named in championship team of the year...
https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2019...m-of-the-year/
He's a man of regular mistakes at club level.
named in championship team of the year...
https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2019...m-of-the-year/
Return to West Ham confirmed - https://www.whufc.com/news/articles/...est-ham-united
The Belfast Telegraph are reporting that he’s retiring from international duty. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/s...-39767925.html
Le monde est a nous
More good news.
The way things are going I don't think he'll be the last either...
Article is deleted and not reported anywhere else.
Strange one, wonder what's going on?
Maybe he saw the posts on here calling for him to be replaced by a teenager
He'd be a huge loss. I did say it a while ago, but I think for us he's been Given-level at times.
Author of Never Felt Better (History, Film Reviews).
Surely he needs the games considering he is not playing in the league for West Ham ~ ~ Has Covid -19 driven everyone Bonkers ?
I think we could do with having another go at the English to Unite the Country !
Fabianski injured in the warm up away to Everton today, so Randolph gets the start, his first appearance in the league this season.
Last edited by Colbert Report; 01/01/2021 at 4:55 PM.
It's actually good going by our standards to have had 21 different players make Premier League appearances by new year's day, I'd say it has been a few years since that has happened. Not sure where we might get any more from though, I can't think of any other Irish players looking close to a breakthrough in the division. I suppose Lewis Richards has been on the bench for Wolves so not beyond possibility that he might get a run at some stage.
Not wanting to wish any serious injury on anyone or anything but it would be good if Randolph got a reasonable run of games now over the next few weeks. Didn't have much to do today.
thread title says west brom which is confusing - thought perhaps big Sam had brought him in on loan.
I guess the best indicator will be the FA Cup 3rd round games, where we might hopefully see some players getting game time if they've been making an impact at U23 level - possibilities would include Mipo Odubeko, Will Ferry and Tyreik Wright. Although it might be equally important to see those in the 21, who haven't played much get more game time - so we'd be looking at Randolph, Le;;eher, Kevin Long, Dunne, Obafemi, Smallbone and Molumby
the 2014/15 season was the last time more than 20 Irish players had played in the Premier League before new year's day, 24 - Richard Dunne, Paul McShane, Steven Reid, John O'Shea, Damien Delaney, Glenn Whelan, Jonathan Walters, Aiden McGeady, Joey O'Brien, Robert Elliot, Kevin Doyle, Shane Long, Stephen Ireland, Stephen Quinn, Darron Gibson, James McCarthy, Marc Wilson, Stephen Ward, David Meyler, Ciaran Clark, Seamus Coleman, Kevin Long, Robbie Brady, and Reece Grego-Cox
There were 20 in 2015/16 - John O'Shea, Damien Delaney, Glenn Whelan, Jonathan Walters, Robert Elliot, Shane Long, Stephen Ireland, Darren Randolph, Darron Gibson, Wes Hoolahan, James McCarthy, Marc Wilson, Harry Arter, Ciaran Clark, Seamus Coleman, Eunan O'Kane, Robbie Brady, James McClean, Josh Cullen, and Kevin Toner
The most Irish players to have appeared in the league before New Years Day is 36, in both the 2009/10 and 2011/12 seasons
2009/10 - Stephen Carr, Lee Carsley, Rory Delap, Steve Finnan, Shay Given, Kevin Kilbane, Andy O'Brien, Damien Duff, Richard Dunne, Paul McShane, Robbie Keane, Steven Reid, Stephen Hunt, Keith Andrews, John O'Shea, Liam Lawrence, Andy Reid, Glenn Whelan, Caleb Folan, Kevin Foley, Keith Fahey, Stephen Kelly, Andy Keogh, Daryl Murphy, Kevin Doyle, Chris McCann, Stephen Ireland, Darron Gibson, James McCarthy, Marc Wilson, Stephen Ward, David Meyler, Ciaran Clark, Seamus Coleman, Jay O'Shea, and Greg Cunningham
2011/12 - Rory Delap, Shay Given, Damien Duff, Richard Dunne, Robbie Keane, Steven Reid, Paddy Kenny, Stephen Hunt, Keith Andrews, John O'Shea, Glenn Whelan, Kevin Foley, Jonathan Walters, Stephen Kelly, Keiren Westwood, Leon Best, Kevin Doyle, Shane Long, Stephen Ireland, Simon Cox, Darron Gibson, Wes Hoolahan, James McCarthy, Anthony Pilkington, Marc Wilson, Stephen Ward, Conor Sammon, David Meyler, Ciaran Clark, Shane Duffy, Seamus Coleman, Matt Doherty, Michael Harriman, James McClean, Anthony Forde, and Samir Carruthers
Fixed
It says a lot that we're at not much above half the number of PL players of ten years ago. Not that Championship players are necessarily rubbish, but the averages tell us something about the standard of the playing pool available to the national team.
You can't spell failure without FAI
30 players would play, on average, in every Premier League season, until the 2012-13 season, when 29 players appeared, and the number of Irish players declined every year after that, reaching a lowpoint of only 15 players in 2018/19(see below), but it's improved since with 21 players in 2019/20 and the current season. I actually think the 2017/18 season was worse, 17 players appeared, averaging 15.7 appearances each - the 15 players from the 2018/19 season averaged 17.66 appearances each.
Season Count Appearances Average 1992-93 32 763 23.84 1993-94 28 658 23.50 1994-95 25 602 24.08 1995-96 30 526 17.53 1996-97 35 561 16.03 1997-98 33 532 16.12 1998-99 31 579 18.68 1999-00 34 612 18.00 2000-01 32 672 21.00 2001-02 31 601 19.39 2002-03 36 699 19.42 2003-04 33 759 23.00 2004-05 28 641 22.89 2005-06 33 645 19.55 2006-07 26 549 21.12 2007-08 28 628 22.43 2008-09 26 505 19.42 2009-10 36 690 19.17 2010-11 30 589 19.63 2011-12 36 768 21.33 2012-13 29 575 19.83 2013-14 26 505 19.42 2014-15 25 480 19.20 2015-16 21 424 20.19 2016-17 18 399 22.17 2017-18 17 267 15.71 2018-19 15 265 17.67 2019-20 21 420 20.00 2020-21 21 154 7.33
FWIW I'd estimate the average number of appearances to be around 16.4 at the end of the season
There has definitely been a regression in the standard of the playing pool available. Not sure if it is entirely borne out by the fact that we are not much above half the number of PL players of ten years ago.
If you look at the 2011/2012 list, there are players who would definitely struggle to get into the PL today. The quality there has improved and, as a result, as has the quality at Championship level. There are plenty in there that somehow managed to get a look in at Premier League level that would not today and, in many cases, their career trajectories have shown that.
This is slightly less evident in the class of 2009/2010, but Jay O'Shea, Lawrence, Folan and Andy Keogh do not get into a present day top half Championship side, let alone get brought up to the Premier League should said side get promoted. Nor does a Premier League side purchase them. Cox and Sammon from the 2011/2012 class struck me similarly and I don't think Forde, Carruthers or Harriman were near the same standard as our other teenage debutants from this year and last.
Overall, I definitely agree with your point. But if you look at the young players getting their Premier League debuts, the money spent when Championship players sign for a Premier League club and the quality of the squads at the promoted sides this year I think it becomes apparent that Wigan buying Conor Sammon or Andy Keogh being promoted with and kept by Wolves does not occur today.
Having looked at the 2014/2015 group (with the numbers the same as this year's thus far), the only outlier I see there is Greego-Cox and, maybe, Stephen Quinn. That definitely shows the improvement in the Premier League in that short period but may also show a regression in our playing pool too.
Ultimately, though, our national side's fortunes should be the best measurement of the quality of our playing pool. Although, one could point to the numbers in 2014/2015 and our qualification for the Euros on 2016 and ask if we should quality for the World Cup in 2022 on the grounds of having comparable numbers. Qualification for a World Cup, however, is still more difficult (I think it is, even in spite of the changes to format?).
My assertions above are completely ignorant of the impact of a manager and coaching staff and style of play. Michael O'Neill and his Northern Ireland side show the importance of same.
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