Squad

[Seanie]

Brian Kerr has kept faith with the squad which beat Norway with only Gary Kelly, Colin Healy and Nick Colgan missing out. However I understand that the latter duo will still be involved in club football when the players assemble on May 20 - I'm assuming that they will link up later, well at least Colgan.

Given (Newcastle United), Murphy (West Bromwich Albion), Carr (Tottenham Hotspur), Breen (West Ham United), Dunne (Manchester City), Harte (Leeds United), O'Shea (Manchester United), Finnan (Fulham), Cunningham (Birmingham City), O'Brien (Newcastle United), Carsley (Everton), Holland (Ipswich Town), Kinsella (Aston Villa), Kilbane (Sunderland), McPhail (Leeds United), Quinn (Sheffield Wednesday), Reid (Millwall), Duff (Blackburn Rovers), Connolly (Wimbledon), Lee (Rotherham), Keane (Tottenham Hotspur), Crowe (Bohemians), Doherty (Tottenham Hotspur).

[@ndy]

We've been thrown such a lifeline in a group that we threw away with two terrible results at the beginning. When we played Russia pre world cup they looked very poor, and made an experimental irish side look great. They tore us apart in Russia. Getting beaten by the swiss was dreadful, and pretty much kills our chances, however it is possible to qualify after losing two games, and with the poor results from Russia and Switzerland recently we are really in with a chance again. These two games are so so important. We have to win them both. I really hope the team doesn't put up a poor show when we know they are capable of better things. It would be a shame once again not to qualify for a major tournament when being held in western europe, especially from the handiest group i have ever seen us in.