Eligibility Rules, Okay

[sadloserkid]

To be honest it just looks like somebody declaring for the best team open to him really. Fairly mercenary I would have thought.

[Charlie Darwin]

I wouldn't really call that mercenary, just ambitious.

[geysir]

To be honest it just looks like somebody declaring for the best team open to him really. Fairly mercenary I would have thought.

Fairly mercenary? What are talking about? he's born and bred in Belgium and you say he's a mercenary for choosing Belgium? Is he the wrong colour or wrong ethnic background to choose Belgium without somebody branding him a mercenary? A Belgian with an ethnic background who chooses belgium is a mercenary??
There was no English choice available, that was just fantasy paper talk, he could have chosen Kosova but they cannot play competively, possibly he could have chosen the land of his mother, Albania but that didn't go too well, and possibly Turkey? grandparent? But he choses the land of his birth and you think he's a mercenary

[BonnieShels]

What he said.

So by SLK's logic Michael Keane and Martin Keown are mercenaries.

What does that make Andy Townsend or Mark Lawrenson then?

[Stuttgart88]

Really annoying pundits?

[BonnieShels]

Lawrenson is in a league of his own though.

[samhaydenjr]

Jesus, the BBC are still peddling this line: http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/27133764


Originally Posted by BBC Sport
Signed by United from Anderlecht for a reported fee of £297,000, Januzaj could have played for England from 2018 assuming he remained in the country.

Fifa rules state a player is eligible if "he has lived continuously for at least five years after reaching the age of 18 on the territory of the relevant association".

Crikey, the way people were talking about Januzaj, I thought he'd already been in England a few years and was on the verge of qualification for them - it's ridiculous to expect a player who's just had a breakthrough season for Manchester United to wait four years to play international football - they're sounding as desperate for eligible players as...well...us sometimes

[DannyInvincible]

Crikey, the way people were talking about Januzaj, I thought he'd already been in England a few years and was on the verge of qualification for them - it's ridiculous to expect a player who's just had a breakthrough season for Manchester United to wait four years to play international football - they're sounding as desperate for eligible players as...well...us sometimes

Whether he was to wait four years or not, he still wouldn't be eligible to play for England: http://sport.stv.tv/blog/242115-expl...y-for-england/

However under the terms of an agreement between England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, the Football Association have no hope of capping Januzaj should the opportunity present itself in 2018.

The "home nations" agreed to opt out of the residency rule in 2009. FIFA's statutes state that "associations sharing a common nationality", as is the case with the four nations, can make an agreement to remove the residency clause. Said agreement exists between the four associations.

As an alternative, the four nations can make a claim to naturalise a player if he received a minimum of five years education on the association's "territory" before his 18th birthday.

[tetsujin1979]

Islam Feruz has declared for Scotland under the education clause: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_Feruz

[sadloserkid]

I thought he was Albanian born. Apologies to one and all.

[BonnieShels]

Islam Feruz has declared for Scotland under the education clause: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_Feruz

He has played for them since U16, jaypers.

Anyone ever seen anything of him?

[Dunners]

Connor Wickham handed April award
Sunderland striker Connor Wickham was named Player of the Month.
The 21-year-old scored five times to take his team out of the drop zone, with key strikes against title contenders Manchester City and Chelsea.

Does any one have any further info on Martin's supposed interest in bringing this player on board - from last Nov

[SIZE=5]Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill is considering a move for England Under 21 striker Connor Wickham as he scours the English and Scottish leagues for new talent.[/SIZE]

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

Connor Wickham handed April award
Sunderland striker Connor Wickham was named Player of the Month.
The 21-year-old scored five times to take his team out of the drop zone, with key strikes against title contenders Manchester City and Chelsea.

Does any one have any further info on Martin's supposed interest in bringing this player on board - from last Nov

[SIZE=5]Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill is considering a move for England Under 21 striker Connor Wickham as he scours the English and Scottish leagues for new talent.[/SIZE]

He told Roy Keane that he has no interest in playing for Ireland. The only reason he is eligible is because his dad was a British Army officer who happened to be born in Ulster. He is not motivated to play for Ireland. He has extremely tenuous links to the country. He probably wouldn't get in the team if he did declare. Bemuses me why people want lads like this playing for our country.

Here's his dad's Twitter. https://twitter.com/Stefan8271

Clearly proud of his "Irish" heritage.

[Charlie Darwin]

He told Roy Keane that he has no interest in playing for Ireland. The only reason he is eligible is because his dad was a British Army officer who happened to be born in Ulster. He is not motivated to play for Ireland. He has extremely tenuous links to the country. He probably wouldn't get in the team if he did declare. Bemuses me why people want lads like this playing for our country.

Here's his dad's Twitter. https://twitter.com/Stefan8271

Clearly proud of his "Irish" heritage.

@MileyCyrus got ur Album and it's the only Album I have ever bought that I have never Hit next, and I am 42 :0/ Beat Album EVER

If MON was against James McClean being on Twitter, just imagine how he'd feel about this.

[Dunners]

Bemuses me why people want lads like this playing for our country

I feel I must apologise up front TOWK

I posted hoping for a response from you and you didn’t let me down. The fish took the bait.

Glad you did though as I had not realised that he had responded and had no interest in joining the cause.

And no we would not want lads like him joining the fold. However ,if he had any links to heritage then that’s another matter.

Whether or not he would get into the team is just based on opinion and you are entitled to yours.

[gastric]

He told Roy Keane that he has no interest in playing for Ireland. The only reason he is eligible is because his dad was a British Army officer who happened to be born in Ulster. He is not motivated to play for Ireland. He has extremely tenuous links to the country. He probably wouldn't get in the team if he did declare. Bemuses me why people want lads like this playing for our country.

Here's his dad's Twitter. https://twitter.com/Stefan8271



Clearly proud of his "Irish" heritage.

He has made his position clear and yet again TOWK you use it to make a point that you have made ad nauseam. There seems to be a bit of OCD at work here!

[ArdeeBhoy]

Would have liked to have seen him play for Albania. Don't think it was that long a shot to be honest. The early reports was that that was his preference.
Sounds like the Albanian FA screwed it up royally though. Boy I'd be pi$$ed if I was an Albanian fan right now

His heritage is from Kosovo. Not quite the same as Albanian...

[TheOneWhoKnocks]

He has made his position clear and yet again TOWK you use it to make a point that you have made ad nauseam. There seems to be a bit of OCD at work here!

We all have OCD in different ways, gastric. Some people feel compelled to enquire about prospective eligibility for players with remotely sounding Irish names, players who had parents/ grandparents serving in the British Army in Northern Ireland, ginger hair, players with Irish girlfriends (Matt Derbyshire). 95% of whom are bang average and not playing International football for their native country for very good reasons.

[Stuttgart88]

I think anyone who's a regular here has some kind of mental disorder.

[SkStu]

I think anyone who's a regular here has some kind of mental disorder.

SkStu definitely does.