Draw for the tournament tomorrow https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02...s-draw-monday/
Printable View
Draw for the tournament tomorrow https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02...s-draw-monday/
https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02...eet-the-teams/ bit of info on how the teams qualified
The top five teams from this qualify for the U17 WC in Peru at the end of the year.
Good draw for the U17s who have avoided a big team from either Pot 1 or Pot 2. Have been drawn with hosts Hungary, Wales, and Poland.
Ireland drawn against hosts Hungary, Wales, and Poland.
https://www.uefa.com/under17/news/02...7-finals-draw/
Poland finished second behind Portugal in Elite Group 5 on six points, after defeating Slovakia and Czech Republic, and losing to group winners Portugal.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_U...tion#Group_5_2
Wales topped Elite Group 2 with five points, after beating Scotland and drawing with Iceland and Montenegro.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_U...tion#Group_2_2
Group winners and runners up go into the quarters. Looking at the other groups, we did alright!
Quote:
Group A: Hungary (hosts), Republic of Ireland, Poland, Wales
Group B: Serbia, Spain, Italy, Slovenia
Group C: Portugal, France (holders), Scotland, Germany
Group D: Croatia, Netherlands, Switzerland, England
If this were a senior tournament we would have got the best group we could be in.Quote:
Originally Posted by tetsujin1979
I get a bit confused between Matthew Moore and Matthew Murray, both of Cork City. I think Moore was the midfielder and Murray the winger? Saw them both for the first time in the Victory Shield - thought both were good but not so as impressive as guys like OraziQuote:
Originally Posted by JR89
Bingo, Moore plays midfield while Murray is the winger. Matthew Moore captained the U16s for the Victory Shield I believe.Quote:
Originally Posted by elatedscum
Related to this, Peru will not host the U17 World Cup this year
https://www.fifa.com/about-fifa/orga...ld-cup-2023-tm
Quote:
The move was made given the inability of the host country to fulfil its commitments to completing the infrastructure required to stage the tournament. Despite a very positive working relationship between FIFA and the FPF, it has been determined that there is now not sufficient time to secure the required investment and complete the necessary work with the Peruvian government ahead of the tournament start date.
Maybe we could step in? Aviva/Tallaght/Turner's Cross and Thomond would surely be enough for something like that. It's a shame we don't try to host more youth tournaments.
We dont help ourselves when we do host sometimes. The u21 game at Turners Cross was fantastic. Full house, great atmosphere and good playing surface. But the 3 games for the U19s in Wexford were awful. The pitch looked like it doubled as a cow pasture in between games. The grass was far too long and you could see the players were struggling on it. Watching the games I thought the pitch was the biggest factor of why we didnt play to the best of our ability in those games.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eirambler
This starts in the next 10 days or so. Kone Doherty hasn't played for Liverpool soccer he got reinjured in the qualifiers, he has actually played very little since before Christmas with injury after such a great first 3 or 4 months of the season
FAI have announced that the games will be shown live on RTE.
Wednesday, May 17 | Poland MU17 v Ireland MU17, Hidegkuti Nándor Stadium, Budapest, KO 3.30pm
Saturday, May 20 | Ireland MU17 v Wales MU17, Pancho Arena, Felcsút, KO 3.30pm
Tuesday, May 23 | Ireland MU17 v Hungary MU17, Pancho Arena, Felcsút, KO 7pm
Squad to be announced tomorrow: https://www.fai.ie/ireland/news/all-...-the-u17-euros
Quote:
Where to watch
All games will be shown live on RTÉ
Fair play to rte. The hurlin types won't be happyQuote:
Originally Posted by JR89
Ireland Men’s Under-17 Euro Squad
Goalkeepers: Joe Collins (Bohemians), Jason Healy (Waterford)
Defenders: Stanley Ashbee (Hull City), Daniel Babb (UCD), Jake Grante (Crystal Palace), Kaylem Harnett (Wexford FC), Cory O’Sullivan (Shamrock Rovers), Ade Solanke (Shamrock Rovers)
Midfielders: Romeo Akachukwu (Waterford), Rhys Bartley (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Luke Kehir (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Matthew Moore (Cork City), Danny McGrath (Bohemians), Taylor Mooney (Bohemians), Freddie Turley (Shamrock Rovers)
Forwards: Mason Melia (St. Patrick’s Athletic), Matthew Murray (Cork City), Ike Orazi (Shamrock Rovers), Nickson Oksoun (Bohemians), Naj Razi (Shamrock Rovers)
Must be the most home based players we've ever sent yo a tournament finals - 18 out of 20? Great chance to put themselves in the shop window for a transfer to Europe or to Britain once they turn 18.
We really need to move away from that sort of attitude tbh. Far better for their development and Irish football in general to move at 21 or so, with a couple of years' senior football (including some European games) under their belts, and for a proper transfer fee.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eirambler
Only if we have the facilities to properly develop them, which we don't. There's an argument that going over at 18 instead of 16 might help some players, as they can finish school, be more ready at 18 to leave home and hopefully play some first team football while they're still in Ireland. It will maybe suit some more than others, Evan Ferguson being the obvious example of someone who was better going when he did.
But for most players with top level potential staying in Ireland until 21 likely means they'll miss too much development coaching to ever claw it back and reach their full potential. So, realistically, nearly anyone who is good enough needs to be leaving at 18. Just the way it is unfortunately.
And we won't have the facilities to develop them properly while we let them go on the cheap as soon as they're old enough to flee.
There will always be an exception (like Ferguson) who can make an impact much earlier. But by and large it's not something we should aspire to for everyone. The most recent transfer windows have shown it's never been easier to move from the LoI to England, and going over at 21 straight into a first team (after 3-4 years of first team football) can't be much worse than spending the time in an academy.
Realistically the ones going over straight to first team football at 21/22 are going in at League 1 level at best (Andy Lyons got a few months at the bottom of the Championship but he's going to League 1 now too). So they're already playing catch up at 21 and, even if they're good enough to eventually reach the top flight won't get there until 24 or 25 at best.
The stats are out there in terms of the hours of football contact available to those that go compared to those that stay, and they don't make for pretty reading. We can't hold back a generation of players because it might help us develop better facilities somehow, and we couldn't even if we wanted to. Players who get the opportunity will go if they want to, and they do want to.
They're two separate issues, create setups in Ireland that allow players to reach their full potential at home and then players will be happy to stay on. But, as things stand, these lads are absolutely playing for a possible better future overseas in this tournament.
Disappointed that Shaun Wade and Trent Kone Doherty didn't make it. Not sure if it's injury or what. Two really exciting attacking wingers.
I’d prefer Dodd or McAndrew over Bartley. I wonder whatever happened to Gabriel Gartside-Kelly and Cian Morling.
Niall McAndrew and Trent Kone-Doherty miss out through injury. Mentioned in FAI press release.Quote:
Originally Posted by elatedscum
The bit in bold is arguably the reason we are the in the state we are in with facilities. Constantly kicking the can down the road has left us behind most of Europe in terms of facilities and youth structure.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eirambler
We're proving that we're getting it right on the pitch, with coaching and development of players. Contact hours are gradually improving, but facilities and full time coaching staff are still lagging behind and I think it needs sorted sooner rather than later.
I'm not sure who's being held back either, I'd rather see a lad staying in Ireland until 21 and making a good career for himself at League One level rather than being churned out by the English academy system and being lost to football altogether.
reptracker on twitter is saying that Wade and Kelly are both injured as well. Makes a lot of sense. Basically just leaves Anto Dodd as the only lad missing out.Quote:
Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954
Fair play to Ade Solanke. Saw him play the two games against Latvia for the 15s at left back and centre back. There's never been an u15 to play for Ireland in the u17 championships. Can't think of anyone who even played a qualifier. Speaks to what a unique achievement that is
I think it depends how they are treated. Look at ferizaj at shamrock rovers this season has been a write off so far for him no sign rovers are prioritising his development , he would be better off in a top academy if that's going to continueQuote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Is there some sort of rule that says he must play? He's been playing with the under-19 side there. How are they not prioritising development? The lad is just turned 18..Quote:
Originally Posted by liamoo11
Exactly there is no rule just like there was no rule that celtic should have played connell in their side. All professional clubs will do what's best for them not individual players. That's why it's wrong to think players staying in the loi is going to be superior to moving to the UK , one sub bench is the same as the other. Under 19 loi football is not developing fetizaj that's for sureQuote:
Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954
I see melia is on for pats first team tonightQuote:
Originally Posted by JR89
Yeah, I agree with this. When the guys get to 18 they should be breaking into the first teams. Babb I know has already made his UCD debut for example. At that stage you do have to ask if it's worth giving up a fight for a first team spot to drop into an English academy (cos they're not going to be starters in England by and large)Quote:
Originally Posted by nigel-harps1954
The LoI is one of the youngest leagues in Europe in terms of player age - that's a bad thing in many ways but it does mean there's huge opportunities for these guys in the coming seasons.
So I just can't get on board with the idea that leaving Ireland at the earliest possible opportunity is the only way. 21 is fine.
For the best talents, it's really not fine. Having the likes of Ferguson, Collins and Bazunu stay in Ireland until 21 would have been disastrous for their long term development. It's fine for the likes of a Dawson Devoy or a Darragh Burns whose ceiling is probably League 1 regardless. But for the better players, it's nowhere near the standard they need.
Anyway, luckily it's a largely irrelevant discussion as there is no prospect of the better players being held back beyond 18 while the facilities in Ireland remain of the standard they are currently. Better players, understandably, won't accept that and will leave as soon as they can for the sake of their careers. Obviously it won't work out for every player, that's just the nature of it, but it means the best ones will continue to have the best opportunity to fulfill their potential.
For the absolute best players, sure.
But you were talking about the entire squad ("Great chance to put themselves in the shop window for a transfer to Europe or to Britain once they turn 18.") with no consideration of whether there was a Ferguson, Collins or Bazunu there.
There's plenty of players who've started in LoI and made an international career out of it. Admittedly the odds of doing so when you move across to a club lower than Championship level are very reduced, but with crowds (and, presumably, money and even profile) in the LoI on the increase, hopefully facilities will start to improve too, and we can really start putting this sort of backwards idea behind us.
It is a great chance for the entire squad though. Naturally, in any underage squad, you might get one or two who go on to great things, a few more who forge solid careers and plenty who end up in regular jobs by the time they're 23. But this is an opportunity for these lads to show why they could be the one of the ones who can make it at a high level, and who get a move to a big club to hopefully progress from there. For those that aren't good enough for that the League of Ireland will be fine.
I don't see any significant change coming in the next five years in terms of domestic facilities. Maybe 15 years, who knows, but things aren't changing to any significant extent in the short term.
As may be, but that chance doesn't have to be the first flight out of the country to whatever academy comes knocking on their 18th birthday, as you suggest.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eirambler
Not quite the case Liam. If he came back to an academy in England in the shape he came back to Rovers in he could already be on the scrap heap. He was back in first team action last night after a spell where he was told to knuckle down and get serious.Quote:
Originally Posted by liamoo11
‘We won’t be putting limits on them’ – Colin O’Brien’s faith in Ireland U17s ahead of Euro finals and World Cup bid
https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...448259994.html
Squad player profiles in today's independent
https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...074291516.html
Looks like there's going to be a stream on uefa.tv for anyone outside Ireland
https://www.uefa.tv/match/live/239959/2037822