Potentially eligible players thread

**CraftyToePoke** · 29/11/2022, 5:13 PM

Originally Posted by Demesne Lad

Has Charlie O'Connell, 20 next month, Peterborough centre-back/defensive midfielder, been mentioned before? Formerly with the West Ham Academy; Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich all supposedly interested in him.

I read locally today his agent told him those clubs were interested & not to sign but is now close to actually signing again with Peterborough United. So who knows what went on. I don't know if he is born in the city or not, but a lot of the Irish names came to the area when they were resettled from London post war in the new towns housing scheme in commuter range, all the lads i know around with Irish names have the grandparent link, this guy is likely to be a generation out if he is among that community. Also the FAI were onto Flynn Clarke very early on at the same club so hopefully this guy too if he's available.

**tetsujin1979** · 29/11/2022, 5:24 PM

BTW, Clarke is back playing with Scotland

**CraftyToePoke** · 29/11/2022, 5:40 PM

Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

BTW, Clarke is back playing with Scotland

Since when ? Thought I saw his name in a recent squad of ours.
He is on 0 apps on a loan at Walsall from Norwich so far this season also.

**JR89** · 29/11/2022, 5:43 PM

Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

BTW, Clarke is back playing with Scotland

Looked up his transfermarkt page to see how his loan was going and saw Walsall cancelled it and sent him back before the transfer window closed.

**JR89** · 29/11/2022, 5:47 PM

Originally Posted by CraftyToePoke

Since when ? Thought I saw his name in a recent squad of ours.
He is on 0 apps on a loan at Walsall from Norwich so far this season also.

Played in their friendly against Northern Ireland back in September, and scored. Wasn't involved in their squad this month whether injured or not called up.

**Demesne Lad** · 02/12/2022, 2:46 PM

Originally Posted by CraftyToePoke

I read locally today his agent told him those clubs were interested & not to sign but is now close to actually signing again with Peterborough United. So who knows what went on. I don't know if he is born in the city or not, but a lot of the Irish names came to the area when they were resettled from London post war in the new towns housing scheme in commuter range, all the lads i know around with Irish names have the grandparent link, this guy is likely to be a generation out if he is among that community. Also the FAI were onto Flynn Clarke very early on at the same club so hopefully this guy too if he's available.

O'Connell goes to Woking FC (National League) on a 28-day loan (Woking FC website).

**CraftyToePoke** · 02/12/2022, 4:23 PM

Originally Posted by Demesne Lad

O'Connell goes to Woking FC (National League) on a 28-day loan (Woking FC website).

Bar�a must be raging. They owe Woking one big time for this.

**paul_oshea** · 07/12/2022, 6:02 PM

Worth a listen from O'Neill about recruitment to me it suggests his heart wasn't with Ireland but morally difficult to question. Still could have called the bluff of rice away in Chisinau .
For me it also puts paid to the old " he's ours to lose". If there's any hesitancy or it goes quiet it means it's already happened behind the scenes but waiting on the right time to announce it https://fb.watch/hgD3hjoE57/

**third policeman** · 07/12/2022, 6:17 PM

Not convinced by the "moral argument", I think that sounds like an ex post facto explanation. If he wasn't convinced Rice wanted to play for Ireland he shouldn't have picked him for the friendlies. The logic of O'Neill's position would be that he would never have picked a 2nd or 3rd G player in case it prejudiced their future options or is this a principle that only applies to the very best players. Am I being unfair in sensing a slight "he was too good for us" and I didn't want him wasting his career turning out for an also ran international team?

**Stuttgart88** · 08/12/2022, 9:15 AM

"The players know the rules". Rice was ready to be capped against Moldova.

O'Neill is just defending himself in these interviews I think. FWIW, I didn't think he should have simply capped Rice off the bench at the time as I thought there'd be other opportunities. But hey...

And where was the moral argument when he capped Obafemi in Denmark? Not quite the same I admit but it was still a slightly cynical "cap tie" selection under some media pressure.

**tetsujin1979** · 08/12/2022, 9:27 AM

Not sure how true this is, from https://www.football365.com/news/eng...lk-a-lazy-joke

It�s no coincidence that within a month of that semi-final loss(against Croatia in 2018), Southgate had contacted Declan Rice to begin the charm offensive that would end with the Irish international changing horses. By the final game of 2018 � coincidentally against Croatia and this time a 2-1 victory � only five of the semi-final side were in the starting XI, with Dier keeping the defensive midfield spot warm while England waited for Rice.

I'm pretty sure I read an interview with Rice where he said he made the decision to change allegiance during the 2018 World Cup, when he was watching the games on holiday with friends

**Stuttgart88** · 08/12/2022, 10:59 AM

Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

Not sure how true this is, from https://www.football365.com/news/eng...lk-a-lazy-joke

I'm pretty sure I read an interview with Rice where he said he made the decision to change allegiance during the 2018 World Cup, when he was watching the games on holiday with friends

I remember that too. I think he was in Dubai. He was also in the immediate vicinity of the shouting match between Keane and Arter which, based on no evidence whatsoever, I think was a factor too - and would be another reason O'Neill would want to deflect. A ****show and a struggling team low on morale or a well-managed, successful, highly professional and harmonious set-up. Not a difficult choice.

**Diggs246** · 08/12/2022, 11:06 AM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

I remember that too. I think he was in Dubai. He was also in the immediate vicinity of the shouting match between Keane and Arter which, based on no evidence whatsoever, I think was a factor too - and would be another reason O'Neill would want to deflect. A ****show and a struggling team low on morale or a well-managed, successful, highly professional and harmonious set-up. Not a difficult choice.

I dont like keane, but Rice used us.. this one is not on keane or O'Neill

**paul_oshea** · 08/12/2022, 12:01 PM

Watching the interview yesterday got me thinking about how convincing Oneill can be and reminded me of the time stutts got us tickets to the breakfast talk with him and Keane. When he speaks you listen, he had the two lads wholly onside by the end of that, that's probably why he has such an affect on players or had such an affect on players. I guess that could be why he chose Law as a career before football took off.

But ya the comments above about "two good for us" or "too" in this case has hit home. I felt like if someone got on the phone calling from ireland that was the next line of defence when he'd lost the run of himself. That also would conform to the Obafemi case too, not much difference playing for Ireland or Nigeria. There definitely seems a bit of that in what he says just turning it around about being commercial again that wouldn't matter in the case of Nigeria. There's also the point that if he genuinely knew(which i dont think he did but he makes out he did) that capping rice against moldova tied him down then why did he give him a place on the bench at the expense of someone else who would give anything for a cap for ireland? It's a pity the caller hadnt informed them about Obafemi because the two lads at talksport wouldn't have been aware.

But if you remove Ireland from the equation for a minute and you genuinely feel players( think of George Best being from NI) should have the best chance to play in the best tournaments etc and possibly win them then do you owe that player something morally even if you don't directly advice them of that? IT does kind of question why he went to there houses on a few occasions to persuade them if the choice was theirs to make.

**tetsujin1979** · 18/12/2022, 12:22 AM

Anyone know anything about Samuel Oguntayo? He's a defender with Charlton. transfermarkt says he has Irish citizenship, but a few other places are saying he's Nigerian

**Diggs246** · 18/12/2022, 6:39 AM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

Watching the interview yesterday got me thinking about how convincing Oneill can be and reminded me of the time stutts got us tickets to the breakfast talk with him and Keane. When he speaks you listen, he had the two lads wholly onside by the end of that, that's probably why he has such an affect on players or had such an affect on players. I guess that could be why he chose Law as a career before football took off.

But ya the comments above about "two good for us" or "too" in this case has hit home. I felt like if someone got on the phone calling from ireland that was the next line of defence when he'd lost the run of himself. That also would conform to the Obafemi case too, not much difference playing for Ireland or Nigeria. There definitely seems a bit of that in what he says just turning it around about being commercial again that wouldn't matter in the case of Nigeria. There's also the point that if he genuinely knew(which i dont think he did but he makes out he did) that capping rice against moldova tied him down then why did he give him a place on the bench at the expense of someone else who would give anything for a cap for ireland? It's a pity the caller hadnt informed them about Obafemi because the two lads at talksport wouldn't have been aware.

But if you remove Ireland from the equation for a minute and you genuinely feel players( think of George Best being from NI) should have the best chance to play in the best tournaments etc and possibly win them then do you owe that player something morally even if you don't directly advice them of that? IT does kind of question why he went to there houses on a few occasions to persuade them if the choice was theirs to make.

Rice wasn't on the bench v moldova ?

**Fixer82** · 18/12/2022, 9:13 AM

Just on the Rice/Grealish thing, a trusted source recently told me that at an ireland U15 camp a few years back, the players were asked to stand up and name two or three ambitions they have for their career.

Grealish stood up and stunned the room by saying �I want to play for Villa and England.�

And he was so good a player that the manager, being pragmatic, just kept picking him because he was almost winning games on his own for the team.

**tetsujin1979** · 18/12/2022, 10:33 AM

Originally Posted by Diggs246

Rice wasn't on the bench v moldova ?

That's come up a lot lately, don't know where that myth started. He wasn't on the bench, he wasn't named in the squad, and he played for the U21s the night before.

**JR89** · 18/12/2022, 10:46 AM

Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

That's come up a lot lately, don't know where that myth started. He wasn't on the bench, he wasn't named in the squad, and he played for the U21s the night before.

It's up there with Mick finishing third got us that playoff.

**pineapple stu** · 08/01/2023, 4:21 PM

Sonny Perkins (18) scored on his second Leeds appearance today.

His dad, Declan, played underage for Ireland (and even once for Finn Harps)

Not sure if Sonny is eligible - his dad was born in England, so it depends on the grandfather. Currently well embedded into England's underage setup too, but we could be a Plan B if he doesn't make England senior standard