08, started him in qualifiers when a vocal section of Irish fans were saying 'oh christ no, not him!' and then simply didn't bring him on for five minutes at the end of an absolute drubbing against Spain - is ridiculous.

Question Trap's communication methods, they're certainly problematic, but Gibson needs to wise up and take his oil.

[Murfinator]

It would seem quite a lot of Irish supporters have turned against Trap and he can do no right at this stage. If people will get on Gibson's side against him they'll get on anyones side against him.

[DeLorean]

Not the slightest bit surprised really. Always struck me as a pretentious prima donna. The guy is not nearly as good as he thinks he is.

[DannyInvincible]

Meyler didn't go to Poland and spend the entire time on the bench. Look at it this way, Gibson can spend a week at home with his family and friends or fly nine hours out to the middle of Asia to watch a football match that he can catch on telly just as fine from the comforts of a pub or his living room. Ye all need to keep in mind that football is his job, and not necessarily his passion. Just because we all love football and watch it for fun, doesn't mean he has to. I don't blame him one bit. He was humiliated by the fact that Paul Green was sent on at the Euros instead of him and based on what I have seen, he had every right to be.

Whatever about Green coming on against Spain (and that is the manager's discretion to make such a decision in light of prior commitment demonstrated by Green), Gibson wasn't even a dead cert to make our Euros squad in the first place. What about Stephen Kelly and David Forde? Should they just pack it in as well or would they be less entitled to have such a high opinions of themselves?

I'm not angry at Gibson or demanding that he shows up for us; he can do whatever he wants. I just think he's a petulant fool who's made a staggering error of judgment, although that's assuming his international future means anything to him...


What an immature child. However it is starting to worry me this seeming lack of interest in playing for Ireland that many of our players have been cultivating over the past few years. This has become especially prevalent during Trapattoni's reign.

Is it more prevalent though? What players are you referring to specifically? There's no lack of interest of epidemic proportions, or is there? And I'd imagine things are no worse than in past times. Plenty of players have pulled out of friendlies for us due to slight (to be undoubting) injuries over the years. Suspect commitment to international friendly fixtures and the like is nothing new.


reality is green has always played better for us than gibson.
gibson is the only 6 counties player that the north didnt mind "losing" to the republic and that says it all really.

They did mind. The IFA were busting Sepp Blatter's balls about Gibson a few years ago. The NI faithful even dedicated a lengthy chant to Gibson at a game in which he wasn't even featuring last year!:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipLc-SnVZvs

[DannyInvincible]

Any updates on his injury, by the way?

[DannyInvincible]

Trap warns Gibson that others are queueing up to take his squad place for good: http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/international/2012/0902/335973-trap-warns-gibson-over-international-future/


Giovanni Trapattoni has warned Darron Gibson that there are plenty of other midfielders queuing up to take his place in the Republic of Ireland squad should the Everton player decide to prolong his international exile.

The Republic begin their World Cup qualifying campaign on Friday when they visit Kazakhstan.

But they will be without Gibson, who has made himself unavailable for the game, and for the friendly against Oman four days later.

Shorn of Keith Andrews through suspension and injury victim Paul Green, Trapattoni was thinking about slotting Gibson in to his midfield, but the 24-year-old refused a call-up as he is still suffering from the disappointment of Euro 2012.

Gibson put in a series of fine displays since moving to Everton in January, but he was left disillusioned with Trapattoni and the Republic set-up when he did not make it off the bench during the dismal Euro 2012 campaign.

Trapattoni said he respected Gibson's decision, but also insisted that the Republic would cope without him.

"In the past we were frightened about missing players, but now we already have a squad," Trapattoni said.

"He can think about it or we go with other players. We have David Meyler, Marc Wilson, then there is Glenn Whelan, James McCarthy. All can play (in midfield), and coming back we also have (Keith) Andrews. When we come here, if there are players who are not coming, we build the other team.

"We have been watching also new players, maybe we will discover a new Irish player. He has to decide whether he wants to play or not."

...

The midfielder, who was born in Northern Ireland but opted to play for the Republic, told Trapattoni he would not like to be considered for the upcoming international fixtures during a telephone conversation on Friday.

"I spoke with Gibson for a long time," Trapattoni said. "He explained to me that he was disappointed. I understood but I said to him that we were all disappointed after the defeats in the Euro campaign, but I said that this is a time for a new opportunity (for the Republic)."

Trapattoni defended his decision to overlook Gibson for the entire Euro 2012 campaign, claiming that he could have played the midfielder against Italy in the final group game but did not want to make it look as if he was making changes to favour his home nation.

"It was impossible to change," the 73-year-old said. "With 20 minutes to go in our match Italy could have gone out and Croatia could qualify. If we changed it and we lost it would have looked like I favoured Italy."

Peculiar reasoning if that's genuinely the only reason Trap didn't give Gibson game-time against Italy. I'd imagine Gibson's main issue was with Trap favouring Green from the bench against Spain, however. I'd have been more interested in Trap outlining the reasoning behind that decision. At least he and Gibson conversed over the phone, mind!

Also, Trap clearly sees Wilson as being able to fulfil a midfield role if needed.

[Noelys Guitar]

FFS. Instead of giving players like Westwood, Gibson and McCarthy competitive playing time against Italy Trap worried about how any changes would be viewed. Incredible stuff. I'd love to hear Jack Charlton's and Mick McCarthy's views on these comments. No wonder Gibson is calling a halt to this nonsense.

[Charlie Darwin]

Trap warns Gibson that others are queueing up to take his squad place for good: http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/international/2012/0902/335973-trap-warns-gibson-over-international-future/



Peculiar reasoning if that's genuinely the only reason Trap didn't give Gibson game-time against Italy. I'd imagine Gibson's main issue was with Trap favouring Green from the bench against Spain, however. I'd have been more interested in Trap outlining the reasoning behind that decision. At least he and Gibson conversed over the phone, mind!

Also, Trap clearly sees Wilson as being able to fulfil a midfield role if needed.
It's very poor reasoning.

[DannyInvincible]

Indeed. Essentially, Trap placed a concern for his own reputation above a team selection decision. Does this justify Gibson's sense of aggrievement? I think perhaps. Although, opting out of World Cup qualifiers still isn't the mature way to deal with it.

[Charlie Darwin]

I suspect Trap just didn't trust him and is using this as an excuse. In which case I think Trap's judgement is flawed.

[Stuttgart88]

Gibson should have had some game time in Poland. He didn't. He should get over it and realise he's got a hugely privileged life and try to prove Trap wrong.

[Murfinator]

We were eliminated prior to the Italy game, it was a glorified friendly and irrelevant who he played. Nobody was entitled to play in it as some sort of appeasement for not being involved in the actual important part of the competition. Same with coming off the bench against Spain, our campaign was over at that stage too. The only significant selections were the starters for Croatia and Spain which bar Cox was identical to the squad that qualified. People need to stop getting hung about who played in the trivial parts of that campaign, playing anyone at that stage was an empty, trivial gesture that doesn't deserve any stock to be placed in.

We played 135 minutes of meaningful time in the Euros. v Croatia and the first half against Spain. You can spot the joker fans a mile off who believe our problems were in the irrelevant 135 minutes we played in the second half.

[DannyInvincible]

Irrelevant to what? Every minute of every game is important.

[Noelys Guitar]

Irrelevant to what? Every minute of every game is important.
Exactly. Italy had still to get to the knockout stages and it was an ideal match to play the likes of Westwood, Gibson and McCarthy in a competitve game against a serious side with something at stake.

[DannyInvincible]

Exactly. Italy had still to get to the knockout stages and it was an ideal match to play the likes of Westwood, Gibson and McCarthy in a competitve game against a serious side with something at stake.

Certainly. And then there's the other argument to field your strongest side available in order to achieve a result to benefit our ranking. Not necessarily saying that one or the other is correct, but no match is ever irrelevant. However, letting a fear of how a team selection decision might be interpreted by the rest of Europe influence the making of such a decision isn't justifiable. Maybe I'm overplaying Trap's comment and such a fear didn't really colour his thinking. He could well have been using it as a convenient excuse to appease those siding with Gibson.

[geysir]

I don't think it had anything to do about ranking points.
I forgot about that Trap reason for playing the/his first team against Italy. It makes obvious sense. He did mention it before the game, so it wasn't a post-game excuse of convenience. Though changing one player for Gibson would hardly have fired up the masonic conspiracies.
Anyway, that's a side issue. It isn't a valid reason for Gibson to put a pause on his international duty.

[DannyInvincible]

I don't think it had anything to do about ranking points.
I forgot about that Trap reason for playing the/his first team against Italy. It makes obvious sense. He did mention it before the game, so it wasn't a post-game excuse of convenience.

Which reason are you referring to specifically?

[jbyrne]

They did mind. The IFA were busting Sepp Blatter's balls about Gibson a few years ago. The NI faithful even dedicated a lengthy chant to Gibson at a game in which he wasn't even featuring last year!:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipLc-SnVZvs

the song refers to hating gibson and in a match we were involved in they had a banner proclaiming to the fai to hands off their players but to keep gibson!

[DannyInvincible]

I saw that banner and it was clearly tongue-in-cheek. To claim they'd otherwise be uninterested in Gibson were it not for his decision to play for us simply doesn't add up. Gibson was the first player from the north to play for us with whom the IFA took serious issue. They evidently cared quite a bit as his switch to us was used to help launch the IFA's issues with the eligibility of northern-born Irish nationals to play for us into the public spotlight before they eventually used Shane Duffy as another media scapegoat and took Kearns to CAS: http://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2007/0829/sport/ifa-chief-gibson-ineligible-for-stans-squad-41159.html

The level of vitriol directed towards Gibson by certain NI fans would suggest they feel some sense of entitlement with regard to dictating for whom he should play and bear him ill-will for not choosing to play for them. They dub him "turncoat", "defector", "traitor" and so forth. If they didn't mind him switching, they'd have simply ignored him and gotten on with their own business.

[SkStu]

Who? Gibson and... Andy Reid? Hardly a comprehensive list of people who can pass the ball. James McCarthy is the best passer of the ball we have and he's fine, despite the ridiculous criticism he's been subject to from fans and the Irish media.

If that's the only issue you take with my post, I'll cede it to you!

[swinfordfc]

Gibson has turn his back on Ireland and if i was manager, he would never play for me again. You cant have that in your set-up, its a shame cause he is playing well but he is acting like a spoilt child!

[gastric]

When all the emotion over Gibson's rash decision has settled down, the question needs to be asked would the Irish squad be stronger with him and even Stephen Ireland? For me the answer is yes, and Trap's reasoning as mentioned above plus Long's supposed 'injury' suggest me that he is not really communicating effectively with the players.

[Charlie Darwin]

Gibson has turn his back on Ireland and if i was manager, he would never play for me again. You cant have that in your set-up, its a shame cause he is playing well but he is acting like a spoilt child!
A really good manager will recognise when a really good player is acting like a child and accommodate them in a positive way. I think Trap is doing that with Gibson. He could exclude him completely and alienate him for good, but he has made all the right noises so far to keep him in the fold.

[DannyInvincible]

It would be interesting to hear more on this from Gibson himself, although I don't expect that will be forthcoming. Before jumping to conclusions, is his disappointment with the nature of our general performance (as Trap appears to be suggesting in his comments, perhaps somewhat artfully), the fact he didn't see any game-time whilst the likes of Green did (I think this to be the most likely or pivotal factor) and/or as a result of a personal grudge with Trap (as many appear to be deducing, although I don't think this is a fair assessment)? Does Gibson see himself ever playing for Trap again, for example? I think he may well. There's nothing to suggest that he has a specific problem with Trap as manager. This comment from Trap, assuming we can take it at face value, would suggest there has not been a falling out between the pair and that Gibson's decision is not down to feeling like a victim of Trap the supposed alienator:


"I spoke with Gibson for a long time," Trapattoni said. "He explained to me that he was disappointed. I understood but I said to him that we were all disappointed after the defeats in the Euro campaign, but I said that this is a time for a new opportunity (for the Republic)."

[Olé Olé]

Could Gibson's move be interpreted that he cared so much and harbours such disappointment from the Euro's that he had to take this step? In a patriotic context,Gibson should have remained in the squad, even if only to warm the bench. But as it stands the chances are he would have started anyway due to injuries. Or perhaps Gibson was given the indication or had the feeling that Trap would select McCarthy in his stead?

Either way it's a very curious situation. Breaks in relationships never work and often lead to a break-up. I hope this isn't something similar. Gibson is a better player than Whelan I feel but McCarthy is potentially the best from our current lot. Gibson has a long international career ahead of him so a Stephen Ireland-style retirement would be a blow. I don't think it will come to that. However, I do think that if he's not selected in the next squad then his position is fairly untenable.

[osarusan]

Given our performances against Croatia and Spain, using different personnel would hardly have looked suspicious, or been considered 'weakening' the team by anybody.

Without knowing what conversations Gibson and Trap had, if any, regarding the role he would be playing in Poland, it's impossible to know the extent to which his grievance is legitimate, but he certainly hasn't come out of it well. He comes across as arrogant and petty, and you have to wonder if he expected a different kind of response than what's happening now.

[Murfinator]

Does anyone for a moment think Gibson's disappointment is being saddened at the poor display of the team rather than personal disappointment of not getting his perceived deserved time in the limelight?

[Uncle_Joe]

This is all starting to get a little bit too much lke Saipan for me. I'm out.

[Paddy Garcia]

Given our performances against Croatia and Spain, using different personnel would hardly have looked suspicious, or been considered 'weakening' the team by anybody.

Without knowing what conversations Gibson and Trap had, if any, regarding the role he would be playing in Poland, it's impossible to know the extent to which his grievance is legitimate, but he certainly hasn't come out of it well. He comes across as arrogant and petty, and you have to wonder if he expected a different kind of response than what's happening now.

Agreed, surely leaving an ineffective midfield unchanged and then putting Paul Green on would be the best way to smooth Italy's path.

[Stuttgart88]

Does anyone for a moment think Gibson's disappointment is being saddened at the poor display of the team rather than personal disappointment of not getting his perceived deserved time in the limelight?No, because there were many reports after the competition that he was livid with Trap and was considering his international future. This ties in perfectly with that.

[DeLorean]

Does anyone for a moment think Gibson's disappointment is being saddened at the poor display of the team rather than personal disappointment of not getting his perceived deserved time in the limelight?

I'd say Gibson is one of those guys that would be happy with a 5-1 defeat as long as he scored the goal.

[paul_oshea]

I think that was murfinators point lads.

I'm just left wondering, if he and Trap had a call on Friday where grievances were aired etc, why retrospectively "punish" the manager or the setup, by saying you were too disappointed from the summer gone by? That's kinda what he is trying to do, like a child trying to get one over after being ignored by their parents. Surely, the call must have been along the lines of darron asking was he going to feature this time around, Trap may not have given him the assurances he wanted, and then Gibson does this. If you knew you were going to be picked, why jeopardise that or your future or "punish" someone else? Even for a petulant, egotistical, spoilt brat like Gibson that seems a bit OTT. If, of course that was the case.

[SwanVsDalton]

Trapattoni's press conference yesterday suggests Gibson could be in line for a longish sabbatical (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2012/0903/1224323534529.html). Says he 'should want to be with Ireland' and got a bit exasperated in true Trap style. Tardelli also seemed to indicate Gibson would've played.