I've come across English people who have two Irish born parents or 3/4 Irish grandparents and they don't feel in the slightest Irish, or are at best proud of their Irish roots, while feeling very English. Equally, I've come across English people who may have roots going back 3/4/5 generations (most of these people were in Liverpool) who would cheer for Ireland over England and who consider themselves more Irish than English.
It's a very difficult thing to measure how English someone is. By my reckoning, a fella like Noble, is very English and is probably only mildly proud of his Irish roots, while guys like Aldo were technically less Irish (one grandparent) but grew up in a surrounding culture of viewing himself as more Scouse (Irish) than English and didn't come across to me as a fraud like someone like Noble would.
There are also plenty of Irish people who move to the UK and become ahem.... gentrified.
Des Lynam, Terry Wogan, Pierce Brosnan, My uncle.
I personally have no issue with anything Noble has said to date.
Realistically all of this guff will be forgotten if he does declare and plays as well as we know he can for us.
You show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser - Vince Lombardi
Yeah I'm sure everybody would get over the blow if he got the winner in an important game, we're resilient like that.
I think this lark of speculating about how Irish someone may or may not be is a bit much.
If he does decide to play for us it won't be because of his love of Bosco as a child or his familiarity with the poetry of Oisin and the rest of the Fenian Cycle - its going to be a business decision, plain and simple and I for one am okay with that as long as he shows up and gives his all once that decision is made.
You show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser - Vince Lombardi
Richard Sadlier was on the Second Captains podcast and reckons the likes of Noble should be called up. Makes an interesting argument.
He told an interesting story about Ronnie O'Brien actually. Stated that he was sitting on the bench beside him at an under-20 game and Brian Kerr called O'Brien to warm up and he refused. Might explain why O'Brien never got a chance at senior level for Ireland.
O'Brien had his chance. Stan invited him into the squad for the US tour in 2007 but O'Brien declined. He wasn't all that bothered about international football by the sounds of things: http://www.espnfc.com/story/433303
Was Sadlier making a connection between Noble and O'Brien?Originally Posted by ESPN/Ronnie O'Brien
Great chat here ( starts around ten mins) on Noble.
http://www.rte.ie/sport/player/813/641818/
Sadlier pragmatic and says he has no problem. Kenny Cunningham more emotional, says he likes the 5-6 lads we have available in CM and has no time for a guy who hadn't shown any keenness to play for us. Great viewing. I support Kenny.
Kenny passes my gut test every time.
I support Richard.
"We lost because we didn't win"- Ronaldo
Getting capped by their country is the career highlight of many young footballers. We are not Noble's country. I don't want someone who doesn't even want it taking a squad place from someone who has worked their entire career towards reaching this accolade.
We have better players anyways. England struggle to qualify for every tournament in weak groups. If he isn't anywhere on their radar, he is not going to be drastically better than what we have.
And again, his general demeanor begs the question of what his attitude will be like if he doesn't get in the team? And if he walks straight into the team what does that message send?
Last edited by TheOneWhoKnocks; 06/09/2014 at 5:28 PM.
No if your have 2 Irish grandparents then you have 50% Irish blood so you either have and one english and one Irish parent or you have 2 parents who are 50% Irish.
I suspect he has one parent of each nationality, that is the way I look at it anyway, blood if thicker than water.
England have been a flop for 50 years, under achievers for 50 years, the evidence is staring you in the face, ie Mark Nobel, were he 100% English
I have little doubt he would have been capped by now. Exhibit #2 is Kevin Nolan, the Nolan sisters made him unselectable for England. I rest my case!!!
Well, yeah. The link he was drawing was that if an Irish player is half-arsed then they're a waste of time. Same principle applies for a half-arsed English-born player playing for Ireland. On the other hand, a fully-committed, English-born player would be, in Sadlier's view, worth pursuing and in spite of the comments that Noble has made of late.
Ronnie O'Brien probably played little more than a dozen matches after that story. Also, he had just returned from one of a myriad of injuries that dogged his career. He retired at 28 for God's sake. It's ridiculous to compare his situation to Noble's for any number of reasons, not least the fact that the latter isn't remotely Irish.
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