Best All-Ireland XI ever? ... any ideas?

http://www.student.dcu.ie/~lennonc2/imgs/irelandxi.jpg

with all the talk of "united irish teams" etc etc ...

how about this for a potential "best All-Ireland XI" of real quality

i know its top heavy with players from recent years. you can blame my youthful ignorance.

any further ideas ... maybe from those who can remember much further back????

feel free to tear apart my team selection, but i'd still give connolly a place on the bench though.

id probably have robbie keane and duff ahead of heighway and whiteside but then again some might call that even more youthful ignorance:D having said that god knows how many irish goals robbie is gonna end his career with so that would make him the best in my books and i just thank god that damien is only 24

Jennings
Irwin
Staunton
McGrath
Moran

Best
Giles
Keane
Duff

Keane
Aldridge

Jennings

Irwin
Beglin
McGrath
Lawrenson

Best
Heighway
Giles
Brady

Liam Whelan
John Alridge

Seen more of our lads then the NI lads so it's obviously going to be biased towards us, also I really wanted to include George O'Callaghan but just couldn't find a place for him I'm afraid.

Where's Neil Lennon? :confused:

Ronnie Whelan?

Terry Phelan?

Pat Jennings
Shay Brennan
Paul McGrath
Tony Dunne
Denis Irwin
Liam Brady
Roy Keane
Martin O'Neill
Ronnie Whelan
Liam Whelan
George Best

Possibly Nelson and Rice in for Staunton and Irwin. And O'Leary for Moran. Carey or Liam Whelan in for Judas too. Brady to be accomodated as well at the expense of Dougan. Whiteside ahead of Stapleton or Robbie Keane? Don't think so.

As for most successful all-Ireland team, got to be the one that won the 1914 British championship. De facto World Champions perhaps? Val Harris, Billy Lacey and Billy Gillespie also must be in with a shout.

Jennings

Irwin
McGrath
Lawrenson
Carey

Doherty
Brady
Keane
Giles

Best
Duff

Bit of a copout playing Duff up front but this island has yet to produce any real world class strikers.

Subs Whiteside, Hurley, Jimmy dunne, Jim Beglin, Martin O'Neill.

Bonner

Morris
Babb
Lawrenson
Brady

Houghton
Giles
Keane
Brady

Best
D Kelly

I think ye will be hard pressed to beat this.

M. Taylor (R. Carroll 46)
D. Patterson
A. Hughes
M. Williams
B. Hunter
S. Robinson
J. McCarthy
N.Lennon (A. Griffin 79)
I. Dowie (A.Coote 46)
J. Quinn
K.Rowland (D. Johnson 74)


OK, only joking :D

I'm restricting mine to the years since 1970, though interesting to see older guys like Liam Whelan and Peter Doherty in there.

1 P Jennings
2 D Irwin
3 P Rice
4 D O'Leary
5 P McGrath
6 RM Keane (c)
7 L Brady
8 M O'Neill
9 F Stapleton
10 D Duff
11 G Best

Just picked from players I've actually seen playing (bar Best, who i have to include)

Jennings

Irwin
McGrath
O'Leary
Staunton

O'Neill
Brady
Keane
Duff

Best
Stapleton

Would anyone care to put forward the worst Irish team ever ?

Glenn Ferguson would be a cert as would that young amateur keeper from the Irish league (*About 3yrs ago I think - DG I need help) perhaps Glentoran

Paul Butler is a definite as well as Bernie Slaven perhaps Chris Morris too ?

Best Irish XI

Jennings

Irwin
Staunton
McGrath
Moran

Brady
Keane
Giles
Duff

Keane
Best

Irish Worst XI(going for a 4-3-3 formation. a little short on NI players too)

Alan Fettis

Alan Kernaghan
Paul Butler
Brian Carey
Terry Phelan

Liam O'Brien
Eddie McGoldrick
Gareth Farrelly

Owen Coyle
Dominic Foley
Glenn Ferguson

Quote:

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Originally posted by kid_b
Bonner

Morris
Babb
Lawrenson
Brady

Houghton
Giles
Keane
Brady

Best
D Kelly

I think ye will be hard pressed to beat this.

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Pass that gluebag this way kid_b will yuh?:D

Quote:

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Originally posted by gustavo
...i just thank god that damien is only 24

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25 this week.

Quote:

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Originally posted by John83
25 this week.

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:eek: He'll be near enough veteran come Germany!
It's amazing how he broke into the side so late,he's only really been a regular since just before the Japan and Korea.
Robbie was our number 10 almost as soon as he became a wolves regular,how did Duff slip through the net til he was 22.We missed out on a good 4 years of Duff magic:(

That's a bit hard on Terry Phelan at least he had pace unlike Harte and was easily a better defender, Harte simply can't defend.

How about Liam Daish as defender #4. Kerhanghan looked awkard but never let us down.

I think John Aldrige and Tommy Coyne would give our worst strikers a run for their money. Did Aldrige score against any decent team? Please don't mention the disallowed goal against Spain :)

Liam Daish is a good shout. I know I'm forgetting(Perhaps surpressing is a better word) some other shocking players capped by us. Phelan maybe a little harsh but not sure you can say Kernaghan never let us down. Dreadful. Aldo did score against Portugal if I remember rightly, although Baia got more of a touch than he did, and the Mexicans.