Hoolahan - Player of the Month
Wes Hoolahan of Shelbourne has been voted as the eircom/Soccer Writers Association Player of the Month for July. Hoolahan held off team-mate Alan Moore and Cork City's Danny Murphy to land the prestigious award.
During the month, Wes played in all three of Shels' Champions League games, 2-2 and 0-0 draws against Icelandic side KR and a 3-2 defeat away to Hajduk Split. In the eircom League, he played in the 1-1 draw with Shamrock Rovers, came on as a substitute in the 2-0 defeat to Derry City and, in the FAI Cup, he played and scored with a delightful chip in a 4-1 win over Finn Harps.
From the first time he played for Shels, Hoolahan has stood out as a special talent. On his debut in a friendly game against Wycombe Wanderers in August 2001, he terrorised the English side in a 2-0 win. Aage Hareide - then boss of Brondby, who were due to play Shels in the UEFA Cup - identified him as their best player and he was delighted to hear that Hoolahan would not feature against his side as he had booked a holiday prior to joining from schoolboy club Belvedere earlier that year.
Hoolahan has always impressed foreigners. Prior to the Euro 2004 qualifier in Moscow in September 2002, then Irish boss Mick McCarthy was asked why Wes was not in the senior squad. A colleague asked Under-21 manager Don Givens why he played for Shels and not Manchester United. Last month, a Croatian journalist asked Pat Fenlon if he was the new Roy Keane. When Fenlon said he was not, the journalist persisted and asked if he was the new Mark Lawrenson in terms of being a star of Irish football.
Hoolahan has been one of the stars of the domestic game. In his first season he collected a league medal and did so again last season. In 2002, he won the PFAI Young Player of the Year and was short-listed for the eircom/SWAI Personality of the Year. International recognition came by way of regular caps at Under-21 level. In November 2002, he received a call-up to the senior squad and was named on the bench against Greece, although he did not play.
The 22-year-old has again caught the eye in Shels' remarkable Champions League win. His ability to keep the ball when surrounded by opponents and find team-mates with perfectly-weighted passes make him ideal for the European stage as, hopefully, Deportivo La Coruna will also discover.
