Potentially eligible players thread

**irishfan86** · 02/02/2018, 4:08 AM

I watch a fair bit of MLS. Neagle and McNamara are handy enough without being exceptional. Meara is a serviceable goalkeeper. Don’t think any of them are necessarily worth having a look for national team, but for what it’s worth I think they could all play at English Championship level. Given Gallagher is young it’s worth seeing how he does with Atlanta of course.

**seanfhear** · 02/02/2018, 6:10 AM

Originally Posted by irishfan86

I watch a fair bit of MLS. Neagle and McNamara are handy enough without being exceptional. Meara is a serviceable goalkeeper. Don’t think any of them are necessarily worth having a look for national team, but for what it’s worth I think they could all play at English Championship level. Given Gallagher is young it’s worth seeing how he does with Atlanta of course.

Quite a lot of our players are playing at English championship level . Its a pretty decent level to be honest . Admittedly we would like all our players playing at higher levels but thems the breaks sometimes .

**Olé Olé** · 02/02/2018, 2:00 PM

Gone are the days there are Championship fixtures on international weekends. It's well stacked with internationals at most sides, mostly attributable to money spent on non-English players admittedly.

**DannyInvincible** · 02/02/2018, 2:51 PM

I see that Ireland and US-eligible Shane O'Neill is playing for Excelsior (David Connolly's old club) in the Netherlands now: https://www.transfermarkt.com/shane-...spieler/229912

Whilst I was looking up O'Neill, I also happened to come across a 23-year-old Colorado Rapids centre-back named Joseph Farrell: https://www.transfermarkt.com/joseph...spieler/430373

Farrell is US-born, but surely must have Irish roots with a name like that.

Conor Donovan is another player I spotted under the "comparable players" heading on that site (TransferMarkt.com): https://www.transfermarkt.com/conor-...spieler/336166

According to the site, he was born in the US (and played 29 times for their under-17s and ten times for their under-20s) but is also eligible to play for us. He's 22 and presently plays for Rio Grande Valley FC Toros, having previously been with Orlando City.

In an interview with US Soccer, however, he states:

"We are 50 percent Irish and 50 percent Italian. I think I’m more Irish, maybe like 51/49. My mom and dad are from Massachusetts and I think my dad’s side came over from Ireland maybe two generations ago."

If he can only trace his Irish ancestry to great-grandparentage, then he wouldn't actually be eligible, to the best of my knowledge.

**IsMiseSean** · 02/02/2018, 6:19 PM

Jack McInerney playing at LA Galaxy now. The surname suggests a link.

**liamoo11** · 15/02/2018, 10:42 PM

Rory delaps boy Liam is in the brits under 15 squad. Delaps parents are Irish born I think so he would be eligible.

**Charlie Darwin** · 15/02/2018, 11:30 PM

Turncoat.

**DannyInvincible** · 16/02/2018, 1:10 AM

Originally Posted by liamoo11

Rory delaps boy Liam is in the brits under 15 squad. Delaps parents are Irish born I think so he would be eligible.

That's correct. His father John is from Letterkenny and his mother Maura is from Kells.

The possible future allegiance of his sons was actually discussed in this Irish Post article from 2014: https://www.irishpost.co.uk/sport/ro...w-weapon-19520

Originally Posted by Garry Doyle

And with [Delap's] parents — John from Letterkenny and Maura from Kells — he had a special Christmas, marvelling at John’s capacity to persuade his boys — aged 10, six and four — to declare their allegiance to Ireland.

“They’ll listen to him quicker than they will me,” laughed Delap. “But you hope the importance of being Irish resonates with them. It meant everything to me growing up. We’ve gone back to the same places I went to when I was a child in Donegal and Meath. They loved it.

"Their granddad has drilled it into them that if they’re any good at anything, it’s Ireland they have to represent. When he said it, they took it all in. So that’s one issue done and dusted then.”

I'm guessing Liam was the 10-year-old mentioned back then.

**Olé Olé** · 16/02/2018, 7:07 AM

There's time for him to turn yet.

Looked at Delap's career stats there. Can't believe he only won 11 caps and most of his career was in the Premiership (4 seasons at Derby and Southampton each and 5 at Stoke). Not that he was a world-beater and we had more options at midfield and right back during his time.

**liamoo11** · 16/02/2018, 7:20 AM

Originally Posted by Olé Olé

There's time for him to turn yet.

Looked at Delap's career stats there. Can't believe he only won 11 caps and most of his career was in the Premiership (4 seasons at Derby and Southampton each and 5 at Stoke). Not that he was a world-beater and we had more options at midfield and right back during his time.

yeah that's very hard to believe isn't it? Always seemed a good lad.

**tetsujin1979** · 16/02/2018, 8:11 AM

Originally Posted by Olé Olé

There's time for him to turn yet.

Looked at Delap's career stats there. Can't believe he only won 11 caps and most of his career was in the Premiership (4 seasons at Derby and Southampton each and 5 at Stoke). Not that he was a world-beater and we had more options at midfield and right back during his time.

Seemed to be constantly named in the squad, but never came off the bench

**seanfhear** · 16/02/2018, 8:59 AM

Subs Should be allowed to take Throw Ins Anyway . Speed the game up and give an advantage to the team with the throw and dis-advantage the team that puts the ball out . The Subs should also be allowed to take corners . I will contact FIFA will my cunning Plan

...and possibly goal kicks and free kicks . It might cut down on fouling .

**Fixer82** · 16/02/2018, 4:02 PM

I remember Delap scoring two goals against Arsenal and a man of the match performance and wasn't selected that week in the Ireland squad (may have even been a friendly) and I thought 'that lad must be snapping. he's never going to get in the squad at this stage.' That was the Staunton era I believe when Stan was getting rid of anyone over 22.

**DeLorean** · 16/02/2018, 4:31 PM

I presume this must be the match you're remembering - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/foot...em/3947349.stm

Southampton: Niemi, Lundekvam, Jakobsson, Higginbotham, Telfer, Anders Svensson (Prutton 85), Delap, Nilsson, Kenton, Ormerod (McCann 75), Blackstock (Best 90).
Subs Not Used: Blayney, Baird.

Goals: Delap 80, 85.

It would have been during the Brain Kerr era, our next international match was a friendly against Croatia a couple of weeks later and you're right, no sign of Delap - http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/foot...ls/4015791.stm

Republic of Ireland: Kenny, Finnan, Dunne, Breen, O'Shea, Miller, Kavanagh, Kilbane, Duff, Elliott, Keane. Subs: Maybury, Quinn, Cunningham, McGeady, Given, Barrett, Doherty, Lee, Colgan.

**Stuttgart88** · 17/02/2018, 6:28 PM

Kerr used to say he'd be ridiculed of he picked a guy just for his throws (or something like that) but I think Delap's regular ability justified more call ups under a few managers. He was a great all round athlete and could cover at full back. I think Mick gave him a run out in a home friendly before WC02 (Russia, the game Sadlier got his only cap?) but he was played out of position wide right and ultimately, in my opinion, he was humiliated by Mick. I felt for him. You can't be told you've got 60 mins to play your way into a WC squad and then not be picked in the right position. That said, his versatility should have been an asset and I don't care what the purists say, a dangerous Delap throw is every bit as valuable as having a dangerous free kick taker.

**seanfhear** · 18/02/2018, 6:21 PM

If we still had Niall Quinn in his heyday Delap would have been useful ( was their any over-Lap of playing time in their careers ? ) . The Iceland team of today would still use a Delap .

**Closed Account** · 18/02/2018, 8:29 PM

Is this lad eligible ?

**Fixer82** · 20/02/2018, 6:27 PM

I seem to recall Delap scoring a great overhead bicycle kick too.
He’d walk into the current squad. Unlucky for him he was trying to break into a fairly settled squad.
I remember an interview with him talking about being on the bench in Tehran when we qualified for ‘02 and he knew he had no hope of making the World Cup squad.

**backstothewall** · 21/02/2018, 7:02 PM

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/spo...hange-14318375

Big push on for Callum O'Hare to come in to the Aston Villa side this weekend in the absence of Albert Adomah and he who shan't be named for them. Has a single cap for England U20 but also qualifies for us.

https://www.transfermarkt.com/callum...spieler/371262

Star of the show as their U23s battered Wolves U23 on monday

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/spo...ights-14311427

Video here

http://www.astonvilla.vitalfootball.....asp?a=7524386

**DeLorean** · 22/02/2018, 11:56 AM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Kerr used to say he'd be ridiculed of he picked a guy just for his throws (or something like that) but I think Delap's regular ability justified more call ups under a few managers.

That said, his versatility should have been an asset and I don't care what the purists say, a dangerous Delap throw is every bit as valuable as having a dangerous free kick taker.

Were Delap's throw-ins even a thing when Kerr was managing Ireland? I don't think I knew it was part of his armoury until he was playing in the PL for Stoke.