Shane Ferguson

I said this about a year ago and I'll say it again; have we (ROI) actually "poached" any players that have made any decent contribution to the senior squad yet?
I know most of the players we are talking about are still very young and have plenty of time to prove their worth but there's quite a few of them (Gibson, Wilson) old enough to have made their mark by now.

I mean every second week we hear of a new player crossing over and how he's the next great thing but most of them have been up to now mediocre at best.
When we get a real quality player then I guess they (NI) will have a reason to really complain.

The quality of the player is irrelevant.

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Originally Posted by Predator

The quality of the player is irrelevant.

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You are probably right but I just don't like the way that each player is being built up to be the best thing since ehm.. Best just because he has defected when the vast majority of them are not very good.
It would be like us saying NI took one of the best young defenders around from us when Bruce decided to play for them.

Lets be honest, Wilson & Gibson would both have played in Tallinn. Not saying much, but theyre better than say Josh Carson!

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Originally Posted by Irish_Praha

I said this about a year ago and I'll say it again; have we (ROI) actually "poached" any players that have made any decent contribution to the senior squad yet?

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Give it time, FFS. Might take 20 years to see the fruition...assuming there are still 2 teams still by then.
:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by Irish_Praha

I said this about a year ago and I'll say it again; have we (ROI) actually "poached" any players that have made any decent contribution to the senior squad yet?

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Originally Posted by Irish_Praha

You are probably right but I just don't like the way that each player is being built up to be the best thing since ehm..

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It wouldn't surprise me if the IFA were helping to push the idea of losing their 'best' players to the ROI to highlight the extent to which they are, in their eyes, being 'wronged'.

In reality, it's hard for a player to have made a 'decent contribution to the senior squad' when they have to make the switch before they play in a competitive senior game.

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Originally Posted by osarusan

In reality, it's hard for a player to have made a 'decent contribution to the senior squad' when they have to make the switch before they play in a competitive senior game.

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He's meaning a decent contribution to our senior squad surely ? Post switch.

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Originally Posted by CraftyToePoke

He's meaning a decent contribution to our senior squad surely ? Post switch.

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Yes, of course, my mistake.

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Originally Posted by osarusan

It wouldn't surprise me if the IFA were helping to push the idea of losing their 'best' players to the ROI to highlight the extent to which they are, in their eyes, being 'wronged'.

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According to the rhetoric of "cherry-picking" being uttered by Worthington, Armstrong et al, that's exactly what's going on. It's a warped, reactionary mindset and their utterances amount to little more than hot air.

To be fair, it is a 'mindset' based on 300-odd years of bigotry...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...=feeds-newsxml

Decky, that article is over in the Eligibility thread.

http://www.examiner.ie/sport/soccer/...ad-173743.html

Non-story really as there's nothing new there. I don't think Ferguson is likely to switch. Rumour has it his issue was more with playing under Worthington than continuing with NI. Even so, playing for their under-21s won't tie him just as playing for their senior team in a friendly didn't either, and that didn't stop him mulling over a switch.

Good luck to Shane Ferguson whoever he plays for

Well, that's that sorted then.

"But my heart is with Northern Ireland and always has been. I've represented them since I was a kid and I want to play for them for as long as I can"

'I've got family from the south, but I just thought it was a good decision for me to stay with the country where I was born and raised.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...n-Ireland.html

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Originally Posted by Not Brazil

Well, that's that sorted then.

"But my heart is with Northern Ireland and always has been. I've represented them since I was a kid and I want to play for them for as long as I can"

'I've got family from the south, but I just thought it was a good decision for me to stay with the country where I was born and raised.'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...n-Ireland.html

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That's good to hear. Hope he goes on to get a good few caps and feature prominently for Newcastle or elsewhere. I'll keep an eye out for him.

Real cracker of a Joe Kinnear story, this: http://balls.ie/football/sunday-peop...kinnear-story/

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Originally Posted by Balls.ie

Joe Kinnear according to today’s Sunday People was on a scouting mission in Birmingham in September when midfielder Shane Ferguson caught his eye in the home teams fixture with Swansea.

Kinnear “raved” about Ferguson to Birmingham officials and suggested signing him. A source told The People:

“Ferguson had a particularly good game that night and Joe Kinnear told one of our officials he was interested in signing him.

“At first our guy thought he was joking but then he realised Kinnear did not know Ferguson was already a Newcastle player.”

Ferguson is on loan for the year from Newcastle. A blunder of epic proportions, if true of course.

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