IF Giovanni Trapattoni is to be believed, ‘there is no league in Ireland’.
Any manager in Britain worth his salt knows better because the domestic game has provided a conveyor belt of talent across the Irish Sea.
SunSport has trawled through the squad lists of the 92 English league and 12 SPL clubs to assess just how big an exporting market the League of Ireland has been.
And our figures show there are a staggering SIXTY-ONE players on the books of 48 different clubs.
....
Irish exports
PREMIER LEAGUE (11)
ASTON VILLA: Enda Stevens (UCD/St Pat’s/ Shamrock Rov).
EVERTON: Séamus Coleman* (Sligo Rov), Ben McLaughlin (Dundalk).
NORWICH CITY: Wes Hoolahan* (Shelbourne).
QPR: Brian Murphy (Bohemians).
READING: Noel Hunt* (Shamrock Rov/Waterford Utd), Karl Sheppard (Galway Utd/Shamrock Rov), Pierce Sweeney (Bray Wands).
SUNDERLAND: James McClean* (Derry City).
WEST BROM: Shane Long* (Cork City).
WEST HAM: Sean Maguire (Waterford Utd).
CHAMPIONSHIP (17)
BIRMINGHAM CITY: Keith Fahey* (Drogheda Utd/St Pat’s).
BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION: Gary Dicker (UCD).
BURNLEY: Daniel Lafferty** (Derry City).
CHARLTON ATHLETIC: Kevin Feely (Bohemians).
CRYSTAL PALACE: Damien Delaney* (Cork City).
DERBY COUNTY: Conor Sammon (UCD/Derry City).
HULL CITY: David Meyler* (Cork City), Stephen Quinn (St Pat’s).
IPSWICH TOWN: Daryl Murphy* (Waterford Utd).
MILLWALL: David Forde* (Galway Utd/Derry City).
NOTTINGHAM FOREST: Stephen McLaughlin (Finn Harps/Derry City).
PETERBOROUGH UTD: Daniel Kearns (Dundalk).
SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY: Paul Corry (UCD).
WOLVES: Matt Doherty (Bohemians), Kevin Doyle* (St Pat’s/Cork City), Aaron McCarey (Monaghan Utd) Stephen Ward* (Bohemians).
LEAGUE ONE (13)
BRENTFORD: Jonathan Douglas* (Monaghan Utd).
COVENTRY CITY: Roy O’Donovan (Cork City).
DONCASTER ROVERS: Paul Keegan (Drogheda Utd/Bohemians).
LEYTON ORIENT: Leon McSweeney (Cork City), David Mooney (Shamrock Rov/Longford Town/Cork City).
MK DONS: Shaun Williams (Drogheda Utd/ Dundalk/Finn Harps/Sporting Fingal), Jay O’Shea (Bray Wands/Galway Utd).
PRESTON: Graham Cummins (Cork City).
SCUNTHORPE UTD: Jordan Keegan (St Pat’s/Monaghan Utd).
SHREWSBURY TOWN: Dave McAllister (Drogheda Utd/Shelbourne/St Pat’s).
STEVENAGE FC: Don Cowan (Shamrock Rovers/Longford Town).
YEOVIL TOWN: Paddy Madden (Shelbourne/Bohemians), Kevin Dawson (Sporting Fingal/Shelbourne).
LEAGUE TWO (9)
ACCRINGTON STANLEY: Padraig Amond (Shamrock Rov/Kildare County/Sligo Rovers).
BRADFORD CITY: Carl McHugh (Dundalk).
BRISTOL ROVERS: Mark McChrystal (Derry City).
BURTON ALBION: John McGrath (Limerick).
CHELTENHAM TOWN: Alan Bennett* (Cork City).
EXETER CITY: John O’Flynn (Cork City), Jimmy Keohane (Wexford Youths).
ROCHDALE: Brian Barry-Murphy (Cork City).
SOUTHEND UTD: Graham Coughlan (Bray Wanderers).
SPL (11)
ABERDEEN: Niall McGinn** (Derry).
CELTIC: Paddy McCourt** (Shamrock Rov/Derry City).
DUNDEE UTD: Sean Dillon (Longford/Shelbourne), Richie Ryan (Sligo Rov).
HIBERNIAN: Gary Deegan (Shelbourne/ Kilkenny City/Longford Town/Galway Utd/Bohemians), Eoin Doyle (Shamrock Rov/Sligo Rov).
INVERNESS CT: Richie Foran (St Pat’s/Shels/Home Farm), Conor Pepper (St Pat’s).
ROSS COUNTY: Sam Morrow (Derry City).
ST JOHNSTONE: Alan Mannus** (Shamrock Rov).
ST MIRREN: Graham Carey (Bohemians).
TOTAL: 61.
* Ireland internationals; ** Northern Ireland internationals.
TOP EXPORTERS:
11: Cork City (old club & new). 9: Derry City (old club & new), Shamrock Rovers. 8: Bohemians, St Pat’s. 7: Shelbourne. 4: Drogheda Utd, Dundalk, Galway Utd*, Longford Town, Sligo Rovers, UCD. 3: Bray Wanderers, Monaghan Utd*, Waterford Utd. 2: Finn Harps, Sporting Fingal. 1: Home Farm*, Kildare County*, Kilkenny City* Limerick FC, Wexford Youths. *no longer a league club
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