Just watching Blackburn v Wigan here and if I can just side step the excitement of Poland for just one minute. McCarthy is going to be a fcuking massive player for us in the WC14 campaign. A fabulous second half of the season he's had in particular. I can just see him strutting his stuff in green for years to come, easily carrying out Traps instructions. Best of luck to him, his da and the family.
If Hoolahan had banged in half a dozen own goals in his last few games I feel he might have made the squad.
Last edited by tricky_colour; 07/05/2012 at 9:21 PM.
Yeah, you can see by McCarthy's runs and his awareness that he is too good for that Wigan team.
Only a matter of time before McCarthy signs for really big club Still cant believe he is not going Surely this would be a very proud time for his father to see his son at a major championship Hope for a full recovery for his dad and I hope he will be an ever present after the euros for the boys in green as long as Trap gives him a fair crack at the whip
I really don't see how Fahey ever would have been excluded. I think it was between Hunt and McClean.Originally Posted by geysir
His dad has cancer. It would be one thing if this was during a season, but the Euros requires you to be away from home for 4 weeks+ without seeing family. McCarthy made totally the right decision. This is an example of the 'personalitee' that Trap is always looking for. I think he will be a starting midfielder in the autumn, his father's health permitting.
Last edited by Charlie Darwin; 07/05/2012 at 9:53 PM.
I certainly hope so and I hope this is after a successful ~Euros at that.
The squad looks good as far as I'm concerned, although I wouldn't mind seeing the likes of Ciaran Clark, Wes Hoolahan and Anthony Pilkington be on the standby list.
I'm looking forward to the boys giving it a right good go now and seeing if we can do some damage. But I'm also very excited about what the future holds with some of the younger players we have coming through.
I wouldn't want to be telling James McCarthy what to do at all. Personally, I've not been in his position so I have no idea what he's going through. However, it's perfectly understandable he wouldn't want to be away from home for an extended period and if he says he's not up for it, then it's right for him to stay with his Dad.
I think this situation has been handled very well by all concerned in difficult circumstances. Dropping a hint about the story last week removed a lot of the hype today. Credit where it is due to Trap and the FAI.
I have to say I think the FAI have done an excellent job in recent years. 10 years on from Saipan and they give the impression of being a very well run association
Bring Back Belfast Celtic F.C.
Remove your tongue from your cheek...
DID YOU NOTICE A SIGN OUTSIDE MY HOUSE...?
I didn't think I would ever say it either, but I'm serious. I know without Denis O'Brien we would probably be trying to find a replacement for John Sheridan after another disastrous campaign that saw us slip to 4th seeds for future qualifying campaigns, but whatever about how we got here. Here we stand.
Bring Back Belfast Celtic F.C.
All in all a good day other than James dad being sick.
Only thing is who will get hurt between now and Croatia?
No Somos muchos pero estamos locos.
Getting excited now, bring on Croatia! I love this for ingenuity, it's 'Joxer goes to Stuttgart' all over again. C'mon Ireland!
http://www.independent.ie/video/vide...2-3100556.html
Have to say its a bit of a cruel irony for Keogh, was constantly in squads and indeed playing when he was doing **** all for his club and now he starts scoring and is on standby...not that I'm complaining about it.
My Guarantee
Am looking for old Irish matches on VHS, PM me if you have some and I'll upload them here
The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist thinks it will change; the realist adjusts the sails.
To an extent I agree with you, but the whole corporate and general admission ticketing in LR has been a shambles. Even the Season ticket launched yesterday appears to offer little incentive to purchase i.e. no discount - particularly in this age where picking up tickets for Ireland games is easy compared to what it was like for some games in the old LR.
I think McCarthy may have considered staying with the squad IF he was more than likely to see alot of game time. In reality, he probably, injuries aside, would be lucky to see 10 mins game time each time. While we all feel like we'd give our heart and our soul to play for Ireland - if you consider the circumstances where you are away in camp for at least a month and your dad is hundreds of miles away receiving cancer treatment - it is a very difficult scenario to deal with.
Interesting long article on Trap and the squad.
http://www.espnfc.com/uk/en/news/106...uick-draw.html
No Somos muchos pero estamos locos.
I know this isnt going to be a popular view but the McCarthy situation surprises me. Professional football is a bit of an odd profession, it requires you to fit your life around a fixed schedule. We all know the not their for the birth of their child type stories etc. Therefore we sort of expect that players will put things aside for their career.
My starter question would be: If this had happened in February would McCarthy have taken 4 weeks off from his Wigan career. Equally would any of us take 4 weeks off work because our father had cancer? It feels to me that Wigan is his job and playing for Ireland is an add on that he will do if he can. I'm not criticising him for that or for his decision but equally there are players who would have gone in this situation.
The only alternative scenario is that he explained the situation to Trap who decided that he would be largely sat on the bench for 4 weeks and it would buy him player good will for the future if he said 'Take the summer off' rather than having a future key player getting annoyed that he was making a personal sacrifice to sit on the bench.
As I say Im not saying I wouldn't have done what he did but rightly or wrongly we expect a level of devotion to the team from our players which is perhaps unrealistic. Also, Im surprised there has been no murmur of criticism. Wonder what the reaction would have been if it was McGeady?
If it was McGeady, Keane, Given or anyone, it should be the same, family first, end of, but also remember this is a very young guy.
I am guessing you have never experienced or been close to such a situation. I have seen work colleagues do exactly the same because of the stress, depression and general pressure of a very ill parent. My own wife felt the need to take time off when her mother had terminal cancer. You said it wouldn't be a popular view, and I agree. As for the question of whether he would have done it in Feruary with Wigan etc, well like it or not, Wigan are his employer, not Ireland. Saying that, I am sure if he still felt he needed time off at that stage, he would have done it, but he has decided he will take a break in the Summer, which must be the right decision for him. People are effected in different ways by different situations, so it is very harsh to generalise or suggest how people should handle a specific emotive scenario. I wish him and his family all the best.
Fair comments although a very sensitive issue that naturally most are wanting to stay well clear of. I would say many of us in the back of our mind have doubts about McCarthy's commitment and this is the latest in a long line of incidents that would raise question marks on the subject. The fact that in his statement he was advised to re-assert his commitment to Ireland in the future suggests that the FAI are aware of the possible doubts.
A question was asked by a journalist during the conference to Trap if alternative arrangements were explored to help facilitate McCarthy playing, Trap replied saying it was the players choice and it was a definitive rejection.
There may be additional significance to all this like wanting to spend a possibly last summer with his father, I wouldn't cast any judgments on a man in his difficult position on this issue. Ultimately he'll have a long career ahead of him and we'll find out in the coming years if he has the dedication and passion for Ireland that is required, I wouldn't place any definitive stock in this.
I have been in a very similar situation and the key is everyone reacts differently of course.
Im not criticizing McCarthy. Its his decision to make and it is an understandable one. However it is clear not all players would do this. It also felt a bit odd that he was playing last night and will presumably play at the weekend v Wolves. I think there is a logical conclusion that playing for Ireland means less to him than playing for Wigan. Again, he's probably not the only player for whom this was or is true but as an Ireland fan I'd rather it was the other way around.
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