Players leaving too early

You only have to look at the danish team from last night to see how many of their players stay at home until their early 20s.

Denmark: Andersen (Hvidovre); Olsen (Brondby), Thomassen (Padova), Traore (FC Copehagen), Kristiansen (Esbjerg); Sorensen (Farum BK), Benjaminsen (Farum BK), Silberbauer (Aalborg), Frederiksen (Excelsior Rotterdam); Hakansen (Heerenveen), Augustinussen (Aalborg). Subs: Jensen (Horsens) for Augustinussen (half-time), Bechmann (Aarhus) for Sorensen (65 mins), Lindkvist (FC Midtjylland) for Silberbauer (73 mins.), Larsen (Brondby) for Kristiansen (77 mins), Junker (Brondby) for Hakansson (87 mins).

Of the 16 players used looks like only 2 play their football abroad.

Contrast this with the irish u-21 squad where I think only 2 play at home still.

If the FAI cared about football this is what they would be trying to change.

Brian Shelly did very well for himself last night, he was in no way outclassed, not bad for a Bohs bench warmer.

It was a shame that one of the City players wasn't called up to the squad, for the sake of give us something to cheer about.

I'd say that Ireland could field a handy U-21 side of home based players.

McNulty?
Hoggie, O'Rourke, Shelly(Bohs), Byrne(Rovers),
Shane Robinson (Rovers), Bennett, McGlynn(Derry), Houlahan (Shels)
Colin P, Gary O'Neill (Bohs)

The keeper is dodgy but the rest of the side would not shame themselves

Shelly!!!! Any time I've seen him he's looked totally unfit, talentless and way below standard.

the Danish league is in a very similar situation to ours with 'big brother' next door offering glory and fortune to the nations young prospects. It's great for them to see that so many of them are still playing domestic soccer.

The main aim of the national league should be to create the conditions to keep people like Joe Gamble at home, at least until they have 'outgrown the pond' as some inevitably will.

Would members think it would be a good idea to force the Irish u21 manager to pick say 5 eircom league players on every squad? This might create an incentitive to young lads to try their luck at home first as well as give much needed publicity to our cause.

Something like that should happen with the senior team, three place should go to domestic players. You see the standard raise aswell bacause the chance of get a run with the national team would encourage anyone to play better, you wouldn't have players on a go slow/refuse to play for their manager either ... which would be a great development for us.

definitely the u-21s anyway, maybe do that for a few years and then the senior team. If you start forcing eL players into the national team, when there are better players available, it could add to the dislike of the league among "irish" soccer fans.

I don't agree with forcing a manager to pick a certain number of el players.

It varies from yesr to yesr but i suppose sometimes the eL has a few good u-21 players & sometimes it doesn't. Usually though i think eL players getting 1st team football & european games should be aheah of someone playing reserve team football in england or wherever.