I'm not actually convinced Johnston is good enough anyway, I could be wrong but I reckon he'll be at somewhere like Motherwell or St Mirren in three years time. We have far better young players coming through.
It's mostly grandparent qualifications here now alright, we'll soon be getting to the stage where it's like Liverpool where a lot of people from an Irish background would be one generation too far back to qualify. My own kid, for example, would only qualify through me (I'm Irish), would be a generation too far back on my wife's side.
The connection is still incredibly strong though and a lot of people around here would be Ireland first and Scotland second when it comes to football despite being born here and having lived all their lives in Scotland. I remember watching two young lads in kilts kicking a football around at a wedding a few years ago so I asked them if they wanted to play for Scotland when they were older. The reply was no, we're going to play for Ireland!
Keane O'Shea Given Best Smallbone
How bizarre is that though? I assuming the SFA are such bigots that they have scared off the nationalist side of the community?Originally Posted by Eirambler
I think, in general, there just isn't that strong a link between Celtic FC and Scotland, and Celtic have a huge hold over Catholics in Glasgow. From my experience most of the Tartan Army would be supporters of non old firm teams. Celtic fans will often have less interest in international football and a lot of them (though not all) would feel more of a connection to the Ireland team than the Scotland one. I think Scotland not qualifying for anything for two decades has an impact as well.
Keane O'Shea Given Best Smallbone
In that context, I wonder what would a young Andy Robertson have wanted? Could use a player of his ability playing for us.
I had heard of his connection to Mayo before - but hadn't realised he's been involved in any of our underage sides.
http://www.mayonews.ie/sports/33803-...is-set-to-come
He hasn't really featured for our 19s, has he? I think he was in a few 18s squads. He's keen. Mayo have a habit of blowing up their own so I'd be interested to see how he actually is progressing.
Asked the question there in their Development Etc thread
- https://www.foxestalk.co.uk/forum/1-...er-city-forum/
We'll see if I get any sensible replies, that place is usually just noise.
Cheers Craft.
It's funny- I have the luxury of being apprehensive on his progression because of the embarrassment of riches we have at that level. I only referenced our abundance of midfielders the other day at that age and Tee didn't come into my mind such was the number of options (Connell, Bolger, Knight, Molumby- though overage for 19s- etc.).
Two responses saying he's well short of the first team and, TBF, that seems about right, considering he only played seven times this season for their U23s (https://int.soccerway.com/players/conor-tee/453844/). I think the Mayo News got a bit over-excited that a teenager with links to Mayo had moved up to U23 level for a recent EPL winner. That said he's still making good progress, having gone from playing 24 games in 16/17 without scoring to banging in 9 in 21 appearances in 17/18. So let's see if he can cement himself and impress in the U23s next season and take it from there in 2020/21
He has been offered a new deal according to this
- https://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/s...r-city-2956893
& 10 players, including a lot of this years u23s have been released.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/footb...ap-derby-rory/
Reports that Liam Delap, son of Rory, is off for Man City.
forget about Delap - no way he switches back - and Southgate will cap him if he signs for Man C.
Wouldn’t be too sure about that:
And with his 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.”
https://www.irishpost.com/sport/rory...w-weapon-19520
Cheers for that. 5 years ago too- the lad was surely running laps around everyone at 11. He's faced with a major scenario though in that he's been given the platform for a move to City through his England exposure.
It's a pity his old fella only earned 11 caps. I hadn't realised it was so low. A pity we had so many options when Delap was about. Plenty in midfield. And even when he moved to right back for a bit, he's within a year or two of age of all of Finnan, Kelly and Carr.
One point Id like to make in relation to our selection of youth and duel nationality players …. for all the "what would Wales do" people out there
Wales are 2nd last in their group as we speak
Apparently McCarthy asked about Karlan Grant of Huddersfield. Not on his radar was the response.
Embarrassment of riches I guess up front ................
Grant doesn't qualify.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/pundita...lan-grant/amp/
Thanks
I love how we have about a dozen promising young strikers, four or five of whom look like they could be real stars, and yet we still worry that a player like Delap could be "the one that got away". It's like we have this fatalistic view that all the forwards coming through will either flop, have careers blighted by injury, or will defect to England. Of course, Delap will probably now score fifty for England. Well at least it would make playing for England a more challenging prospect for Oko-Flex, should we need him.
It's just that we are a greedy bunch of b. stards who want anyone with any affinity to play in green! No problem with that. ��
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