We've known for a while that our squad has been on the decline for a number of years, and that we need a new generation to really come through to change that. At international level it was a fairly poor year, two Obafemi wonder-goals apart. But that got me looking at how things were going at club level too - and I think it's probably fair to say it's been a very disappointing year in terms of players kicking on?
Obviously a lot of the guys are still young and improving, but this is only looking at their 2022 development.
Keepers - Kelleher does still look a decent keeper, but he's played six club games all year and that's not enough. Looks no closer to going on loan. Travers became a surprise Premier League starter, but was dropped after conceding nine, and though injury has him back in the starting XI, he's shipped two a game since then, while Neto was only conceding one a game. I know that's a very simplistic view of it, but it's still hard to see him keeping his place when Neto comes back from injury next month. Bazunu also got his Premier move, and I think leaving City was absolutely the right thing to do, but his problems are also well-documented and it may be injury to McCarthy that's keeping him in the team at the moment. Looks unlikely to be a Premier League keeper next year given how bad Southampton are.
Kieran O'Hara is now in and out of a Colchester side battling to stay in the league, and the only positive really is Max O'Leary taking over as Bristol City number 1 lately. Overall, a poor year for our keepers I think.
Full-backs - The 30+ group (McClean, Doherty, Coleman, Brady, Stevens) are a year older and still don't appear to have any real competition in the senior setup, and Stevens seems to be the first of the group to be on the way out. The O'Dowda experiment wasn't bad and may be an option, but his teammate Bagan has been injured all season after a breakthrough year last year. I still don't understand why Manning and Cunningham (admittedly 31 now) are overlooked. Ebosele has gone from Championship regular to token minutes in Serie A - a good level, but I'd rather players were getting games tbh. Scales - a wing-back at Celtic - has effectively not made the grade there. From the 21s, Adaramola went on loan to Coventry but was quickly recalled when he wasn't making the squad, which isn't great.
This is nearing crisis point.
Centre-back - Shane Duffy's move to Fulham has been an unmitigated disaster. Omobamidele spent much of the year injured and is struggling to get his place back since returning (one start and three unused sub appearances). Collins seems to be having a bumpy second Premier League campaign. Mark McGuiness from the 21s has dropped a division, from regular games for Cardiff to Sheffield Wednesday this year.
Darragh Lenihan left Blackburn for Middlesbrough but it's Blackburn who are challenging for promotion this year (though Middlesbrough beat them during the week at least and are fast catching up), and Jimmy Dunne is established as a Championship regular at QPR; I don't understand why Scales is called up ahead of either of these to be honest. John Egan is maybe having the best season, well on the way to promotion, while if Dara O'Shea starts on Tuesday he'll have started as many league games (26) as in any other season in his career so far, and that was with Exeter.
Probably our strongest position, but would be happier if Collins and Omobamidele were kicking on more than they are.
Midfield - Cullen probably the most positive development of any Irish player this year - maybe the Championship isn't much of a step up from the Belgian top flight, but promotion would be a great season of course. Smallbone has broken into senior football and is a Stoke regular, so another positive there. Molumby is in the WBA team more often than not, though he was a Championship regular three years ago too. Hendrick is an ever-present too in fairness to him, after a couple of ropey moves (and you could say the same about Hourihane!). Luca Connell is in a promotion push too in his first real season in a professional league.
On the downside, Knight stayed at Derby post-relegation, while McGrath's move to Wigan didn't work out and he's now back battling relegation in the SPL and Conor Coventry seems to be going nowhere fast. Good to see Hodge getting some games for Wolves after a bad injury last year, though Connor Ronan probably needs to move on from the same club I think.
Too often lately we've had big holes in the centre of the park and maybe the best developments have been here this year.
Forwards - Where to start? Obafemi made a spectacular breakthrough but may already have gone off the rails entirely. Connolly almost certainly has. Idah spent most of the year on the sidelines. Parrott moved back up to the Championship but hasn't shown he's any more able for it, and has been injured the last two months of course. Ferguson has made a senior debut (and has a senior goal) - great stuff for a guy just gone 18, though I think he's still a way off being a real option for us; Obafemi, Idah and Connolly had all done the same, but that was a couple of years ago now.
Georgie Kelly keeps getting injured when it looks like he might be making progress. Hogan and Keane may be our best forwards at the moment despite no goals in 16 caps. Ogbene is doing well at Rotherham but seems out of favour at international level lately. Hamilton is a sub option now for Blackpool who are looking at relegation from the Championship; he could be a one-cap (not so) wonder I think.
We don't look any closer to solving our problems here, sadly.
Overall - the main positives I think are Cullen, Keane and Smallbone. Maybe Hodge and Connell. That's slim pickings. It's been a bad year for pretty much all our forwards, and arguably all our keepers.
Again, a lot of these guys are young and have time on their sides, but there's plenty of players who - through form, attitude or bad luck with injuries - haven't reached where this time last year we'd maybe have thought they might have.
