Has been mentioned as an option in our ongoing problem at left wing-back. Signed for Barnsley last month - came on as a sub in his first game, started the second. But came off with a thigh injury after 65 minutes and hasn't made the last two squads.
Seems it's a minor injury, but still a slightly worrying start given his previous injury issues.
Did he feature against Liverpool in the Cup?
If I question Liam Scales ability to play intl football, refer me to this signature & his peformance at home at lb vs Port on Nov 13 2025.
Signed
Kingdom.
No, wasn't named in the squad at all: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football...978zt#Line-ups -Originally Posted by Kingdom
There's a few reports saying he was given permission to travel to Scotland already: https://thedeck.news/barnsley-sancti...p-flight-club/
It's really disappointing that someone like Farrugia left the Champions, playing in Europe, close(ish) proximity to a wide-scope Ireland squad (for a position we had been absolutely deficient in) for a club in the third tier in a barren part of the world and not feature prominently whatsoever.
If I question Liam Scales ability to play intl football, refer me to this signature & his peformance at home at lb vs Port on Nov 13 2025.
Signed
Kingdom.
i think it's a combination of
1) injuries at the wrong time (missed the majority of last season with injury - 12 of 21 games and was still injured and missed pre-season and the start of the season)
2) managerial change mightn't have helped - always rough when the person who signs you leaves after 2 or 3 months
3) competing with their best player for the same position (Reyes Cleary left West Brom in the summer and the offer of a new contract in order to play first team football - he's 21) and he'll probably be playing a division up next season
note - Cleary has had 4 bids from 2 championship clubs so far this window: https://www.barnsleychronicle.com/ar...-says-chairman
I'd agree with that, and I didn't know #3.
The issue with Farrugia is that he has all the raw materials but needs coaching on his end product. He keeps getting injured which is stunting his development there. When he left Rovers, a fair few predicted he would be back to us in a few seasons, similar to Clarke.
It'll be interesting to see how Honahan gets on. Similar in terms of athletic stature, power etc, but Honohan is much more durable (albeit he's currently injured....) and has a better end product.
22 leagues and 26 cups and....well....none of you will ever catch up if we're being honest.
Trevor Clarke, I really really thought he was a smashing player.
If I question Liam Scales ability to play intl football, refer me to this signature & his peformance at home at lb vs Port on Nov 13 2025.
Signed
Kingdom.
Yeah, he was great to watch. They don't make players like him much anymore. Absolutely committed to every tackle and great going forward. Injuries and probably the mental (on a few levels) side of things held him back. Rumoured to be going to Dundalk, but I don't know why. That pitch would ruin what's left of him. Heard he was going to the LSL which would make more sense.
22 leagues and 26 cups and....well....none of you will ever catch up if we're being honest.
His move to Dundee is a sobering reality check for the level the LOI is at. Before Farrugia left, he was widely regarded as the best player in the league and the one player who had the best shot of breaking into the Ireland squad.
You've got no fans.
He wasn't even regarded as the best player at Rovers tbh. Loads of ability/potential, and on his day could be our best player but his end product and injury record held him back. As I said above, Rovers fans gave him as good a chance of ending up back with us as kicking on, particularly in a more physically demanding league.
Still think he had the best chance of any LoI player, at that time, to play for Ireland but the injuries have continued. Wouldn't be using him as an example in any debate about the leagues level.
Also, a move from League One to the SPL is hardly the biggest fall. Sure we've called up players from both.
Last edited by ontheotherhand; 15/01/2026 at 1:39 PM.
I couldnt believe he moved to league 1, he was never going to be able for the pysicality of that league and the number of matches.
The only reason they signed him id say was becasue they got him for free as his contract was uo.
Id have him back at Rovers in a heart beat as a player who when fit is an excelent option
What it shows more than anything is that it was incorrect for him to be in or around the Ireland senior squad, the reality is that he is nowhere near the required level.
Yeah it wasn't a great move for him. Id have him back as well. He wasn't at Honohans or Lyons level, mainly due to injuries, but he was such an athlete and critical in Europe when played through the middle. I had a debate with a friend about whether he was out best player. I argued that he was at the time but the arguments against were stronger. He just didn't play enough and his end product was frustrating.
If you were to pick two from the wingbacks we've had under Bradley, who would you pick as having the highest combo of contribution for rovers, ability and ceiling? Not including Finner because he is in his own category.
Lyons and Honohan for me with Scales, Farrugia and Clarke battling for third. All great players for Rovers tho. Scales has obviously gone on to a higher level and done fairly well. Injuries have hurt the others.
i really think he's best suited as a winger rather than a wing back. even though he did really well at Rovers, I always felt he was playing in a position which didn't get the most of his attacking talents
Scales , Honohan, Lyons, Clarke in that order for me and id play Farrugia through the middle as an alternate for Burke.
If i was pushed to rank him as a WB id say marginally behind Honohan in that position but ahead of Honohan given his ability to play elsewhere
He improved drastically as a defender but maybe it hampered his development as an attacker. Or you could argue he was being asked to do too much and it was hard for him. He always struck me as the kind of player who overthinks things. Not a natural football at all. Like all his moves were practiced and learned. His crossing and shooting really was brutal at times. I probably sound like I'm being harsh. I should clarify that I loved him as a player....but he was frustrating.
22 leagues and 26 cups and....well....none of you will ever catch up if we're being honest.
Would broadly agree with this alright (otoh's qualification aside!) I think what it shows is that the best LoI prospects are the ones who have potential to improve rather than the best players as such. And it's a lot harder to judge a player by their potential.
I've read in the past that any LoI player being considered by British clubs is being looked at on the basis that will take 18 months for the player to adapt to the physical and technical standards of football there, if they manage it at all. So it's not surprising that they are willing to pay big for players they can get at 18, whereas players who look better in the league but are considerably older (e.g. Honohan) are much less in demand.
Suppose it depends on where you think the LoI is right now. I'd have it at League 2 level, with a couple of teams who could compete with L1 outfits and a couple that would probably be relegated from L2.....although maybe that's harsh given we've gotten a lot more competitive since the clubs all went full time. No whipping boys anymore.
Very hard to judge the standard of a league based on player journeys though. Too many factors come in to play and we tend to send over lads who have a few question marks already, bar Scales, Lyons and maybe Kenny (from a Rovers perspective). I think Honohan might be our best chance at seeing how well a dominant player here can do over there, as long as this injury he's been carrying doesn't become chronic. He was the best player in his position in the league by a distance.
Better data point would be games against and how the teams perform in european comps but even that's problematic.
Sligo beating Motherwell and Aberdeen finishing below Rovers and Shels in the Conference League (i guess?) could show us we aren't far off the SPL, at least the non Old Firm portion of it. But you'd hardly say Sligo would beat Motherwell more than 2 times out of 10 and the CL has huge problems in terms of its structure, whereby the league position isn't really a reflection of the strength of the club. Aberdeen got a harder draw than Rovers.
Edit: Remember that chart of where all the LoI clubs would fit into the English pyramid from a few years back? Wish I could remember who put that together.
Last edited by ontheotherhand; 15/01/2026 at 9:32 PM.
22 leagues and 26 cups and....well....none of you will ever catch up if we're being honest.
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