Two years ago Stan brought the future of Irish soccer to America. Where are they now?

[eirebhoy]

Some guy called "Gleeson" who I can't even recall who they are.

He's 1st choice central midfielder for the U21s. Our U21s midfield is very strong. Even when we're losing 3-0 we tend to be controlling the game.

[Stuttgart88]

Stephen Gleeson is still in our U21s and has played quite well. He's struggling to get into Wolves's team and is back out on loan again. MK Dons?

Harsh on Shane Long. I think he's doing alright but his club have been poor over last couple of months. I think he's got every chnace still.

Colin Doyle may get another chance soon, Taylor won't go on forever. Superb physique for a keeper but I often come away having expected better from him.

I don't think Wayne Henderson is good enough. I don't even think he was our best U21 keeper when he had that shirt.

St. Ledger should be in the squad in most people's opinion.

O'Halloran has been really unlucky with injury - 2 ACL injuries as far as I can remember.

Funny thing about Potter is that he actually played really well out there, showing composure and a passing range we don't usually see in an Irish midfield. He played well in Denmark too I think. It poses the question as to what standard the opposition was exactly, and also whether you need top quality players to compete against the middle tier in international football, or just the right type of player.

You've also got to remember that Stan picked that bunch, probably with input from Givens. You can be pretty sure that better young Irish players like Shane Supple or others were left out. I always felt that many of Stan's young or fringe call ups were haphazard at best.

[Jicked]

I always felt that many of Stan's young or fringe call ups were haphazard at best.

I think that sums up the entire reign of Staunton, haphazard at the very, very best. The guy simply didn't have a clue and never even tried.

[Royal rover]

excellent post - i think it's awful though that really one on this list has made it if you like - you mention alan o brien - i went to watch him a few months ago for hibs- he wasn't up to much - in saying that he is starting to play well, and start more regularly

[irishultra]

I thought it was interesting looking back at all the "starlets" and older "promising" but untested players many of whom have vanished from the international fold, probably never to be seen again.

The roster for the trip was:

IRELAND

GOALKEEPERS: Nicky Colgan (Barnsley / ENG), Colin Doyle (Birmingham City / ENG), Wayne Henderson (Preston North End / ENG)

DEFENDERS: Alex Bruce (Ipswich Town / ENG), Derek Geary (Sheffield United / ENG), Stephen Kelly (Birmingham City / ENG), Paul McShane (West Bromwich Albion / ENG), Joseph O’Cearuill (Arsenal / ENG), John O’Shea (Manchester United / ENG), Sean St. Ledger (Preston North End / ENG)

MIDFIELDERS: Stephen Hunt (Reading / ENG), Stephen Ireland (Manchester City / ENG), Kevin Kilbane (Wigan Athletic), Darren Potter (Wolverhampton / ENG)

FORWARDS: Kevin Doyle (Reading / ENG), Shane Long (Reading / ENG) Alan O’Brien (Newcastle United / ENG)

Manager: Steve Staunton

http://njmg.typepad.com/sbi/2007/05/...s_announc.html

(Ireland and O'Shea pulled out because they're lazy dicks, McShane had a playoff game so was also excused)




The 3 goalkeepers are all rotting for the reserves of their clubs, the trip was meant to signal Colin Doyles coming of age as he was Birminghams number 1 but has spent 2 years on the bench since. Colgan and Henderson may never get international callups again.

Derek Geary has fallen down the pecking order had Sheff Utd and is just some joe average championship bencher these days. Alex Bruce similarly. Though the latter still gets called up for some reason.

Joseph O’Cearuill has faded into Eircom League obscurity, never to be seen again.

Darren Potter looked like the future of our midfield but has had an atrocious two seasons looking like utter muck these days. Another who won't be part of the Irish setup for the foreseeable future. And Alan O’Brien has fallen off the map completely.

Long has pretty much stagnated, he's still at a decent level but has never forced himself into the first side for Reading. Doyle, Hunt and St.Ledger are the only ones who can claim to have gone from strength to strength. The latter bizarrely never getting a cap.

Then there were others drafted in later. O'Halloran and Bennett who are almost forgotten players at this stage. Some guy called "Gleeson" who I can't even recall who they are. The unmistakable Joe Lapira and the transparently token showing of Joe Gamble. Keogh, Stokes and Murphy all made the trip too. None of them have really progressed but at least they're still on the stage, still its disappointing how the only one out of this entire batch who has come on leaps and bounds since then is the one who entered self-exile.

an indication to the joke that is the irish national team, that a player performing excellently at the time would be considered a 'token' player.


and the 'eircom' league doesn't exist, surely someone so into football like yourself ciaran would know this?

[tetsujin1979]

Graham Gartland was called up as well, but missed the phone call because he was at a wedding!
People criticise the capping of Joe Lapira, but far more things went wrong in those two games - Ronnie O'Brien refused to train with the squad, Michael Parkhurst likewise turned down the chance to turn out for the Boys in Green

[Irish_Praha]

How's that Norris guy doing at Ipswich? Keeping quite after his (in)famous goal celebration?
Has Lee Frecklington made any progress over the last few years?
Lewis Emanuel got a Football League Trophy winners medal today.

[irishultra]

Graham Gartland was called up as well, but missed the phone call because he was at a wedding!
People criticise the capping of Joe Lapira, but far more things went wrong in those two games - Ronnie O'Brien refused to train with the squad, Michael Parkhurst likewise turned down the chance to turn out for the Boys in Green

Parkhurst is an Irish-American and thus holds an Irish passport. He had declared that he would be willing to play for the Irish national team if his American ambitions never came to fruition.[2] Parkhurst was called up by the United States national team for the 2007 Gold Cup, and earned his first cap against Trinidad and Tobago on June 9, 2007, thus eliminating any further possibility of playing for the Republic of Ireland.

lol who did he think he was? 'willing to play for the irish national team' lmao.

[Mouthpiece]

Ronnie O'Brien refused to train with the squad,

To be fair to O'Brien to say he refused is a bit off the mark, he was recovering from knee surgery when he got the call to say he'd been named in the squad, nobody had bothered to check if he was fit or available before releasing the squad.

[tetsujin1979]

I posted this table about the original squad called up by Staunton for the States, and the squad that eventually went

Original Squad		Eventual Squad		Reason for withdrawal
			
Goalkeepers		Goalkeepers
Nicky Colgan		Nicky Colgan 
Wayne Henderson		Wayne Henderson 
Colin Doyle		Colin Doyle  

Defenders		Defenders
Stephen Kelly		Stephen Kelly  
Paul McShane					Play-offs
Sean St Ledger					Injured in squad training
Alex Bruce		Alex Bruce 
Derek Geary					Injured
Joseph O’Cearuill	Joseph O’Cearuill 
John O’Shea					Injured
			Alan Bennett 
			Peter Murphy 
			Stephen O’Halloran
			
Midfielders		Midfielders
Kevin Kilbane		Kevin Kilbane 
Darren Potter		Darren Potter 
Stephen Ireland					Family commitments
Stephen Hunt		Stephen Hunt 
Alan O’Brien		Alan O’Brien 
Liam Miller					Family commitments
			Stephen Gleeson  
			Joe Gamble 
			
Strikers		Strikers
Kevin Doyle		Kevin Doyle 
Shane Long		Shane Long 
Caleb Folan					Injured
Daryl Murphy		Daryl Murphy 
Stephen Elliott					Family commitments
Anthony Stokes		Anthony Stokes
Andy Keogh		Andy Keogh 
			Joe Lapira

[tetsujin1979]

To be fair to O'Brien to say he refused is a bit off the mark, he was recovering from knee surgery when he got the call to say he'd been named in the squad, nobody had bothered to check if he was fit or available before releasing the squad.

Ireland played Ecuador on May 23rd, 2007: http://www.independent.ie/breaking-n...ly-683785.html
According to the Toronto's MLS records from 2007 - http://web.mlsnet.com/schedule/resul...t280&year=2007 - O'Brien played a day later in a friendly against Benfica - http://web.mlsnet.com/news/team_news....jsp&team=t280
He only missed one of the next six games, or at least he's not mentioned in the match report.
Off The Ball on NewsTalk contacted the club to speak to him, and he said he'd only talk to them if they didn't ask about him not wanting to join the Ireland team. Which was obviously what they wanted to talk to him about, so the interview never took place.

[rambler14]

Incidently potential world superstar Joe Lapira is currently plying his trade for Nybergsund I.L in the Norwegian Adeccoligaen which is the 1st Division in Norway, the league below the Premier Division...............glad to see he's moved on to bigger and better things then!

[irishfan86]

Incidently potential world superstar Joe Lapira is currently plying his trade for Nybergsund I.L in the Norwegian Adeccoligaen which is the 1st Division in Norway, the league below the Premier Division...............glad to see he's moved on to bigger and better things then!

While he never should have been capped, I think you're being a bit harsh on him.

He's scored 7 goals in 23 matches in a foreign country, albeit at the second tier.

If he had come over from America and got that kind of tally in League 1 or 2 at age 22, we'd probably be hopeful that he could be a decent player in the future.

I may be laughed out of it, but if this guy continues to progress, he could be an option for us in his mid-late 20s.

[Razors left peg]

While he never should have been capped, I think you're being a bit harsh on him.

He's scored 7 goals in 23 matches in a foreign country, albeit at the second tier.

If he had come over from America and got that kind of tally in League 1 or 2 at age 22, we'd probably be hopeful that he could be a decent player in the future.

I may be laughed out of it, but if this guy continues to progress, he could be an option for us in his mid-late 20s.

I think u may be right

[billybunter]

He's 1st choice central midfielder for the U21s. Our U21s midfield is very strong. Even when we're losing 3-0 we tend to be controlling the game.

if we're losing 3-0, we're hardly contorlling the game???

[Dodge]

Joseph O’Cearuill has faded into Eircom League obscurity, never to be seen again.

He simply wasn't good enough for the League of Ireland, despite his two international caps. Played about 10 games for Pats, being the worst player on the park in every single one of them

Proof, if it was ever needed, that the League of Ireland is better than the Irish national side

[Razors left peg]

I really thought after that tour that Potter would kick on to be a really good player. I suppose with late bloomers like Andrews and Kinsella before him there might be still hope but unlikely unless he has the desire

[Wangball]

Incidently potential world superstar Joe Lapira is currently plying his trade for Nybergsund I.L in the Norwegian Adeccoligaen which is the 1st Division in Norway, the league below the Premier Division...............glad to see he's moved on to bigger and better things then!

If you haven't actually seen him play for his new team I don't think you can draw any conclusions....he's still young enough that he can make an impact and given our limited pool of players we can't really afford to be writing anyone off

[Dr. Ogba]

I really thought after that tour that Potter would kick on to be a really good player. I suppose with late bloomers like Andrews and Kinsella before him there might be still hope but unlikely unless he has the desire

same here Razor, I had been touting him for a while ever since seeing him play for the u21s a few times (outshining his then midfield partner Glenn Whelan might I add)....he seems to have faded into obscurity unfortunately and there have been rumours about his bad attitude which can't have helped things. Where is he these days? Still rotting in Wolves reserves?

[Row Z]

on-loan with Sheff Wed, playing alongside James O'Connor if i remember correctly...