Coventry City's Gary McSheffrey

**as_i_say** · 24/01/2006, 7:48 AM

Read in the metro this morning that Staunton was checking out this lad along with Michael Doyle at the weekend. Anyone know anything about him-erm is he irish?

**Stuttgart88** · 24/01/2006, 8:08 AM

He's been discussed here before. He's played for England U20 and is now 23. So, like Nolan, he's probably ineligible anyway.

Staunton and his emplkoyers would have been well advised not to mention nmaes without being 100% certain of their eligibility. It's quite embarassing. I've only really heard of this guy anyway, not really seen him. Would he be any better than any of the other Irish midfielders we have in the Championship (Quinn, Douglas, Miller, Whelan...)? I doubt it. Maybe Stan knows him from his Coventry days?

Doyle I'd like a look at, especially if he can play left-back.

**as_i_say** · 24/01/2006, 9:04 AM

yeah i would be disappointed too if he's looking to recruit lads like that but then again he could just be doing his job thoroughly and assessing all leads yknow.

either way, championship players are not going to cut it for us i think. We have had players that have been relegated with premiership clubs etc but lads playing for coventry and mid table/lower table clubs just wont cut it internationally.

Its worth looking at alan quinn, paddy kenny, kevin doyle, and even irelands favorite bench warmer at leeds but we're barrell scraping after that i reckon

**Stuttgart88** · 24/01/2006, 9:41 AM

Originally Posted by as_i_say

either way, championship players are not going to cut it for us i think. We have had players that have been relegated with premiership clubs etc but lads playing for coventry and mid table/lower table clubs just wont cut it internationally.

Its worth looking at alan quinn, paddy kenny, kevin doyle, and even irelands favorite bench warmer at leeds but we're barrell scraping after that i reckon

I've no problem picking Championship players, but they've got to be good Championship players.

I watched the last 35 mins of West Ham vs Fulham last night. I rarely watch a PL game with no Irish involvement. The closest Irish angle I could get to was hoping Konchesky would play badly so Clarke would come on!

But watching West Ham reinforced one of my most fundamentally held views on football: You don't need quality throughout to be a good team.

West Ham's a side that came up through the back door last year, bought a few good players (Benayoun for example) but invested in pretty much bog-standard Championship talent like Gabbidon & Collins. Konchesky was no world-beater but he's played really well. Hayden Mullins, Matt Etherington etc. are pretty average players, Harewood & Zamora likewise. But as a team they're quite a tidy, well-balanced unit & are comfortably mid-table. A team of predominantly decent players with a peppering of quality. I see no reason why Championship players can't cut it for Ireland in this context & I hope Staunton agrees.

Take left back: Mark Kennedy, Clarke (OK, he's a West ham sub), Doyle, Kevin Foley who played LB for Luton last week just might fill a gap for us. I remember Kenny Cunningham impressing for Ireland long before he ever did anything at club level. Sometimes it happens that way.

**pete** · 24/01/2006, 10:23 AM

Usually a manager gets a honeymoon period but Stauntons start has been less than encouraging such that i've already little confidence in him. Does he hasve no pride in the irish jersey trying to recruit very average foreigners instead of irish players?

**tetsujin1979** · 24/01/2006, 10:51 AM

Originally Posted by pete

Usually a manager gets a honeymoon period but Stauntons start has been less than encouraging such that i've already little confidence in him. Does he hasve no pride in the irish jersey trying to recruit very average foreigners instead of irish players?

Sweet Jebus! He's recruited exactly zero "average foreigners" and mentioned a grand total of one by name - Trundle.
When he lines out a team containing no Ireland-born players then criticise the man, but until then, lay off him

**zinedineontour** · 24/01/2006, 3:54 PM

Originally Posted by pete

Usually a manager gets a honeymoon period but Stauntons start has been less than encouraging such that i've already little confidence in him. Does he hasve no pride in the irish jersey trying to recruit very average foreigners instead of irish players?

ffs give the lad a chance ... Stan would recruit irish players if we had a decent pool which we dont .. He is right in looking at every angle possible and the friendlies will give him the chance to see how these players shape up ..

**Irish_Praha** · 27/01/2006, 8:32 AM

This guy is being honest about it but IMO it's the wrong attitude to have towards playing for Ireland. In fact it's exactly the attitude that ****es a lot of people off on this board.

http://www.eleven-a-side.com/boysing...p?newsid=20893

I don't know much about him, only that he scores regularly in the Championship and is 5ft8. So sounds like a bit of a Connolly to me and probably wouldn't add much to the squad.

Anyone else know a bit more about his style of play?

**zinedineontour** · 27/01/2006, 8:58 AM

Originally Posted by Irish_Praha

This guy is being honest about it but IMO it's the wrong attitude to have towards playing for Ireland. In fact it's exactly the attitude that ****es a lot of people off on this board.

http://www.eleven-a-side.com/boysing...p?newsid=20893

I don't know much about him, only that he scores regularly in the Championship and is 5ft8. So sounds like a bit of a Connolly to me and probably wouldn't add much to the squad.

Anyone else know a bit more about his style of play?

really dont see anything wrong in what he said .. If it wasnt for the " english irish " we would not have qualified for euro 88 or world cup 90 to be honest .. Give the lad a run and test him in the friendlies. .We have a very small pool and once he gives 100% ill support the lad like anyone else who wears the green ..

**co. down green** · 29/01/2006, 10:07 PM

In the link below he would be happy with Ireland or Scotland

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ty/4660534.stm

**Dodge** · 29/01/2006, 11:03 PM

Originally Posted by tetsujin1979

Sweet Jebus! He's recruited exactly zero "average foreigners" and mentioned a grand total of one by name - Trundle.
When he lines out a team containing no Ireland-born players then criticise the man, but until then, lay off him

No, he mentioned McSheffrey and Kitson by name too

**tetsujin1979** · 29/01/2006, 11:14 PM

Originally Posted by Dodge

No, he mentioned McSheffrey and Kitson by name too

not at the time I wrote that he hadn't

**pete** · 29/01/2006, 11:33 PM

Originally Posted by co. down green

In the link below he would be happy with Ireland or Scotland

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...ty/4660534.stm

Another insult to the irish jersey.

**onenilgameover** · 30/01/2006, 12:34 AM

Originally Posted by pete

Another insult to the irish jersey.

Its is a bit really. TBH I'm kinda between two stools. I wanna say thanks lad but ye can p!ss off with your Ireland or Scotland sh!te but can beggars be choosers? And do we need to beg for the likes of McSheffrey?

**Stuttgart88** · 30/01/2006, 7:17 AM

Not making any judgment whether he should be selected & I'm not even sure he's eligible, but McSheffrey was a class act for Coventry in the FA Cup at the weekend.

**pete** · 30/01/2006, 9:55 AM

Originally Posted by onenilgameover

I wanna say thanks lad but ye can p!ss off with your Ireland or Scotland sh!te but can beggars be choosers? And do we need to beg for the likes of McSheffrey?

That says it for me anyway. Do we have no pride?

**Dodge** · 30/01/2006, 10:16 AM

BTW Michael Doyle is a Pats supporter. And not just in name, he was a regular in Richmond Park... Coventry's player of the year last year...

**Roverstillidie** · 30/01/2006, 12:21 PM

Originally Posted by Dodge

BTW Michael Doyle is a Pats supporter. And not just in name, he was a regular in Richmond Park... Coventry's player of the year last year...

oh dear. will he pass the mandetory drugs test so?

**OwlsFan** · 18/01/2010, 4:42 PM

Mentioning his Irish credentials again:

http://www.irishpost.co.uk/tabId/320...he-Republ.aspx

Says he is more Irish than some of the Republic squad. He might have thought of that before his career went in to decline and he played for England at junior level. No sure he'd add much to our squad.