Irish Olympic Team

As a way of passing the football free days, I've decided to have a bash at picking a hypothetical Irish team for the Olympics. It's an 18 man squad, with the cut-off DOB being the 1st January 1989, with three overage players allowed.

GK:
McLoughlin
McCarey

DF:
Ciaran Clark
Greg Cunningham
Shane Duffy
Aidan White
Enda Stevens
Gavin Gunning
Seamus Coleman

MF:
James McClean
James McCarthy
Jeff Hendrick
Robbie Brady
Conor Clifford
Samir Carruthers

F:
Shane Long
Anthony Stokes
Joe Mason


Overage players are in Bold.
Obviously I'm not considering any of the players who had serious game time at Euro 2012. We could also do with an extra striker, but we don't have a huge amount of underage talent coming through there. Also, maybe drop one of the overage players for a better keeper (Westwood perhaps).

But there's a fair amount of talent in that squad.

Thoughts?

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Originally Posted by Diarmo

We could also do with an extra striker, but we don't have a huge amount of underage talent coming through there.

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I would suggest Sean Murray of Watford for that spot.

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Originally Posted by Diarmo

football free days

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????

http://foot.ie/forums/14-Premier-amp-First-Divisions

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Originally Posted by Diarmo

As a way of passing the football free days

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Not a L.O.I. man then Diarmo? Good season unfolding again as we speak, UK scouts all over it again, the young Irish talent that is ......... in the football free zone.

Scannell I guess and countless LOI lads

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Originally Posted by CraftyToePoke

Not an L.O.I. man then Diarmo? Good season unfolding again as we speak, UK scouts all over it again, the young Irish talent that is ......... in the football free zone.

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In my defense, I am based in the US at the moment, so keeping up with the LOI is harder to do. I used to go to a few Bohs matches when I lived in Dublin, but haven't paid much attention to the League since. Was delighted that Bohs spanked Rovers last week though.

On top of that, I'm from a part of Ireland that hasn't had a team in the League in my lifetime, so it's hard to suddenly 'bandwagon' onto a team that you have no affiliation with.

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Originally Posted by Diarmo

In my defense, I am based in the US at the moment, so keeping up with the LOI is harder to do. I used to go to a few Bohs matches when I lived in Dublin, but haven't paid much attention to the League since. Was delighted that Bohs spanked Rovers last week though.

On top of that, I'm from a part of Ireland that hasn't had a team in the League in my lifetime, so it's hard to suddenly 'bandwagon' onto a team that you have no affiliation with.

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I wasn't having a dig at you at all Diarmo, I just think the gaps left by UK based guys who don't kick on in their careers, on your list, will in some cases be ably filled by guys presently operating in the Irish game. So to describe it as football free is harsh, that was all.

Good thread though, will be interesting to see who ends up where in a few seasons.

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Originally Posted by CraftyToePoke

I wasn't having a dig at you at all Diarmo, I just think the gaps left by UK based guys who don't kick on in their careers, on your list, will in some cases be ably filled by guys presently operating in the Irish game. So to describe it as football free is harsh, that was all.

Good thread though, will be interesting to see who ends up where in a few seasons.

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True, and one thing that's been interesting lately is how a lot of our more technically skilled players (Hoolahan, Fahey etc.) have had decent LoI careers before going to the UK. Whereas some of our UK trained players (e.g. Andrews) would have a much lower technical ability.

Throws a bit of light on the theory that the best players leave.

Wouldn't James McClean be overage?
Also, you're going to need one or two more CBs

McClean would actually be eligible. He was born after the cut-off date on the 22nd of April, 1989.

The future looks deeply average on the basis of the OP. Hopefully they can discover someone else or this lot can raise their game...

How has Chris Forrester being doing with St. Pat's of late?

Would Shane Duffy and James McClean also have been eligible to play for Team GB despite being capped competitively at under-age and senior level respectively for the FAI? Did Duffy play in under-21 games that could ultimately have contributed to Ireland's qualification or did they occur before his switch of association?

Would they indeed have been eligible for Ireland had we qualified? Article 8.1 of the regulations reads:

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1. Each association taking part in the Tournaments shall ensure the following
when selecting its representative team(s):

a) all players shall hold the nationality of its country and be subject to its jurisdiction;

b) all players shall be eligible for selection in accordance with the FIFA Statutes and relevant FIFA regulations, in particular articles 15 to 18 of the Regulations Governing the Application of the FIFA Statutes.

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I think it's referring to the Irish state's jurisdiction rather than the FAI's, but what exactly does being "subject to its jurisdiction" entail?

This was an interesting one from 2004: http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olym...12/3433557.stm

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London's 2012 Olympic bid could cause a bitter turf battle between the British Olympic Association and the Olympic Council of Ireland.

The row is being caused by the BOA's officially laying claim to Northern Ireland athletes for the Olympics.

According to the International Olympic Committee's existing charter, the Olympic Council of Ireland represents the whole island of Ireland.

However, Northern Ireland athletes have always been able to compete for GB.

But now the BOA has included Northern Ireland in its new Olympic contract to be signed for the 2004 Athens Games.

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Came across it on OWC, where one poster was complaining without any hint of irony:

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Sadly some of our athletes arent even allowed to compete for Team GB and have to compete for Ireland. I would imagine that this is not an issue for many of them, but the principle is still shoddy. The fact is they are actually excluded by some GB sporting bodies.

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I also see Gregory Campbell and Nelson McCausland have been lobbying the British Olympic Association to change the British team's trading name from Team GB to Team UK; not that the latter would be entirely accurate either in that it would not take account of the Isle of Man, Jersey and the other overseas territories that form the British Olympic Association.

If there was to be an Irish olympic team, I would hope to combine the Irish League and the League of Ireland and make an All-Ireland domestic based team. Really good way of promoting the domestic game in Ireland.

How does the qualification for the Olympics work?

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Originally Posted by Colbert Report

How does the qualification for the Olympics work?

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Outlined here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Footbal...lified_nations

The UEFA European Under-21 Championship is used as the preliminary qualification competition for European teams.

UEFA enters the top 4 teams from the preceding U21 European Championship, so we'd need to qualify and do well at the next one to get in.

Euro U21 Champs serves as qualifying.

EDIT: As Charlie said - it'll be the 2015 one that qualifies us for it, not the 2013 Euros that Noel King is leading us to at the moment.

Not really looked at the Olympic qualifiers before but it seems only 3 from the European qualifiers went through,
Spain Switzerland and Belarus(surprise).
So qualification is very tough.

Kind of hard to see us every qualifying given we struggle to make the top 16 in Europe.
But Belarus give hope to everyone I suppose.

Any Irish in he GB squad?

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Originally Posted by tricky_colour

Any Irish in he GB squad?

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Jack Cork?...

ah the Dubs always get everywhere.....