Daryl Horgan (M Wycombe Wanderers b.1992)

[Snapshot]

Its a fair enough point, much is made of having Coleman & Doherty but we once had Carr / Kelly / Finnan ( a CL winner ) and Kenna who won a league title at Blackburn but often couldn't get in the squad, for that spot alone. That was before you looked at the quality in other positions throughout those years, quality we really and simply do not have these days. The Scots have Robertson & Tierney arguably a better pair of players for example, but they are weak in the key positions like ourselves and overall struggle also.

This puts huge focus on our emerging players, that and the fact that we don't have huge quantities of those to talk about anyway. Pressure comes early in an Ireland shirt basically these days. Hence needing Molumby / Idah / Parrott / Obafemi etc to take to first team football like a duck to water which isn't happening and in truth was never likely to en masse.

Criticism is always there, when I talk to people but an answer to - well what would you be happy with ? - isn't always so forthcoming. Much of the core fan base now, were raised on Euro 88 to WC 94 golden age and those seem to be the expectations regardless of player pool limitations and its not inclined to drop from that.

Expectation management is a lost art. Interesting reads by yourself and Ole Ole.

[Charlie Darwin]

I don't mean to target Horgan because I feel that's unfair because I don't think he's ever not given his 100% for us . I just don't think he should be anywhere near the team even in the sad state things are now. He's a limited player and likely to have minimum impact given his age and trajectory. I'd rather chance the arm with untested younger players like Harness, Shodipo or Ogbene as impact subs to see what we have to supplement Connolly, Robinson and O'Dowda.

I don't think we have a realistic chance of qualifying for 2022 and don't see Horgan featuring in the next campaign into his 30s, so would rather see some new talent be integrated into the squad.

If everbody was fit and firing I wouldn't have Horgan in the squad unless he really stepped up his performance level, but for various reasons he's been in the squad on merit despite his level in recent times, and he's done OK. Even Kenny didn't select him in the wider squad until circumstances dictated it, so I don't know why he's such a major point of discussion.

[nigel-harps1954]

I'm not understanding the "can't get into Wycombe team" remarks. Only two players in their squad have made more appearances than him this season in the Championship.

[Eirambler]

It's more a recent thing I think. He has only started one of their last four games. He has also only played the full 90 twice in their last 13 games. So while he has made a lot of appearances, he hasn't been a recent starter and is rarely seen as being important enough to play the full 90. And that also needs to be taken in the context that he plays for Wycombe, who are terrible.

[elatedscum]

He has also only played the full 90 twice in their last 13 games. So while he has made a lot of appearances, he hasn't been a recent starter and is rarely seen as being important enough to play the full 90.

I don’t think he’s really a 90 minute man. That’s fine for a winger and doesn’t necessarily reflect his over quality. He’s a guy who’s game is based on sprinting and speed and pressing. As he tires, he becomes less effective. Plenty of really good wingers in the same boat. It’s probably the position where it’s most common...

There’s also an abundance of good ‘off the bench’ game changing wingers ala Shodipo.

Don’t see it as an issue at all. Generally half your players in the front 5/6 midfielders and attackers will be taken off in a game.

[Trequartista20]

Failed to start today, or indeed any of Wycombe's last 9 matches, as their relegation was finally confirmed. There'll be various factors involved, but it's worth noting that these 9 matches coincided with Wycombe's best form this season, with 5 wins and only 2 defeats.

[Eirambler]

He's not good enough for the Championship. However, I can see him being more involved next season in League 1.

[Trequartista20]

The Kenny favourite moves to Stevenage on loan.

Good to know our time wasn't wasted with all those call-ups and caps during a supposed 'rebuild'.

[Eirambler]

Hasn't really worked out for Horgan at a decent level, but he went over and gave it a good go. Will have made some decent money at Preston and Hibs. Very unlikely we'll see him for Ireland again, he wasn't up to that level but we've capped worse players all the same and it was during a period of real weakness that he came in.

[Fixer82]

I actually think he always did pretty ok for Ireland

[pineapple stu]

Yep - seemed to raise his game for us above and beyond the level he seemed to be at. Never minded seeing him come on. Technically got an assist in his last game too; lovely pass to Robinson in Azerbaijan for his second, though Robinson/the deflection/a dodgy keeper (in that descending order) had more to do with it than the pass really.

[Eirambler]

My recollection was that he did OK off the bench a few times but when he started a couple of games it was like being a man down.

[Fixer82]

Disagree. He was one of the few bright sparks against England in Wembley

[nigel-harps1954]

I would say he's done fairly well for himself. Near 200 appearances between SPL, Championship and League One and 17 caps for Ireland, all inside six years.

If that's the barometer for "not really working out" then we're setting a fairly high bar for success as a professional footballer.

[paul_oshea]

I've mixed feelings on horgan, like so many others when he was sprung from the bench he did well, and few of the bright sparks in many games, especially under Kenny, but the more he played the less effective he became and his crossing never found targets maybe he was a few years ahead of an Evan Ferguson ; ). That said I was always happy to see his name going up whenever we needed something different, that might have been because of what I saw him do at Dundalk on the big nights.

I've said in the past that it takes 10 games in to get a realistic feel for a player, I mean that from a Positive -> Negative bounce because it usually never goes the other way. I temper expectations based off of that because it's proven right over and over. McClean another great example of that.

Consistency is a word often used myself included but again it should be the Irish football forum thesaurus of "just not good enough" or "not at the (requisite)level".

[paul_oshea]

I would say he's done fairly well for himself. Near 200 appearances between SPL, Championship and League One and 17 caps for Ireland, all inside six years.

If that's the barometer for "not really working out" then we're setting a fairly high bar for success as a professional footballer.

If you were setting the barometer for yourself, or for a lad you saw 10 metres from you down at Finn Park then that's great. The reality is different though but well done to Horgan who had started his career and had a decent career in the LOI eeking out a good living for himself.

[dynamo kerry]

I would say he's done fairly well for himself. Near 200 appearances between SPL, Championship and League One and 17 caps for Ireland, all inside six years.

If that's the barometer for "not really working out" then we're setting a fairly high bar for success as a professional footballer.

Agree, he's done pretty well for an era when playing premier league and even championship is so competitive.