His supposition that the Sun team of the week actually matters to Fabio Capello is even more farcial.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolfie
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His supposition that the Sun team of the week actually matters to Fabio Capello is even more farcial.Quote:
Originally Posted by Wolfie
Why should it be remarkable that someone who was born and brought up in England and who is playing regularly for an EPL club (just!) be "desperate" to play for England?Quote:
Originally Posted by Predator
Granted, I think he's a long way off being good enough (and I'm a Spurs fan), and so he may be deluding himself, but I kinda respect the fact he's showing this attitude, especially since he knows NI would likely give him an opportunity to play international football, even if Trapattoni might not fancy him.
I appreciate the fact that he'd rather play for England and his reasons why. I just find his constant 'tweeting' about his performances somewhat shameless, but that's just me. In a few years time, he could maybe break into the England set-up; I wonder is he willing to wait for his chance?Quote:
Originally Posted by EalingGreen
I suppose Nigel Worthington is aware of his eligibility. Do you know if NI are actively pursuing him in the way that Trapattoni is?
While O'Hara would undoubtedly improve the Irish team a small bit. I don't think midfield is that badly stocked right now.
It's interesting that despite the continued calls to exploit the granny rule, for the most part Irelands best players have been homegrown lads like Given, McGrath and Keane. It's the same in Rugby with O'Driscoll, Wood and O'Connell. We're well capable of producing our own.
Adding Meyler, Reid and Fahy to a squad which already contains Duff, Hunt, Gibson, Whelan and Andrews isn't too bad a position that we need to be chasing some tweeting geezer.
have to say i agree. Was willing to give his soccer am and newspaper comments the benefit of the doubt but when he is tweeting that crap you know where his allegiances truly lie. And as you point out, we have the makings of an excellent midfield there anyway and thats even with you forgetting to mention McCarthy..
I was all for giving O Hara a call up because I think he is a very good player, but I must admit in the last month I have changed that view a bit. For no one reason in particular, but he does seem to be making it a bit too obvious that an Ireland call up would be too much of a distant 2nd choice. Plus the emergence of Gibson, Meyler, Wilson and McCarthy is very pleasing and I would like to see those lads who are fully 1000% committed given the chance
As mentioned before, fair enough if the lad wants to play for England, he is English after all and good luck to him. I certainly wouldnt be as desperate from him to play for us as he appears to want to play for England.
Anyways Im sure Trap mentioned in some interview around the brazil game that he had set a deadline for those that he has approached under the granny/parentage rules, I believe that deadline was the training camp this summer. Therefore, it appears O'H has well and truly made up his mind.
It was a case of us approaching an English player, asking if he would declare for us and he says 'maybe later but for now I really want to play for England'.
He does not owe us anything bar a polite answer, he gave an honest enough reply to Trap as to where his loyalties are.
We do not have to pursue him any longer. Let him live out his football career and his ambitions. He is of no more concern to us than any other English footballer.
I'm not sure why people are surprised. He's English and has repeatedly expressed his desire to play for England. If he does choose to declare for us, it will because he has accepted he's not good enough to play for England (although he seems fairly dumb so maybe he'll think we're the better team). With a few exceptions, that's how we've gotten most of our granny-rulers.
Its true that the only genuine international class players we produce are likely to be Irish born and bred. Any English with Irish family who fit in that band are inevitably going to pursue a career with England simply because they have the potential to do so. This is the case with O'Hara, who I genuinely believe has the quality to make it as an England player and seeing as he seems a nice lad I hope he makes it. The English that do end up in our team, such as Lawrence and St Ledger simply weren't rated high enough to even be offered a call-up at youth level for England. To put it simply if O'Hara were say 20% less talented he'd probably be playing for us by now because England wouldn't be on the horizon. For all the talk of the proud diaspora how many English born players have actually chosen us over England when actually being wanted by both? Even Steven Reid only made it to under-16 level with England before being overlooked.Quote:
Originally Posted by MuckaTucka
To add to those mentioned above a lad who always impresses me as a potential international player is Keith Treacy. Watching our under-21's is quite a dispiriting experience generally but he always looks a cut above the general mediocrity. So if Trap's looking for a wide midfield player to add to the squad perhaps he might consider an Irish option instead.
I know people would laugh at the thought of Kevin Kilbane playing for England now, but they wanted him at U-21 level and he rejected them for us.Quote:
Originally Posted by Adrock
They fought very hard for him - as they did with McAteer.
Personally speaking, I wouldnt want to see OHara near the squad. He has no interest.
I wouldn't laugh at all. Kilbane would have won a handfull of caps had he been English (only a handfull mind).Quote:
Originally Posted by irishfan86
Kilbane probably would have been in contention with England's dearth of quality left-sided players (which is as much an issue now as it ever was), but I don't know if he would have progressed passed the odd friendly.
I think we can just about close the book on O'Hara playing for us. Fair play to him, he's a good player and he's desperate to play for his country, nothing wrong with that. No different than me, I'd give my left ball to play for Ireland but if I was towards the end of my career and had not received a call up I might consider playing for Canada.
I'd be very surprised if England came calling for Jamie O'Hara any time soon, if at all. Far too many players ahead of him.
There's no need to close any book. He's still eligible. He said he'd decide after the summer. Why are people here so impatient?Quote:
Originally Posted by Colbert Report
i think most (me included - he's a decent player) were willing to give him until then and let his performances do the talking as far as his England hopes are concerned. Its his tweeting along with some dodgy comments in interviews that have closed the issue for me. It is clear where his true allegiances lie and that leaves a bit of a bad taste.
Plus, as pointed out we have some excellent (irish born) midfield talent making great strides in the Premier League and suddenly a half committed O'Hara doesnt seem as necessary or attractive.
Kevin Nolan got his 16th & 17th league goal of the season tonight against Reading making him the 2nd top scorer in the Championship. That's good going for a midfielder in all fairness.
A lot of games he has been playing basically as a second striker, similar to the role Gerrard generally plays with Liverpool, so to call him a "midfielder" may be a bit generous at this stage, although he can and does player deeper on occasion.Quote:
Originally Posted by TrapAPony
Well, he's still young. Who knows what might happen down the line. I think most here would accept Stephen Ireland back even though he's said he feels nothing playing for us. O'Hara's comment about feeling English AND Irish is enough for me to give him leeway. If Fabio doesn't answer his tweets then he'll be a nice option for us, though I do hope the younger lads coming through will be enough in that regard. He's a player I really like though.Quote:
Originally Posted by SkStu
Plus he's probably the best player in the league.Quote:
Originally Posted by irishfan86
Really??Quote:
Originally Posted by Paddy Garcia
Although at the time McAteer joined up with us (i.e 94), Ireland (was probably the only time in recent memory) the more attractive option than England for a player eligible for both countries.
Is that actually true? I don't recall Kilbane ever being called up by England or any stories of them showing an interest. Wasn't he playing for Preston when he debuted for us? I know there's a lot of KK fans out there but I've honestly never much rated the guy. Funny how he seems to be held in such high regard, whereas Mcgeady - a clearly more talented individual who genuinely could have walked in to the team of his birth country - gets so much flak :confused:Quote:
Originally Posted by irishfan86
he was called into an England underage squad, and turned it down. While some players have regarded international football as a distraction from the club game, or a nuisance to be avoided, he's one of the few who genuinely enjoys playing for his country. Despite his lack of ability, he's amassed over 100 caps, playing in a variety of positions, and has never (to the best of my knowledge) refused a call up to the squad.Quote:
Originally Posted by Adrock
We could do with a few more like him.
Excerpt from a Kilbane interviewQuote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
You were born in England, but consider yourself Irish. Has that always been the case?
It has been a bit of a joke over the years, that you just need to a have a pint of Guinness to get called up to the squad, but I think that a lot of the English-born lads in the squad have a strong affinity to Ireland. When I was growing up, I always felt like I had a strong link, both my parents are Irish so I always felt close to the country. I had the chance to play for England at a youth level but turned down the chance because I always felt connected to Ireland.’
also
http://findarticles.com/p/news-artic.../ai_n38912187/
"Despite being English-born, Kilbane was always fiercely proud of his roots. Nobetter example of that came at Preston North End, when an excited Sam Allardycetold a young Kilbane he had been selected for England Schoolboys.
Kilbanes response to his flabbergasted manager was straight forward: Why wouldI want to play for England? Im Irish."
Not many left sided players in England so it's not a huge surprise.
If that's the case then repect to him. I've made it quite obvious I'm more than a little sceptical of the plastic brigade but if he sincerely grew up considering himself Irish and not hedging his bets on the issue then I'm happy to consider him so too. Different situation certainly to someone with one Irish grandparent pulling on the green shirt because they cant see anything better coming along.Quote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
The reason I've been a bit dubious about KK is this, possibly apocryphal, story about his playing an England youth trial game but not really trying. I can't really imagine a professional footballer doing that. I remember reading in Alex Ferguson's biography about Nicky Butt refusing pointblank to ever consider an interest from the Scotland youth set-up despite his insistence and if someone can stand up to Fergie like that Big Sam's got to be a pushover in comparison
According to Trap and the Irish Times, Kyle Naughton is set to switch his allegiance.....
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/...269160310.html
Others are in the pipeline, he said, with work on securing international clearance for "two or three" English-born players to switch their allegiance already underway. Kyle Naughton, the Tottenham defender who has been on loan at Middlesbrough recently, he said, is one, while Jamie O'Hara, remains a possible recruit.
similar report in today's Independent: http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...n-2153640.html
Quote:
I have already said, (Jamie) O'Hara, ok, we wait until after the World Cup. Those in this squad now are the players for whom documentation and procedures have already been put through but there are others for whom that has started. Also, Kyle Naughton. Marco (Tardelli) speaks with two or three and they say 'we wish to come'.
Do you think you will be adding them to the irish abroad section like you added Colin Green? ;) :DQuote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
I hope so!
If they confirm their allegiance to the team then yes, if not then no.Quote:
Originally Posted by Deckydee
Ok, cool :oQuote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
More about it here on the Examiner:
http://irishexaminer.com/sport/socce...ns-118281.html
Me wonders who the 7 are?
I would reckon Simon Cox ,Naughton, ( O'Hara ) Ambrose, Nolan has been on fire lately! and maybe some total random guys sure who the hell knew about Paul Green!Quote:
Originally Posted by Deckydee
Gary O'Neil and I would definetly go with Kilgallon ( I remember reading he approached Stan 3 years back ) I would like to see Jonjo Shelvey but apparently he snubbed a approached from Brady before the France games.
We should probably dial down our aspirations a bit here. Naughton is a young lad who is very much on the England team's radar, and Gary Cahill even has an outside chance of making the World Cup squad. I'd be delighted to see that calibre of player declare for us, but it's more likely to be the likes of Paul Green and Martin Rowlands who can do a job, albeit an unexceptional one.
The list of players has been posted many a time on this site, but heck, one more time wont kill. It has to be from this list, I cant think of anymore. (I said the same about Paul Green)
Gary Cahill (Bolton)
Mark Noble (West Ham)
Kyle Naughton (Tottenham)
Anton Ferdinand (Sunderland)
Kevin Nolan (Newcastle)
Jamie O'Hara (Portsmouth)
Gary McSheffrey (Birmingham)
Matt Kilgallon (Sheff United)
Matt Connolly (QPR)
Hogan Ephraim (QPR)
Adam Hammill (Barnsley)
Andy Lonergan (Preston)
Kevin McCann (Hibernian)
Zander Diamond (Aberdeen)
Darren Ambrose (Crystal Palace)
A case of quantity above quality. We have a number of exciting young talents coming through. It really would be a shame if any of the aforementioned names are fast tracked into the international squad at the expense of our up and coming players.Quote:
Originally Posted by Deckydee
Those in bold would be useful IMO. Simon Cox (WBA) is also eligible.Quote:
Originally Posted by Deckydee
If the marriage ruling still exists Matt Derbyshire of Olympiakos is eligible. Although Paul Butler wasn't the best, he used this ruling to play for us back in 2000.
http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2000/0223/soccer.html
Fairly sure Gary O'Neil of Middlesbrough is eligible too.
Butler cleared this up in an interview in the Independent, he qualified through one of his grandparents. I've posted a link to this before, if I can find it I'll add the linkQuote:
Originally Posted by TrapAPony