Keith Fahey

[paul_oshea]

surely they could have got 500k up front for him?

I think Brum could be a good move for him, like kevin doyle, not being thrown into the deep end straight away. He has a good chance to play with a decent team and a team that could well be back in the premier league next year. The initial fee seems a bit low. The star player going for that surely isn't enough.

[irishultra]

i actually think the fee is suitable. i'm a fan of fahey and wanted him in the ireland squad before but there are no guarentees of a player with his track record i.e a loose cannon being a success.

good move and is actually a true playmaker.

[lionelhutz]

Was delighted to hear bout this move. Could be brilliant for Ireland if he establishes himself considering how stuck we are for midfielders.

And yes, I know if he's considered a playmaker in centre mid he might not fit into Traps system but surely his athletic style would be very suited to his system - kind of like Stephen Reid.

[Dr. Ogba]

Bundesliga is not poor at all. Hertha Berlin would probably be better in a practical sense than West Ham. You think of Ashton and players like that and only cause' you know them assume they would be better.

Even if Fahey failed in the English League, that would not mean he hasn't got anything to offer.

We can obviously see he is a brilliant passer of the ball and always demands the ball in all situations, this won't change because he moves to (what I presume) in your mind is super duper England.

Fahey should try to stay away from England and give it a shot somewhere else in Europe. His style would be much more suited to there.

Fahey should be in the Irish team, because what he probably lacks at a real top level is consistency but in Int. Football that isn't as important with the matches being every so often.

totally agree with this and i wouldn't limit this opinion to Fahey only....think there's quite a few Irish lads over the years that could've benefitted in going to Europe ahead of the English leagues....just doesn't seem to happen though for whatever reason....

[Stuttgart88]

He should definitely be in the Ireland squad now.

[stiffler]

I dont think a move to an English championship side should mean that someone is 'definitely' in the Irish squad.

If he performs better than the other Irish championship level midfielders for the course of the season then he should be in contention.

[NeilMcD]

Can't believe you took the bait.

[TonyD]

He should definitely be in the Ireland squad now.

Well, now he's qualified like.

[holidaysong]

So now we sit back and wait for his Birmingham debut and the inevitable "Who it this Fahy (sic) chap?" thread that will follow...

[irishfan86]

Does he have to wait until January to play with them, or can he start playing as soon as they do the deal?

[Dodge]

Does he have to wait until January to play with them, or can he start playing as soon as they do the deal?

Has to wait until January

[Dr. Ogba]

So now we sit back and wait for his Birmingham debut and the inevitable "Who it this Fahy (sic) chap?" thread that will follow...

i hope you're taking the p!ss here given that there's already a 13 page thread on him...

[Dodge]

i hope you're taking the p!ss here given that there's already a 13 page thread on him...

Ciaran posted a thread yesterday asking who he is.

[irishfan86]

He'll never get an Irish cap, he'll make a handful of poor sub appearances for Birmingham before vanishing into obscurity for a while, perhaps being loaned out to fill the bench for some first division scottish side the following season before returning to the LOI when his contract expires.

That's my prediction.

Birmingham play with a 5 man midfield, with Carsley offering protection for two more offensive minded central players.

I think this system will suit Fahey perfectly as he'll have the freedom to go forward, and he'll still get to play in the middle.

I think a guy like Fahey would be forced to play as a wide player at most English clubs- look at a guy like Andy Reid for example. He'd never get played on the wings on the continent, but in England they feel that a non-athlete such as himself can't cope in the middle.

I look forward to following his progress anyway.

[gustavo]

He'll never get an Irish cap, he'll make a handful of poor sub appearances for Birmingham before vanishing into obscurity for a while, perhaps being loaned out to fill the bench for some first division scottish side the following season before returning to the LOI when his contract expires.

That's my prediction.

He'lll do better than that Red guy anyway I'd wager

[third policeman]

He'll never get an Irish cap, he'll make a handful of poor sub appearances for Birmingham before vanishing into obscurity for a while, perhaps being loaned out to fill the bench for some first division scottish side the following season before returning to the LOI when his contract expires.

That's my prediction.

A trifle pessimistic. I've only seen him twice on TV but his peformances against Hertha were exceptional. McLeish is a canny and pragmatic manager, I dont think he buys players on a whim. I would expect him to get games fairly quickly.

[Stuttgart88]

The transfer fee isn't exactly trivial so I'd say this is a bit off being the "free option" that the Doyle & Long transfers to Reading were, or Liam Miller's transfer to Man United.

[Dodge]

McLeish has said that Fahey is being signed for the first team squad. He's obviously not 100% sure about him but he's not being signed for the reserves

[shakermaker1982]

Good luck to the lad.

[passinginterest]

Pretty positive talk from McLeish here;
http://www.blues.premiumtv.co.uk/pag...469106,00.html

Good to see he views him as a central midfielder anyway. He has the ability to do very well assuming he's managed to get his head sorted out. He had a habit of being a bit lazy and cruising through games in the League of Ireland, he won't get away with that in the Championship.