Potentially eligible players thread

[Dodge]

We dont have a strong enough league to take advantage of the residency rules like some countries so we need to take any advantage while we can.

You could always try building the league up...

[Stuttgart88]

I'm being a bit lazy and not going through the previous posts for the context of Dodge and Razor's exchange, but I think it's fair to say that the residency rules do favour those countries with major leagues. Young foreign players are more likely to go to a top English club's academy than a junior club in Ireland or a LOI club's set-up. I don't think it's controversial or disrespectful to say that the LOI isn't as strong as England, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland etc in its ability to attract foreign players of international potential.

I'm not sure what Dodge means by "building the league up": do you mean talking about it more favourably or actually investing in it?

I've heard the FAI has asked the Dept of Foreign Affairs for some leniency in attracting foreign footballers as a means of establishing Ireland as a "stepping stone league" for non-EU footballers, possibly brining money to Irish clubs. It would make sense, and if a young player became Irish-eligble by residency then great. God knows we have suffered enough at the feet of residency-qualified players in the past (Belgium & Switzerland)!

[SkStu]

You could always try building the league up...

you could always do both...

[Stuttgart88]

International football was definitely devalued when Lapira was capped, and not because of his birthplace or ancestry! You could say the same wrt Alan O'Brien, but at least he was quick.

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

International football was definitely devalued when Lapira was capped, and not because of his birthplace or ancestry! You could say the same wrt Alan O'Brien, but at least he was quick.

Let us not forget Terry Mancini, Tony Cascarino and Bernie Slaven.

And terrible though he was, Alan O'Brien was actually Irish.

[Stuttgart88]

That's what I was trying to say: even though he was actually Irish O'Brien's selection devalued international football. I'll never forget his first touch in Stuttgart.

Cascarino's mother was 1G Irish. She was the adopted daughter of an Irishman. In most rational people's eyes, and in law, adoption is as good as birth in conveying nationality. He was trying to promote his book when he made a fuss over his alleged non-qualification. He passes my gut test, which is what often passes as the benchmark around here. My local chipper in Rathfarnham was run by his family. Further proof!

[Charlie Darwin]

Jesus, that was the same family? I thought they just really liked him there.

[Stuttgart88]

I thought the same: if you're going to pretend you're Italian you can pick a better name than Cascarino.

But they said they were cousins, though if his Irish mother was O'Malley why would his Irish cousins all be Cascarinos? 25 years later it dawns on me that maybe they were bulsh1tting me.

[paul_oshea]

Someone saying it is no good unless geysir agrees and confirms.

[Razors left peg]

You could always try building the league up...

I would but Im kinda busy at the moment :P

Im a big LOI fan Dodge ( Especially now that Galway are back again) and I wish the league was a lot stronger but that is a whole other debate. Personally I would like to see the whole thing scrapped and started again with central contracts and a center of excellence that young players could graduate from every year and get drafted into the league.

[geysir]

Someone saying it is no good unless geysir agrees and confirms.

I only get involved on occasion with certified bulsh**ters

[geysir]

I thought the same: if you're going to pretend you're Italian you can pick a better name than Cascarino.

But they said they were cousins, though if his Irish mother was O'Malley why would his Irish cousins all be Cascarinos? 25 years later it dawns on me that maybe they were bulsh1tting me.

Wasn't there some story when Ireland were at Italia 90, Cas was saying his cousins by the score were begging him for 1/4 final tickets?
His dad was italian so I guess his dad's relations made over to Ireland.
I think you're okay, the chips you had were bona fide, Cascarino chips.

[Charlie Darwin]

I would but Im kinda busy at the moment :P

Im a big LOI fan Dodge ( Especially now that Galway are back again) and I wish the league was a lot stronger but that is a whole other debate. Personally I would like to see the whole thing scrapped and started again with central contracts and a center of excellence that young players could graduate from every year and get drafted into the league.

Honestly don't see how you can reconcile these two statements.

[Dodge]

I would but Im kinda busy at the moment :P

Im a big LOI fan Dodge ( Especially now that Galway are back again) and I wish the league was a lot stronger but that is a whole other debate. Personally I would like to see the whole thing scrapped and started again with central contracts and a center of excellence that young players could graduate from every year and get drafted into the league.

Central contracts won't work in European football.

I'm not sure what Dodge means by "building the league up": do you mean talking about it more favourably or actually investing in it?

Invest in it.

If you want a league strong enough to attract foreign players, you're going to have to pay for it.

I don't think it's controversial or disrespectful to say that the LOI isn't as strong as England, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland etc in its ability to attract foreign players of international potential.

No one could possibly argue that it's strong enough now.

[Stuttgart88]

That's what I presumed you were saying, thanks.

wrt why central contracts won't work in European football. Is this because it would be illegal or unworkable?

I think an equivalent situation would be "third party ownership" (TPO) where individual "investors" or pools of investors have an economic share in footballers' economic rights (transfer fees and other financial claims). TPO isn't universally illegal as far as I know, rather some leagues such as the EPL require TPO rights to be extinguished if a player signs for a EPL club. But TPO is widespread in other leagues such as Portugal's. There are arguments in its favour but on balance, in my opinion, TPO provides a charter for all kinds of spivs and crooks to have access to football's wealth. UEFA is trying to regulate TPO without fully banning it, as far as I know. On that basis, I think special cases could be made for national associations to own players' registrations.

Beyond this, I think FIFpro is actually making a challenge to the whole legality of the transfer market.

I do think that offering work permits to non-EU players in exchange for a fee could be a useful source of income for LOI clubs, if properly regulated and overseen.

[Razors left peg]

Honestly don't see how you can reconcile these two statements.

Ive been going to Terryland since I was a baby so I do love LOI football because its the highest level of football we can watch in this country on a regular basis. That does not mean that I stick my head in the sand and think that the League is perfect, its far from it. I think radical change is needed if we ever want to have a league that will attract big crowds on a regular basis and league that we can select players to go directly into the national team. There is plenty of talent in the country and I would love for the top young players to have the option to stay here and still get the very best coaching available. Countries as small as ourselves are able to manage it and sell their players to bigger clubs for fees in the millions rather than the pittance that they leave the LOI.

I dont know if central contracts would work but at the moment there is no prospect of a fully professional league flourishing in the country and so change has to me made to improve. If that means scrapping the whole thing and starting again then so be it...... I dont think there is a hope in hell it will happen by the way so for now I just have to be excite that Galway FC are back in the league

[Stuttgart88]

The whole structure of Irish football needs changing: governance, league design, the whole lot. Rip it up, start again. Reboot.

Just look at the SFAI v DDSL standoff at the moment and the alleged financial relationship between FAI and DDSL.

Once we have a more joined up and enlightened superstructure I think the League itself will benefit even in the absence of wholesale League-specific change, though investment would no doubt help. Once this has all happened we can look at what the impact is on the LOI clubs and the League and make changes accordingly. Or rather, simply making cosmetic changes to the League without any other change will have little effect.

[Olé Olé]

Was thinking about what other countries have a strong diaspora in foreign countries and remembered that Marouane Chamakh is French-born and playing for Morocco. It turns out that only 7 of their last 23-man squad were born in Morocco. The rest have been born, primarily, in France and the Netherlands; two countries with excellent structures for cultivating talented young footballers. There's probably a comparison to be drawn there with Ireland's links with England. The whole issue of nurture and nature is also a factor. Oh so many variables really.

Is Nuri Sahin a better Turkish international for being schooled in football in his birthland of Germany? Are Ilkay Gundogan and Mesut Ozil better German internationals due to being trained in their birthland of Germany and/or were they born with the talent that is gushing around their Turkish blood?

[gastric]

Was thinking about what other countries have a strong diaspora in foreign countries and remembered that Marouane Chamakh is French-born and playing for Morocco. It turns out that only 7 of their last 23-man squad were born in Morocco. The rest have been born, primarily, in France and the Netherlands; two countries with excellent structures for cultivating talented young footballers. There's probably a comparison to be drawn there with Ireland's links with England. The whole issue of nurture and nature is also a factor. Oh so many variables really.



Is Nuri Sahin a better Turkish international for being schooled in football in his birthland of Germany? Are Ilkay Gundogan and Mesut Ozil better German internationals due to being trained in their birthland of Germany and/or were they born with the talent that is gushing around their Turkish blood?

Damn fine questions, now please find the bloody answers!

[gastric]

Buckley supposedly on offer at 4 million sterling, seems a bit much tbh!

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/footba...ighton-3077015