Eiran Cashin D Birmingham (loan from Brighton) b.2001

Hallgrimsson seems to prefer his RBs to be more defensive and that's probably also out of necessity because our LBs aren't really defenders. Think O'Shea has started at RB in all but one of his starts since Hallgrimsson took over and that was the game the old interim team supposedly had big input in.

Has Cashin ever played LB? O'Shea broke through at RB and played there his first season in the PL with West Brom. Another good advantage he has is recover pace. He doesn't have to always act as a third CB and can push on a little because he's got good recovery pace. So kinda makes sense to use him as a RB.

Could see O'Brien also playing that RB role if he's playing regularly with Everton. Also for a big man he can get those legs moving.

If Brighton's first half today is anything to go by Cashin might be getting a run in the team fairly quickly.

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Originally Posted by pineapple stu

It probably has. It's good - but none of the options are playing at a really top level. It's a variety of functional players really. I'd take peak Richie Dunne over any of them for example. Though we have had a lot of functional players there down the years - O'Dea, St Ledger, McShane from our Euro 2012 squad alone.

It's good that we can afford to leave out some functional players - cos we have to start them in other areas.

But for example Scales is the only one playing in Europe - and even then he's lost his place in a side that probably wouldn't get into Europe if they were playing in England.

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I wouldn't choose him over Collins.

Collins has a higher ceiling and is a better player, but you're referring to Dunne at the peak of his powers for us so I get what you mean.

I don't think Dunne had the footballing ability the likes of Collins, O'Brien and Omobamidele do. It's difficult to compare between generations because the game has moved on, but if peak Dunne was around today, playing like he was 15 years ago, I don't think most current EPL teams would go for him being honest. There aren't many defenders like him left in the league now.

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Originally Posted by The Fly

I wouldn't choose him over Collins.

Collins has a higher ceiling and is a better player, but you're referring to Dunne at the peak of his powers for us so I get what you mean.

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Well "peak Richie Dunne" would be Dunne at the peak of his powers alright :)

23-year-old Richie Dunne was quite a terrifyingly ropey defender at times. But the comparison is between our defence now and at any time in the past, so I get to choose peak Honey Monster (around about that Russia game!). Yeah, we've players who are still improving - though not all of them are going to mature into Premier League standard players I think. You just don't know which way things are going to go in the near future.

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Originally Posted by ~YTM~

Hallgrimsson seems to prefer his RBs to be more defensive and that's probably also out of necessity because our LBs aren't really defenders. Think O'Shea has started at RB in all but one of his starts since Hallgrimsson took over and that was the game the old interim team supposedly had big input in.

Has Cashin ever played LB? O'Shea broke through at RB and played there his first season in the PL with West Brom. Another good advantage he has is recover pace. He doesn't have to always act as a third CB and can push on a little because he's got good recovery pace. So kinda makes sense to use him as a RB.

Could see O'Brien also playing that RB role if he's playing regularly with Everton. Also for a big man he can get those legs moving.

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Matt Doherty rising from the dead has at least added some competition and a viable option between whether to be conservative with a Centre back, or to play Doc/Festy and be more attacking.

on the bench for Brighton against Chelsea

On for his Premier League debut, and by the sounds of it to blame for a goal conceded within about three minutes of coming on.

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Originally Posted by Eirambler

Yeah, I find it interesting that Brighton, of all teams, seem to be repeatedly interested in him. We know their algorithm is good at spotting hidden gems that other teams overlook, similar to what Brentford do, allowing both clubs to punch well above their weight.

But on the face of it I'd love to know what it is about Cashin that has convinced them he's Premier League material. He's a tough, committed, hard working centre back, but he's not the tallest and not the quickest out there by a stretch. There must be something they're seeing that makes him more of interest to them than the likes of Mark McGuinness, Andrew Omobamidele or Dara O'Shea, who have all transferred from Championship clubs in the last couple of years. Presumably Cashin would be less expensive, but he would evidently also need to be better than someone like Omobamidele to get a game at an established EPL club like Brighton.

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I was interested to see what it was that the Brighton algorithm had found in Cashin that I hadn't. It looks like the answer is nothing as he's apparently heading out on loan to Birmingham.

There appears to be a few cracks appearing in the Brighton transfer analytics of late.

Unfortunately for us that's another Irish player heading out of the Premier League. Looking at very low numbers this coming season as things stand.

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Originally Posted by Eirambler

I was interested to see what it was that the Brighton algorithm had found in Cashin that I hadn't. It looks like the answer is nothing as he's apparently heading out on loan to Birmingham.

There appears to be a few cracks appearing in the Brighton transfer analytics of late.

Unfortunately for us that's another Irish player heading out of the Premier League. Looking at very low numbers this coming season as things stand.

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Has to be the lowest ever...

Brentford: Kelleher and Collins
Everton: Travers, Coleman and O'Brien
Wolves: Doherty (and Fraser for now)
Burnley: Cullen (and Obafemi for now)
Brighton: (Moran and Cashin for now)
Sunderland: Browne
Newcastly (Alex Murphy for now)

So realistically, you're looking at 8 players including a backup keeper and a guy who is turning 37 in 3 months and who knows if Alan Browne will be used or not play or be sold. So you might be down to 5 lads that you'd actually expect as more likely than not to start (Kelleher, Collins, O'Brien, Cullen, Doherty)

Yes, for some players like Ferguson they're probably better off out of the league. But there are others like O'Shea and Szmodics who are likely good enough to be playing at that level.

To be fair the top end of the Championship could be a good watch this year with the three relegated teams and Sheffield United, as well as Birmingham and Wrexham coming up with money behind them also.

Season-long loan transfer to Birmingham confirmed (BBC Sport, today)

Only on the bench for Birmingham's opener against Ipswich last night.

Szmodics, Ogbene, Taylor and O'Shea all started for Ipswich. Ogbene's first game since October last year, though both be and Szmodics came off midway through the second half after making little enough impact