Baby kangaroo is back in training and has an outside chance of involvement tonight against Arsenal.
There is a huge list of Irish players over the last decade or so whose careers were looking very promising up the their early 20s too, but serious injury stopped them in their tracks.
Sadlier, Healy, Wayne Henderson and many others. I think Tets posted a list a few years back.
Baby kangaroo is back in training and has an outside chance of involvement tonight against Arsenal.
Back on the bench for this afternoon's game with Crystal Palace.
The answer to our problems at left-back may be right under our noses. Joey starts away to Man City today.
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/socc...quad-1.1792491
Disappointed in Joey. He has a chance to cement that LB position and get a run of games for the first time in 1/4 of a year but he cries off. It would be understandable if the injury that kept him out until last weekend was in any way related to his knees but it isn't.
He is as well to formally retire now from International football and stop wasting everyone's time.
Whose time is he wasting? He was called up, had a chat with the medical team and they decided together that his health is paramount in this instance, as it has been before. It seems like the only person's time being wasted here is yours.
I've read that he has persistent pain and needs a special recovery and training programme. I can understand where he's coming from. Only he knows whether he's slacking or not.
Crying off?... He's on an agreed medical programme and has his career to think about. He's an injury-prone player and is perhaps lucky to be still playing top-flight football. It would make sense for him to ensure his physical condition is the priority and to refrain from unnecessarily risking his well-being in non-competitive fixtures.
Are u using the dailymail and the fact that hw turned up to his own wedding as backup for the crying off comment TOWK?
If he doesn't turn up for International duties because he cleverly booked an International window for his wedding, then he should at least be honest about his reasons for not turning up.
Rob Elliot also got married during this gathering but he still managed to turn up.
If there is genuinely a good reason for not turning up that is related to his knees - then I am sorry - but the fact is that he has been fully fit for well over a month now and the last injury he had was completely unrelated to his knees.
I know I'm probably sounding like a d*ck here but he could have played in two spaced out games here on top of 20 odd games during the regular season. It wouldn't have overexerted him at all; and if it does, how will he cope when the regular season is back in swing in September?
The mind also boggles when you consider his missus was a Miss Universe contender.
What is the general feeling on Joey and his future international prospects now in light of regular absenteeism?
Tough call, isn't it? I mean, he's got a fresh start with MON so it's a pity he's been injured at times when he would have been assessed.
He's starting regularly at full-back in the Premiership so he's better than some of our other options at, for instance, left-back. I guess it just all depends on whether they can assess him or are willing to start him in the competitive qualifiers should they be his first inclusion complimented by actual and subsequent fitneess.
In reality, one would imagine he has to show something at international level to justify any consequential selection over other options. Marc Wilson is a decent option at left-back but if he's not to start at centre-half or midfield against, for example, Scotland, then it's hardly equitable to put O'Brien in at left-back and leave Wilson on the bench.
Pilkington is another injury-prone player who was a regular absentee. He's really managing to establish himself as a player that could conceivably start in our Euro qualifiers.
Last edited by Olé Olé; 08/06/2014 at 9:32 PM.
What part of this from the Irish Times piece do you not understand?:
Given the nature and frequency of his previous injuries, the medical programme he's on - probably one of rest and recuperation so as to elongate his career - was most likely planned months in advance.The FAI issued a statement on Monday evening stating that after discussions between the respective medical staffs at the association and club, it had been agreed the Dubliner would not take any part in the programme of matches.
The man has played 151 league games at the age of 28. Given that he made his league debut in 04/05, he's played 10 seasons of competitive football at senior level- that's an average of 15 appearances per season, which says it all about the long periods he has spent out chronically injured.
He made 17 appearances this season (exceeding his average), following on from 33 the prior year (almost double his average and serving to skew the average).
I think this article sums up the issue: http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...-29645472.html
-Regarding his exclusion under Trap: "I was sick to say the least."
-West Ham's (his employer, from whom he was very lucky to earn a contract, not to mind a 3 and a half year deal) view on his international career: "Yeah, of course it's been mentioned to me at the club about coming over here."
-His inability to cope with the workload of his counterparts is also highlighted.
Good article. Clearly the programme he's on is a long-term arrangement, so he'd long have known he wouldn't be participating in non-competitive games at the end of his season.
Originally Posted by Liam Kelly
I was really hard on Joey but it's just out of frustration/fear that sub standard players will be playing ahead of him in competitive games.
He's played virtually his entire career in the PL and also has experienced European football. If it's a case that he only plays competitive games for us, it may be better than the alternatives.
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