Potentially eligible players thread

**rebelmusic** · 31/01/2014, 2:05 PM

Can't ye take this to the eligibility thread? This used to be a very interesting thread....

**TheOneWhoKnocks** · 31/01/2014, 2:10 PM

Why do these guys even have a thread? Nolan isn't eligible. O'Hara doesn't want to play for Ireland for similar reasons to Curtis Davies. Noble hasn't once talked about playing for Ireland.

**Charlie Darwin** · 31/01/2014, 2:46 PM

Check out the date the thread was started.

**SkStu** · 31/01/2014, 2:48 PM

It was started in 2009 when these players were being chased. It has now morphed into general chit-chat about potential players.

Agree with rebelmusic that talk about the mechanics of eligibility be kept to its own thread. It makes my brain hurt. We get nordie players cos it's written into the Good Friday Agreement. S'all you need to know.

**Charlie Darwin** · 31/01/2014, 2:51 PM

I think it'd be better if the Eligibility Rules thread be kept for discussing the rules as they are, rather than people saying "I think it should be parentage only blah blah blah"

**TheOneWhoKnocks** · 31/01/2014, 2:59 PM

Originally Posted by Charlie Darwin

I think it'd be better if the Eligibility Rules thread be kept for discussing the rules as they are, rather than people saying "I think it should be parentage only blah blah blah"

I don't remember saying blah blah blah at any point so I'm not sure why that's in quotation marks.

**Charlie Darwin** · 31/01/2014, 3:08 PM

I wasn't really quoting anybody, it was just a general thing.

**DannyInvincible** · 31/01/2014, 3:23 PM

Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks

Not being myopic and looking at it from a Scottish perspective, I can fully understand their frustrations about McCarthy and McGeady playing for Ireland. Conor Clifford is of Scottish descent. If he declared for Scotland whilst at Chelsea, Irish fans would be going apes***.

If fans don't like it, that's tough. It's the player's prerogative. Anyhow, we've also lost players as a result of the rule allowing players to switch association once, but I don't recall there being any widespread outrage directed towards them or the benefitting associations. Most of us are mature enough to acknowledge the decision rests with the player and can wish him the best in his choice.

Originally Posted by SkStu

We get nordie players cos it's written into the Good Friday Agreement. S'all you need to know.

I won't bite.

**CraftyToePoke** · 31/01/2014, 11:19 PM

Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks

Kevin Kilbane is one of the exceptions and of course he had Irish parentage - which I believe is the line at where eligibility should end. You mention Paul Green. The lad didn't even know he was eligible until his Grandfather told him. It's just a bit strange to me. He doesn't know/Grandad doesn't know he's Irish?? Anyways, eligibility isn't up to me and as you say, ultimately, if they play for the shirt, that's all that matters.

I hadn't realised or ever heard this was the case with Green. I did hear him say he was aware of his eligibility but as he was a lower league player when breaking through he didn't give any thought to international football of any kind. Where did he say he never knew he was eligible ?

**DannyInvincible** · 02/02/2014, 2:52 PM

I note Will Keane also joined Kevin Doyle on loan at QPR. He's the brother that is definitely still eligible to play for us.

I'm not sure if Michael is still eligible, however, as he lined out for our under-17s before playing competitively for England at under-age level. If those under-17 games for us were competitive fixtures, he'll already have used up his option to switch association once. Can anyone clarify whether or not they were competitive?

**SkStu** · 02/02/2014, 3:01 PM

It would appear so from this http://www.alltimesoccer.com/alltime...vs_austria_u17

**tetsujin1979** · 02/02/2014, 4:08 PM

Originally Posted by DannyInvincible

I note Will Keane also joined Kevin Doyle on loan at QPR. He's the brother that is definitely still eligible to play for us.

I'm not sure if Michael is still eligible, however, as he lined out for our under-17s before playing competitively for England at under-age level. If those under-17 games for us were competitive fixtures, he'll already have used up his option to switch association once. Can anyone clarify whether or not they were competitive?

only a few pages back Danny: http://foot.ie/threads/119079-Kevin-...=1#post1721886

**DannyInvincible** · 02/02/2014, 4:10 PM

Hehe, had a feeling it might have been confirmed already but couldn't quite put my finger on it.

**peadar1987** · 03/02/2014, 11:12 AM

Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks

The majority of players that declare for Ireland are doing so out of financial reasons and sporting reasons not sentimental reasons. Diego Costa declaring for Spain and Eduardo declaring for Croatia is also disgraceful for different reasons but at least these countries are getting world class players.

You can't possibly know that though. And what's the solution anyway? Ban the Kilbanes, McCarthys and McGeadys, just in case the Lawrences don't see themselves as fully Irish? That's unworkable, and a bit daft.

**Stuttgart88** · 03/02/2014, 12:09 PM

I think the rules are fine. At the margins they are abused, like any rule. Any thought of denying 2G Irish the opportunity to play for us smacks of some De Valera like idealised notion of Irishness.

**Gather round** · 03/02/2014, 1:05 PM

Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

I think the rules are fine. At the margins they are abused, like any rule. Any thought of denying 2G Irish the opportunity to play for us smacks of some De Valera like idealised notion of Irishness

I thought it was his notion of Spanishness that was idealised (ie imaginary)?

**gastric** · 03/02/2014, 9:21 PM

This article would seem to indicate that Flanagan is not eligible for us which was what was mentioned earlier in the thread.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...ield-hero.html

**DannyInvincible** · 23/02/2014, 9:03 AM

I was looking through the Emerald Exiles site that TOWK posted in the Selçuk Tidim thread and came across Salford-born Sean Tse, formerly of Manchester City, who was called up to our under-17s for two friendly fixtures in 2009. He qualifies for us by virtue of his maternal grandparentage. I don't think he ever played for us, however, whilst his Wikipedia article states that "he absented these two matches", whatever that means exactly... Did he pull out through injury or did he simply reject the invitation? Who knows?

I'm pretty sure I'd come across his curiously bicultural name before somewhere (possibly in Football Manager), but don't think I'd known of his eligibility. He's now 20 and playing for South China in the Hong Kong First Division League. Admittedly, that's well below the standard at which we'd be hoping for our international representatives to be playing, whilst it also seems the Hong Kong international side are keen to make him part of their plans, but just thought him an interesting one of "ours abroad" that I've not really seen mentioned on here nonetheless.

Originally Posted by Wikipedia

Tse is eligible for Republic of Ireland through his maternal grand-parentage. Tse was called for Republic of Ireland national under-17 football team in April 2009 to two under-17 friendlies against Poland national under-17 football team but he absented these two matches.^[8][9]

He has also shown interest in joining the Hong Kong national football team and was listed on the training squad roster for the 2013 EAFF East Asian Cup in 2012.^[10] He was then called up by Kim Pan-Gon, the head coach of Hong Kong national football team, for the 2013 Guangdong–Hong Kong Cup.