Worst Irish international you have seen play

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01/08/2007, 2:43 PM
Superhoops

Quote:

Originally Posted by geysir

To get onto the worst team a cap should have played a full game.
Preference should go to the worst who played a competitive game.

There's a list of LOI players capped in friendlies who have not been mentioned yet, Synan Braddish (2 caps in the space of a week), Tommy McConville (6 caps), Miah Dennehy (11 caps and went to Notts Forest), even Mick Smith got a cap (against the perennial opponents, Poland). It's a selection nightmare :)
There was some sort of a selection policy for friendlies that depended on whoose turn it was to be rewarded.

Apart from Mick Smyth there were several other 'one cappers'. There was a thread on this some time ago.
01/08/2007, 2:50 PM
Superhoops

Quote:

Originally Posted by RiffRaff

Eamon O'Keefe was involved in a very long and drawn out appeal to establish his eligibilty which if i remember correctly, took years. When he started this he was a top flight player with Everton and when he finally won the case he was playing in the lower divisions and approaching veteren status. I always thought Eoin Hand felt some sense of obligation to give him a few caps after all that. I seem to remember he was also included as an overage player for an under 21 tour

His grandparent(s) were Irish but eligibility was in question because he had played for England's semi-professional team a couple of times.

He was 28 when he was capped at senior level. Between that and his second cap, he played 4 times for the U-21's and I reckon he must have been the oldest ever U-21 player, 30 years old, when he scored 4 goals against China U-21 in the Toulon tournament in 1983.
01/08/2007, 3:22 PM
shelbourne1904

Quote:

Originally Posted by geysir

To get onto the worst team a cap should have played a full game.
Preference should go to the worst who played a competitive game.

There's a list of LOI players capped in friendlies who have not been mentioned yet, Synan Braddish, Tommy McConville, Miah Dennehy,
even Mick Smith got a cap. It's a selection nightmare :)
There was some sort of a selection policy for friendlies that depended on whoose turn it was to be rewarded.

Was Synan Braddish not with Liverpool reserves when he was capped.And it is totally unfair to say these were token caps.These guys were the best available and deserved caps at the time of selection.Tommy Mc Conville was a clas defender as was Al Finnucane and a few other LOI players at the time.
By the way I remember the crowd calling Alfie Hales name to come on agaisnt Poland and as far as I can recall he scored and made the other Irish goal to force a 2 all draw in Dalyer???Was it Mick Meagan ( Huddersfield and Everton) who he replaced???Miah Dennehy beat Tomacheski ,the "clown" keeper in another Polish match the week they put England out of the world Cup.
01/08/2007, 4:08 PM
geysir

Quote:

Originally Posted by shelbourne1904

Was Synan Braddish not with Liverpool reserves when he was capped.And it is totally unfair to say these were token caps.These guys were the best available and deserved caps at the time of selection.Tommy Mc Conville was a clas defender as was Al Finnucane and a few other LOI players at the time.
By the way I remember the crowd calling Alfie Hales name to come on agaisnt Poland and as far as I can recall he scored and made the other Irish goal to force a 2 all draw in Dalyer???Was it Mick Meagan ( Huddersfield and Everton) who he replaced???Miah Dennehy beat Tomacheski ,the "clown" keeper in another Polish match the week they put England out of the world Cup.

Many of the better LOI goalies got a cap each in friendlies but you'd have to be dripping in acid not to consider Peter Thomas to be the outstanding class goalie of his time. I'd say there was something fishy about the way some of those caps were given. Mick Smith ffs, ahead of Thomas, insane.

Synan B. came on against Turkey in a friendly at Landsdowne, I think he got the ball once and flunked it. Too inexperienced and naive.
I'll definitly give you Tommy Mc and Al Finnucane, at a minimum they would give a good account of themselves at internat. level, same with Alfie Hale and Mick Leech.
01/08/2007, 4:22 PM
Donal81

Jon Macken, definitely, although he only got one shot at it.

Of the players that have played regularly for us over the past 20 years, I would have thought that John O'Shea has been the least effective. Every other player that springs to mind - Ian Harte, Kevin Kilbane, Gary Breen - have more than enough moments to remove them from the list. Harte's goals, the odd good challenge from Breen (and he and Cunningham formed a half-decent partnership), Kilbane's work rate as well as a few important goals. I've seen the bloke play for Ireland more times than is good for one's health and I've never seen him contribute to the team's performance, an awful indictment of a player.

Picking out one-hit wonders is easy enough but probably unfair on them. It's the ones who are picking up cap after cap without putting in the effort that deserve to be strung up!
01/08/2007, 4:45 PM
Noelys Guitar

Who would be the manager??? I would have to go with the old FAI selection crew.
01/08/2007, 5:23 PM
pineapple stu

What about �amon Dunphy?
01/08/2007, 5:27 PM
geysir

Has to be a bona fide manager, Mick Meagan stand out tall, no contest
02/08/2007, 12:40 PM
gspain

Mick Smyth was a decent keeper. Miah Dennehy was a decent striker too - scored the winner v Poland a few days after the knocked England out of the 74 world Cup.

Guys like Tommy McConville, Synan Braddish, Jerome Clark were also top LoI players in their day. I don't recall any real surpise LoI selections in the 70's and 80's.

There was certainly a period in the 40's and early 50's when some poor quality players were capped from the LoI. Some people with influence from at least one club would try and flog them across the water after ensuring they got selected for the national team eventhough better players were available.
02/08/2007, 12:42 PM
Stuttgart88

Quote:

Originally Posted by gspain

Some people would try and flog them across the water after ensuring they got selected for the national team eventhough better players were available.

Good to see we've taught Brazil something about football.
02/08/2007, 12:43 PM
as_i_say

Gary Breen? I can;t think of a single time he let the team down. Absolutely shocking at times at club level (wolves play off cringe!)but a player punching way above his weight for us. had a great qualification campaign in 02 and played very well in the world cup itself. Just dont understand having him near this thread at all.

Kilbane-see my earlier post. Can be frustrating a lot of times but has made many important contributions and always gives 100%.

Neither deserve to be anywhere near muck like John O shea who really HAS consistently been awful for ireland in his multiple caps and as such would get my vote hands down if for nothing else missing that sitter against France.
02/08/2007, 12:52 PM
Stuttgart88

Quote:

Originally Posted by as_i_say

missing that sitter against France.

I hold many things against O'Shea (not in the David Norris conext) but not that missed chance. It came to him in an instant, he connected well and it flew wide of the post. It was more difficult than you think, especially for a defender.
02/08/2007, 1:02 PM
Torn-Ado

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

I hold many things against O'Shea (not in the David Norris conext) but not that missed chance. It came to him in an instant, he connected well and it flew wide of the post. It was more difficult than you think, especially for a defender.

Yeah but you just know well that if happened to hit anyones elses foot, it probably would have crept it. It was the like the backstard could just do no right.

:( :rolleyes:
02/08/2007, 1:05 PM
Wolfie

Quote:

Originally Posted by as_i_say

Neither deserve to be anywhere near muck like John O shea who really HAS consistently been awful for ireland in his multiple caps and as such would get my vote hands down if for nothing else missing that sitter against France.

Conceded that needless peno against Israel in Dublin too. :( :( :(
02/08/2007, 1:09 PM
Bluebeard

Quote:

Originally Posted by Torn-Ado

Yeah but you just know well that if happened to hit anyones elses foot, it probably would have crept it. It was the like the backstard could just do no right.

:( :rolleyes:

have you never followed Ireland before?
02/08/2007, 1:23 PM
Torn-Ado

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bluebeard

have you never followed Ireland before?

Fair enough. You could add a few more players into that bracket. :(

Unfortunately.
02/08/2007, 5:35 PM
pineapple stu

Joe Lapira?
03/08/2007, 9:45 AM
Donal81

Quote:

Originally Posted by as_i_say

Gary Breen? I can;t think of a single time he let the team down. Absolutely shocking at times at club level (wolves play off cringe!)but a player punching way above his weight for us. had a great qualification campaign in 02 and played very well in the world cup itself. Just dont understand having him near this thread at all.

Kilbane-see my earlier post. Can be frustrating a lot of times but has made many important contributions and always gives 100%.

Neither deserve to be anywhere near muck like John O shea who really HAS consistently been awful for ireland in his multiple caps and as such would get my vote hands down if for nothing else missing that sitter against France.

Although I can't give precise examples, the memory throws up a million visions of us conceding a goal, watching the replay on the tele and seeing Breen miles away from his man. He was never a completely reliable defender (even Mick McCarthy conceded that he wasn't "everyone's cup of tea") and was the target of much ridicule as a result (a lot of which was unfair, in retrospect). He had some shocking games for Ireland but, like you say, played great in the World Cup. Ultimately, he made himself part of a team in 2002 that could be excellent on its day, which was a hell of an achievement for a player of his average abilities.

Kilbane has had plenty of good games for Ireland and plenty of muck ones - rather like Gary Breen. I think we agree on O'Shea. :D
03/08/2007, 12:30 PM
geysir

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wolfie

Conceded that needless peno against Israel in Dublin too. :( :( :(

O'Shea might be a lot of things and has a long list of shortcomings but Benayoun's theatrics imo won that penalty.
03/08/2007, 12:42 PM
fergalr

If its who has been the worst player to amass an unbelievable amount of caps then its Kilbane by a long way. Put it another way if there anyone else so talentless who has even won 50 caps let alone nearly 100?

For one-off awfulness Paul Butler has rightly got a few mentions. The other one I remember is Alan Mahon who played 20-30 minutes of some friendly and was abysmal beyond belief.

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