Potentially eligible players thread

[BonnieShels]

As an Irish national, he would have had the choice, just like Ger Crossley, Mark McKeever and Alan Kernaghan were able to play for us in the mid-'90s. Only problem was he didn't realise it (along with many others) and he'd also played for the IFA at under-age level so was tied with them from early on.

Danny Danny Danny. Come on.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

I remember reading that Kernaghan regretted not being able to represent NI.

Is he the only Northerner of a non-Catholic background to represent Ireland?

Anton Rodgers' father is from a mixed background.

[tetsujin1979]

I remember reading that Kernaghan regretted not being able to represent NI.

good, then you can link to what you read.

Is he the only Northerner of a non-Catholic background to represent Ireland?

Kernaghan's religion is immaterial.

Anton Rodgers' father is from a mixed background.

Also immaterial

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

On phone so can't link but it's Nov. 2009 interview on Belfast Telegraph.

And you're right, my bad.

[tetsujin1979]

from here: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sp...-28503648.html

The former £1.6m Manchester City defender can laugh about it all now, but admits he was heartbroken at the time.
“I’d played for Northern Ireland schoolboys and had always hoped to take the next step go on and play for the senior team but then the IFA found that I wasn’t eligible. It was a shock,” he recalls.
“I spoke to the IFA to try to find some way forward but it was just a ‘no’.
“But then out of the blue I was approached by the Republic and professional football is such a short career that I took the opportunity to play international football.
“Let’s face it — you want to play for somebody that actually wants you.
“It was a strange situation to be in. I tried for so long to get playing for Northern Ireland but it never came off. Then all of a sudden I was playing for the Republic of Ireland.
“So it worked out okay in the end in that I got to go to the 1994 World Cup and be involved with fantastic players in a successful team,” he said.

he wanted to represent the North, but wasn't eligible, so played for the Republic when we approached him. Nothing more to it than that.

[Olé Olé]

Neil Lennon just confirmed (cos it was in doubt) that he would play for us'uns and not themm'uns if he had the choice to back in the day.

Sorry, put me thoughts on this in the other eligibility thread. He did say that but was he playing up to the crowd somewhat I wonder?

[DannyInvincible]

I remember reading that Kernaghan regretted not being able to represent NI.

Is he the only Northerner of a non-Catholic background to represent Ireland?

Anton Rodgers' father is from a mixed background.

Alan Kernaghan was actually born in Leeds, although he did grow up in the north and was of Ulster Protestant heritage despite once saying religion "meant diddly" to him: http://www.scotsman.com/sport/footba...aries-1-677913

The reason he wasn't eligible to play for the IFA despite supporting NI and identifying with them was because his parents weren't born in the north either, as far as I'm aware. It seems his father's family (grandparents) were from Belfast, but his father had actually been born in Liverpool (or in England at least) as his grandparents had moved for work. His father then moved back and forth between England and Belfast for work.

Instead Northern Ireland abruptly punctured the notion he might represent the country to which he believed he belonged. His background is Ulster Protestant, although religion "meant diddly" to him. "We were never a churchgoing family," he explains. His father's family were Northern Irish, but had moved to Liverpool. "Dad worked in the docks. He had family still in Belfast, so we'd go there on holiday. Mum and Dad got married and lived in Kendal, then moved back to Northern Ireland. My brother, Michael, was born in Belfast, but then they moved back over to England with my Dad's job. I was born in Leeds, but Dad got the chance to be sales manager for the John West Food Company in the whole of Ireland, and it was back to Belfast."

Had his elder brother excelled at football then Northern Ireland would have welcomed him with open arms. Michael chose rugby, however. Alan, unaware of the tribulations to come, fell for football, swayed by the excitement generated in the Province by Billy Bingham's over-achieving international team of the Eighties. Kernaghan was taken to Windsor Park when a child by his father, and was even a ballboy on one occasion against Scotland.

"I went to watch all the qualifying games for the 1982 World Cup," recalls Kernaghan. "They were great times. I never saw George Best play, but by that stage it was Norman Whiteside. He must have been only two or three years older than me at the time. We'd heard all the whispers at school about how Man United would fly him over every weekend from Belfast to play for their youth team."

I didn't hear that he regretted anything though. I think he was more than happy to pull on the Ireland jersey once he became aware that option was open to him.

Alex Bruce and Adam Barton are of Ulster Protestant heritage (according to posters on OWC), although they didn't live or grow up in the north, of course, which would tend to be a crucial aspect in forming someone's local cultural/national identification when it comes to NI or Ireland.

[DannyInvincible]

I asked Yann what he thought of Kouogun's case and he speculated that the delay might be due to the national federation of Cameroon having (and failing up to now) to provide FIFA with a statement confirming that Kouogun was never fielded by them.

[DannyInvincible]

Had sent Yann another email just to pose some further questions but he's re-stated that, based on available info, Kouogan's case "seems perfectly legit". There should be no issue, as far as FIFA are concerned, in granting an exemption, so long as procedural matters are satisfied. Interestingly, he did inform me that the exemption mechanism was introduced only about three or four years ago, around 2013. I hadn't been aware of this.

I also raised the matter again of what actually effects a switch and he seems to be of the thinking now that it is the granting of the switch request, which would mean Jack Grealish, just to use an example, is now irreversibly tied. Yann's thinking appears to have changed although he didn't speak to the head of the PSC about it unfortunately. This would seem to conform with statements from FAI sources (if I recall correctly) a few months ago stating that once Grealish's switch would be granted, there'd be no going back on it. Indeed, it would also conform with the literal wording of article 8.1 which states that a player "may, only once, request to change the association for which he is eligible to play international matches".

[BonnieShels]

Sorry, put me thoughts on this in the other eligibility thread. He did say that but was he playing up to the crowd somewhat I wonder?

I did think that he was playing to the crowd. But I don't think that there is any doubt where his loyalties (what a word) lay really.
Regardless of the fact about whether he knew about his eligibility etc, there was probably little chance that he would have made our squad ca. 1994 anyway so he would have probably always have done a McGinncourt.

[DannyInvincible]

I'd always wondered if Danny Murphy had been eligible to play for us. Had never heard he was, nor could I see any info on it any time I'd had a look, so I'd just assumed he was another Liverpudlian with an Irish surname from a few generations back (which is indeed very common). However, at the start of yesterday's live BBC coverage of our game, Lineker was introducing the panel (also featuring Kilbane) and said to Murphy that he must have some Irish connection with a name like that. Murphy stated that his father's family had moved over from Cork when his father was a young boy, so he definitely would have been eligible for us in that case.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Played for Liverpool and England at the height of his career.

[DannyInvincible]

Played for Liverpool and England at the height of his career so it's irrelevant.

I'm aware he played for England since under-age level and is long retired. It's simply something I'd wondered and he happened to mention his Irish roots yesterday. A bit of trivia that might be of interest to some people.

I'm pretty certain players like Steve Bruce and Paul Scholes have been discussed on this thread even after they'd won England caps.

[Yard of Pace]

I'd always wondered if Danny Murphy had been eligible to play for us. Had never heard he was, nor could I see any info on it any time I'd had a look, so I'd just assumed he was another Liverpudlian with an Irish surname from a few generations back (which is indeed very common). However, at the start of yesterday's live BBC coverage of our game, Lineker was introducing the panel (also featuring Kilbane) and said to Murphy that he must have some Irish connection with a name like that. Murphy stated that his father's family had moved over from Cork when his father was a young boy, so he definitely would have been eligible for us in that case.

Thanks for that Danny. Didn't hear any mention of that until this. He was a good player. Interesting. Wonder was he ever approached...

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Hogan bargaining with his missus to watch the Euros.

http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport...-wont-11453643

He said: “I am someone that watches football but my missus hates football. I have to work my way into games and bargain with her.

“She knows when the football season ends so to tell her the Euros are on would be heartbreaking. I probably won't watch it.

“If England do well I might watch an England game or if we're away and it's on. I can't see myself getting too many games.

“If she's out and it's on then it will be on. A lot of men know you have to plan these things. It's the same across the country.”

While Bamford is linked with a move to La Liga but has England on his mind.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BGtqRP_mTc5/

In Euro 2016 almost a third of players taking part are eligible for other country

http://sportsnewsireland.com/soccer/...ble-for-other/

[OwlsFan]

Eamonn Sweeney at it again http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...-34852330.html

I think he has just thrown in the domestic league issue to have a slap at Ireland playing members of the disapora. "Absurdity" of playing players with Irish grandparents !! He obviously doesn't have extended members of the family in such a scenario as it is by no means absurd. In fact there was just such a family staying in our hotel outside of Lille. The father was Irish (didn't wear colours) but the son (born in England) and his son (also born in England) both wore green and were going to the game. Try telling them that it is absurd for them to follow Ireland. And to suggest that we would value it less if the goal against Italy had been scored by a second generation player such as McCarthy who had to endure a lot when he declared for us is a joke.

I thought all this sort of nonsense was history but obviously not.

[DeLorean]

Is he indirectly saying that the "emotional resonance" that accompanied Houghton's goals in Stuttgart and New Jersey doesn't compare to Robbie Brady's winner against Italy?

[TrapAPony]

Complete tripe by Eamonn Sweeney. As OwlsFan says above if the likes of McCarthy got the winner for Ireland would his goal be devalued? Of course it bloody wouldn't. Do you think Italy cared when Eder scored the winner vs Sweden? Do you think Wales cared when Ashley Williams scored against Belgium? People need to get with it, this is the modern game and every national team uses all they can to try and better themselves. If there is a useful player available with an Irish granny then go and get him, it is that simple. The rule is there for a reason.

[RiffRaff]

Its a very unfair article about second generation Irish, but spot on about the neglect of the league and underage football by the FAI. I don't think there is any doubt that the likes of Clark and McClean always wanted to play for us, but for their development as players, they and their families probably felt it better to be involved in other international teams while they were not bound by it. The league has been passed by the domestic leagues at other countries who have players able to step up to international football

[DeLorean]

OwlsFan and TrapAPony mentioned it already but this part really did bug me!

Myth one is that it doesn't matter where our players come from. Well, the truth of that is easily tested. Would it have meant the same had it been Jack Grealish putting the ball on Mark Noble's head in the Italy game instead of Wes Hoolahan putting it on Robbie Brady's? You know it wouldn't. The result might have been the same but it would have possessed nothing like the same emotional resonance.

Why would Sweeney choose these two players in his hypothetical example? Two extreme cases of guys who ultimately didn't want to play for us! He is really trying to hammer home his point to the more gullible reader. Why not choose two more realistic examples of players who are actually involved with the squad? If he had said...

"Would it have meant the same had it been Aiden McGeady putting the ball on Ciaran Clark's head in the Italy game instead of Wes Hoolahan putting it on Robbie Brady's?"

I'd be surprised if Sweeney didn't consider this himself but he knows the answer would have been... "yes Eamonn, it would have been the exact same."

The worst thing is I don't think Sweeney is on Twitter, so we can't even set Danny on him.