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.Originally Posted by Ciaran
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.
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.
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.
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
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.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.
and the 'eircom' league doesn't exist, surely someone so into football like yourself ciaran would know this?
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
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.
lol who did he think he was? 'willing to play for the irish national team' lmao.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.
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.
I posted this table about the original squad called up by Staunton for the States, and the squad that eventually went
Code: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
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.
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!
LESS OF THE BULL NOW!
While he never should have been capped, I think you're being a bit harsh on him.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!
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
Its really not that complicated!!!
if we're losing 3-0, we're hardly contorlling the game???
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
54,321 sold - wws will never die - ***
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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
Its really not that complicated!!!
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 offIncidently 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!
You show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser - Vince Lombardi
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?
"Well I think they'll be a little disappointed with that" - Matt Holland on TV3 after 5-2 drubbing by Cyprus
on-loan with Sheff Wed, playing alongside James O'Connor if i remember correctly...
"if I close my eyes, its not illegal...."
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