Anthony Stokes (F free agent b.1988)

[shakermaker1982]

Is it the mental strain of sitting on the bench at Celtic that has tired him out? Bizarre.

He's clearly annoyed that he hasn't had much game time with Ireland under Trap. But what does he expect? Keane, Doyle and Long will always be ahead of him in the pecking order. If you do get a chance then take it.

[Hibs4Ever]

Keane, Doyle and Long will always be ahead of him in the pecking order.


As will Walters. Stokes is nowhere near good enough for international football

[SwanVsDalton]

Idiot. He'll probably be the first person to start a whine when he's nowhere near the squad for crucial qualifiers.

[Sullivinho]

Pr1ck. Citing "tiredness" has put an end to his Irish career under Trap.

Andy Reid has more chance of a recall. Can't say I feel any great sense of loss either.

[Junior]

I am disappointed with the way things have panned out in the last 6 months for Stokes. He started the season so well, scoring plenty for Celtic, linking up really well with Hooper and showing that he has both workrate and ability.

Alas, he was dropped for several (if not all the key matches), the 2 cup finals, two games at Ibrox, Hearts at Tynecastle, just those I can think of, off the top of my head. Lennon just simply didnt trust him for those games. There are rumours doing the rounds at the moment that his social life has stepped it up a gear again and now he goes and pulls out of the squad through tiredness - Really really disappointed with that.

A few months ago, I'm sure most Celtic fans (myself included) were thinking Stokes & Hooper would be a class partnership in the making lining out for seasons to come. Whislt Hooper has shown what he is made of, I think Celtic fans wouldnt be surprised if Stokes was now offloaded in the summer.

[ifk101]

Wasn't he dropped out of the Celtic squad for the game prior to the Scottish Cup final for "off the field" reasons? I think he is a talented footballer but if he's not interested there's no point in considering him for selection again for the foreseeable future.

[Sullivinho]

The sudden rise of Cox presumably won't have pleased him too much either.

Yes, I said 'sudden rise of Cox'.

[Junior]

Wasn't he dropped out of the Celtic squad for the game prior to the Scottish Cup final for "off the field" reasons? I think he is a talented footballer but if he's not interested there's no point in considering him for selection again for the foreseeable future.

Yeah thats what I was referring to. The last league game of the season against Motherwell. Rumour is, he was 'asked to leave' a Glasgow hotel the night before the game.

[Hibs4Ever]

Heard he also told some people in the bar that night that the game the next day "didn't matter anyway as the league was already over"

[drummerboy]

Heard he also told some people in the bar that night that the game the next day "didn't matter anyway as the league was already over"

It is now!!!!

[Jicked]

Can we now call time on this idiot's international career? Hopefully Noel Hunt will be playing Premier League football next year, partnering another Irish international and can take that spot in the Irish squad.

[Park_Lane]

What the f*ck is Stokes problem? Too tired to play? Sure he's been sitting on the celtic bench for the last half of the season! Absolute muppet.:mad:

[elroy]

Can we now call time on this idiot's international career? Hopefully Noel Hunt will be playing Premier League football next year, partnering another Irish international and can take that spot in the Irish squad.

Hear hear. This is shameful and an insult to the jersey. Id sooner have someone like Cox who wants to turn up than an arrogant journeyman like Stokes. His attitude has always been in question and this is yet another reason to question it. Ironically he probably wouldve seen plenty of game time this week. With Long, Doyle, Keane, Walters, Cox etc it will take a lot to call that clown back.

[DannyInvincible]

There are rumours doing the rounds at the moment that his social life has stepped it up a gear again and now he goes and pulls out of the squad through tiredness - Really really disappointed with that.

I have a friend studying in Edinburgh who says he saw Stokes out last night, presumably in Edinburgh, before disappearing off with a girl from his course. :rolleyes:

Lame excuse and won't have endeared him to Trap in the slightest. Might be a while before we see him again. If he's even good enough to offer something. Could be a Players Lounge ban for Trap somewhere down the line then...

[Sullivinho]

Lame excuse and won't have endeared him to Trap in the slightest. Might be a while before we see him again.

I wouldn't be too put out if we never saw him again. His level is apparent enough at this stage and we aren't that hard up for options. Even his 'excuse' lacks effort.

Kevin Foley and particularly Shane Long are examples of how to bide your time with a bit of patience and commitment. No sign of 'tiredness' from those lads.

[Junior]

From the Glasgow Evening Times....

Anthony Stokes started last week with a rollicking – and finished it with a Scottish Cup winner’s medal.

But as the striker heads off on international duty with the Republic of Ireland, he has been left in no doubt by Celtic boss Neil Lennon that a repeat of the breach of discipline which saw him dropped for the final SPL game will not be tolerated.

It was not the first time Stokes had fallen foul of Lennon since signing from Hibs last summer.

But the boss believes his message has now got across and said: “We had a chat and he was very contrite about things.

“He knows that it can’t happen again.

“We’ve laid down a marker, not just for him but for the rest of the players, that there’s a code of conduct at the club that you can’t break.”

[ArdeeBhoy]

But didn't Trap say he 'never forgets a player', whatever that means.

Stokes just needs a kick up the hole, that's all. But if he doesn't take that hint, he's another 'might-of-been'.

[geysir]

Stokes just needs a kick up the hole, that's all. But if he doesn't take that hint, he's another 'might-of-been'.
His manager has given him a 'kick up the hole' of sorts - a dressing down and a final ultimatum followed by allowing him a subs appearance in the cup final.
Time will tell if Stokes learns his lessons but Lennon has dealt with him sensibly.

[Philly]

Gotta love what Trap had to say about Stokes today:

Though Trapattoni failed to identify McCarthy by name, he had no such qualms about calling out Anthony Stokes. The Celtic striker cried off from the squad saying he was ‘too tired’ to feature in the Carling Nations Cup.

“He is a good player but you must also have will, desire,” the Ireland manager said of Stokes. “Injuries are injuries, but they should visit our doctor. That is the rule. If they are asked by the national team they must go. If they are in hospital or they are dead, that is OK, but if there is an injury they should see our doctor.”

http://thescore.thejournal.ie/missed-calls-has-anyone-seen-james-mccarthy-142755-May2011/

So players have to be injured or dead to escape a squad without incurring his wrath :)

[elroy]

For some reason the name Sean Thornton always springs to mind when I read about Anthony Stokes. Who?? many of you might say, but that is the exact case in point.

Bags of talent, balls of an attitude.

[French Toasht]

Was at Trap's press conference yesterday and from the way he dealt with the issue, I think Stokes has played his last game for Ireland during Trap's reign.

[Stuttgart88]

Daniel McDonnell in the Indo said that the way Trap said that nobody is forgotten about was as good as saying he'll be "sleeping with the fishes" (not the one's being listed on the Conor Sammon thread).

[geysir]

Lawrence managed to get himself into rehab.
Trap won't be around for that long unless we qualify and if we qualify, then I won't lose any sleep over Anthony Who.

[Hibs4Ever]

Was at Trap's press conference yesterday and from the way he dealt with the issue, I think Stokes has played his last game for Ireland during Trap's reign.



Absolutely no loss

[The Legend]

into the bin with Stephen Dingbat... there should be new eligibility rules allowing those 2 to play for Scotland... just to give them something back, ya know! ha!

[Fixer82]

For some reason the name Sean Thornton always springs to mind when I read about Anthony Stokes. Who?? many of you might say, but that is the exact case in point.

Bags of talent, balls of an attitude.

Yep I know what ya mean. He seems to balls it up royally every time he gets back in to favour with anyone. That just screams a lack of intelligence

[Polster]

Needs a very swift change of attitude for club and country. I would disagree with some comments from the point of view that I think he still has fantastic talent if he focused on on maximising it. However right now he is on the slippery slope to out of Celtic, down the leagues in England and back to LOI.

It is well worth a read of the very first post in this thread and you really feel what a wasted talent his is becoming, in fact someone should send that article to him.

[Junior]

Not sure whether this should really be posted here or not but the attached podcast is a one hour interview with Gerry Carlile, Anthony Stoke's Agent (Also represents Paddy McCourt, Niall McGinn, Kyle Lafferty to name a few). A youngish fella (think he says he is 32) from Belfast.

Anyway its a Celtic Podcast so bear that in mind with the focus of the interview but I thought it was a really interesting listen about his day to day working life. Talks specifically about Stokes around the 46 min mark. In summary, thinks he is a top top fella, he has no issues with Neil Lennon, wouldn't be surprised if Stokes notched a 100 goals for Celtic, he is going absolutely nowhere this summer....oh and his wife/partner is just about to (maybe has done now) drop.

Anyway - all the noises you would expect from an agent but in fairness he seems a very genuine bloke and its an easy enough way to pass an hour.....

http://traffic.libsyn.com/celticunderground/cu143.mp3

[Charlie Darwin]

Good finish to give Celtic the win over Cardiff:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D09Ess-2i54

[magicman]

Was at the Melbourne Celtic game last week. Watching Celtic was painful. Their front 2 that started (Hooper adn Samaras) were rubbish. No relationship between them, both working as individuals. Hooper spent the whole time throwing his hands into the air but when Stokes came on he completely changed the game. He was by far away the best celtic player. he was direct with the ball, took on defenders and was always available for the ball. I was actually impressed. I went there hoping to see him be rubbish and then i could go home laughing but i couldnt have been further wrong. I would love to see him prove us all wrong by actually turning a corner, concentrating on his football and getting another chance in the premier league next year. lets just hope he can turn the ability into something concrete and force the irish management to call him back in a years time

[TiocfaidhArmani]

Stokes is the best partner for Hooper, Samaras is murder. It's time Lennon trusted him in the big games. Give him a chance and watch it help Hooper also. It was madness to drop him for the last game at Ibrox last season.

[the bear]

samaras is one of the worst players i have ever seen, he is worse than bendtner.

stokes has got a lot of bad press recently, bit over the top in my opinion , if he doesn't want to play, thats fine somebody else will. cant really understand his decision not to go and try and impress trap at the end of last season. could of been made for any reason really.hopefully for him he gets himself together and forces his way into lennons and traps teams. if not its his loss

[kennedmc]

Bendtner is easily a better player then Stokes

It all very good playing well in meaningless pre season friendlies with alot more time and space around. I'd say that for all players.

We'll see how Stokes does when the proper football kick off in the SPL where on the level is equivalent to mid to bottom of Division 1 and Division 2.

[Charlie Darwin]

samaras is one of the worst players i have ever seen, he is worse than bendtner.


bit over the top in my opinion

Hmm.

If Stokes plays well he'll get a chance regardless of his current behaviour. The problem is that he's Celtic's third choice striker so he can't really be expected to get into a full-strength Irish squad.

[the bear]

i just hate bendtner

[geysir]

Lennon trying to put sense into Stokes' mush, IT interview with Lennon (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2011/0723/1224301201111.html)

“I wasn’t really aware of it until two or three days after the cup final and the squad had broken up by then. If the opportunity (to talk with Stokes) came again, I’d sit down with him and say, ‘what are you doing – just go and play’. Lennon would “drive to their house” if players failed to show for their country while he was in charge.
“It puts the manager in a difficult situation and puts the player in a difficult situation for the future. He’s (Stokes) got to win back the respect of the manager.“We were talking about Ireland earlier on and the good summer they had with the win against Macedonia and obviously Italy, so they are going into the new season with a lot of confidence.

“Any player, when their international team is going well, should want to be a part of that and for someone like Stokesy, who decided not to go, he’s got a long way back now. He’s got to play well for us at club level and try to catch the eye of Trapattoni again.”

[Irish_Praha]

“Any player, when their international team is going well, should want to be a part of that and for someone like Stokesy, who decided not to go, he’s got a long way back now. He’s got to play well for us at club level and try to catch the eye of Trapattoni again.”[/I]

So if Ireland weren't doing well it would have been OK not to have turned up?

[geysir]

So if Ireland weren't doing well it would have been OK not to have turned up?
You are surmising and way off the mark as regards Lennon. Have you got a clue about what he endured in order to play for NI? and that wasn't even his real country.

What I read is, when the team is playing well the more you should want to be a part of it.

[Noelys Guitar]

If your as good as Carlos Tevez (and this also applies to a few of the other no shows for Ireland) there just might be some type of tortured genius argument to be made. But Stokes like a few of the others have never got even close to a level that would justify their beligerence. Who believes he will listen to Lennon's wise words? If he goes a whole season playing well then we can all have another look.

[DannyInvincible]

If your as good as Carlos Tevez (and this also applies to a few of the other no shows for Ireland) there just might be some type of tortured genius argument to be made.

What "tortured geniuses" do we have that aren't showing up?

[Noelys Guitar]

Tongue, cheek.

[TrapAPony]

GOAL! Hibernian 0-1 Celtic (Stokes)
Kris Commons curls in a free-kick from the right touchline to the back post but Hibs keeper Graham Stack flaps at the ball and Anthony Stokes controls the ball and smacks a shot high into the net.

[Junior]

Decent controlled finish, many a striker could have rushed it and hit one of the 3 or 4 defenders on the line.

Was really disappointed with the 'tired' no show for the Celtic Cup and it will (and should) be some time before Stokes features for us again. However, a small bit of me wonders if there were any alterior motives from Stokes at the time with all the crap going on with his Da getting lifted, with family members and all the Queen banner and stuff.

No need to reply with the "that's no excuse" type responses, I know. It's just a small bit of me just wonders that's all........

[ArdeeBhoy]

What "tortured geniuses" do we have that aren't showing up?
We do have one or two who aren't even being selected.....
That said, their club form has not been overly consistent mind.

[ArdeeBhoy]

We'll see how Stokes does when the proper football kick off in the SPL where on the level is equivalent to mid to bottom of Division 1 and Division 2.

Hmm...it's not great, but the average level is lower Championship, whilst Celtic and the other lot are around the lower end of the EPL.
That said, none of the clubs have access to the vast riches of the latter. If they did, the standard would be far higher.
As it is, many Championship clubs in England receive more in TV revenue.

[punkrocket]

Be interesting to see if he gets a run out at the super duper cup in LR.

[BonnieShels]

"Article" at the back of the metro this morning about our dear anto. Didn't come across too well from my pov.

[Philly]

"Article" at the back of the metro this morning about our dear anto. Didn't come across too well from my pov.

He was quoted in the Indo today too:

"I haven't spoken to (Trapattoni) at all," Stokes said. "I don't really think it makes any difference. When I have gone away with the Ireland teams I have rarely played.

"There is nothing I can do really other than just focus on my football at Celtic and hopefully get the call-up, but I can't see it happening.

"I'm used to it at this stage. I know if I have done anything wrong, it will be blown out of proportion."

Stokes is adamant that he did nothing wrong by pulling out of the end-of-season squad.

"I never said I was too tired to play. Sometimes you have to look at other things in your life as well, that's all it was really," he said.


So, he pulled out but was not tired - he just had other things to do. I find it ironic the guy plays for an "Irish" club yet can't be arsed turning up for Ireland. Trap is right to just ignore him for the moment I think, we have better options anyway.

[Yard of Pace]

"I never said I was too tired to play. Sometimes you have to look at other things in your life as well, that's all it was really," he said.


So, he pulled out but was not tired - he just had other things to do. I find it ironic the guy plays for an "Irish" club yet can't be arsed turning up for Ireland. Trap is right to just ignore him for the moment I think, we have better options anyway.

That seems to tie in with the theory of his father's legal troubles having something to do with it, imo. I know if my father was mixed up in that kind of stuff I'd struggle to sleep at night, let alone do my job every day.

[Junior]

That seems to tie in with the theory of his father's legal troubles having something to do with it, imo. I know if my father was mixed up in that kind of stuff I'd struggle to sleep at night, let alone do my job every day.

Yeah, that was what I was getting at in my post earlier. However, he still comes across as a bit of a tool with a chip on his shoulder. I think he has the talent, hopefully another good season at Celtic will see him perform too well to be omitted from a squad but if he does get the call up, he just needs to turn up, shut up and do whatever is asked of him, whether that be train hard and sit on the bench, feature for 90 seconds or play a full 90 minutes.

He's done nothing in club football to date to feel he has been hardly done by, hes got the squad call ups which he deserved in my opinion but anything beyond that needed to be hardworked for. Perhaps his angst is more at the media than the Irish setup but it doesnt necessarily come across like that.