This the tweet to which you're referring?: https://twitter.com/EmeraldExiles/st...77056918200320
And what would you make of bringing this dual national Finnish international into the Irish set-up, TOWK?Originally Posted by The Emerald Exiles
Daniel wants to represent Ireland according to that website's Twitter account, however I cannot find any direct quotes from the player himself.
This the tweet to which you're referring?: https://twitter.com/EmeraldExiles/st...77056918200320
And what would you make of bringing this dual national Finnish international into the Irish set-up, TOWK?Originally Posted by The Emerald Exiles
according to various articles on the same site, both brothers want to play for the Republic
There's quotes here from Patrick: http://theemeraldexiles.com/2013/11/...essy-brothers/
doesn't appear to be any direct quotes from Daniel, but there's references in a few articles that they both are in Noel King's thoughtsLast year, Patrick who has Europa League experience with his club MyPa, told The Irish Sun that he wanted to represent Ireland ahead of Finland.
“I feel more Irish than Finnish. I think maybe it has to do with my personality and it would make my father very proud if I played for Ireland.
“I have never had any contact from the FAI but I would prefer to play for Ireland if possible.”
e.g. http://theemeraldexiles.com/2014/04/...-oshaughnessy/
http://theemeraldexiles.com/2013/12/...-oshaughnessy/Born and bred in Finland, O’Shaughnessy and his brother qualify for Ireland through their father Robert, who was born in Galway. Despite representing Finland at various underage levels, both have indicated their preference to play for the Republic of Ireland with Under 21 boss Noel King known to have been in touch with the family.
What is it about these players trying to get international call ups every time a microphone is put in front of them?Under 21 boss Noel King is aware of their intention, and is reported to have made contact with the brothers, ensuring them they are being monitored.
He's wants to play for Ireland even though he is good enough to play for his own country, same as James McCarthy or Aiden McGeady. There are a large number of players declaring for Ireland - not all - because they simply aren't good enough to play for their own country and because they want to increase their profile/earning power. I think the Grandparent rule is ridiculous to be quite frank and taken advantage of. I have no problems with the parentage rule. If we lost players like McCarthy or McGeady because of that so be it. In the long-run, I think we have enough talented Irish players available for selection without bringing in English mercenaries. I actually would have less of a problem with the Grandparentage rule if it was restricted to players who came up with Ireland youth teams.
Last edited by DannyInvincible; 02/08/2014 at 12:16 AM.
TOWK, what evidence do you have that players are declaring for us on the basis that they can't get a game for their supposed country? This seems to imply there is a particular age where you must declare, or if not, you can be declared a mercenary. For many, nationality is a journey, particularly those of a mixed background. One of my daughters is proud and very aware of her Irish heritage, the other couldn't care less. This doesn't mean she will not come to appreciate her background in time which I really believe will happen.
Ben Glasgow has signed for Isthmian League Division One side Harlow Town: http://www.harlowtownfootballclub.co...s-1262350.html
I don't see how dual-identity is intrinsic with what national team you declare for. There are loads of very successful England players, past and present, who don't need to declare eligibility for a country to discover or prove their Irishness.
There is a lengthy list of players that have bounced between Ireland, NI, Scotland and England after being snubbed from one team or other. Jim O'Brien, Alex Pearce, Johnny Gorman, Carl Magnay, Alex Bruce, Callum Morris off the top of my head. Then there are the highly touted dual-identity players testing the water at underage level - Keane's, Crowley's, Bamford's... You would forgive me for thinking that their decisions are driven more by career than sentiment.
Then there are Harry Kane, Kyle Naughton and Mark Noble - all reasonably talented players - that don't seem to be in any rush to declare for Ireland but generate plenty of column inches.
Now I am not having a go at dual-identity men and women. As I have said, there are plenty of England Internationals who have Ireland heritage. Declaring for Ireland is often not a barometer of a person's Irishness.
And Wilson, McClean and Gibson really shouldn't come into the equation. That's a humanitarian issue and should be kept separate from discussions of lads like Cox, Green and Pilkington.
http://www1.skysports.com/transfer/n...p-at-blackburn
Anthony O'Connor ready to step up at Blackburn.
http://www.crawleynews.co.uk/O-CONNO...ail/story.html
Emmett O'Connor speaks.
http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co...ail/story.html
Rory Donnelly out for 3 months.
Maybe such decisions are driven by a bit of both at times. No point denying it. We don't live in your ideal world where footballers haven't got a livelihood to think about either. Who are you to say what their motivations are really? I'm not at all saying we should be chasing after every Tom, Dick and Harry with an Irish grandmother, but if someone is Irish, has all the necessary documentation to prove it, their heart seems to be in it, the management are happy that they're in it for the right reasons and they can offer something to our squad, why the need to be so extreme, inflexible and purist about it? Why not take them at face value and accept their word in good faith?
It's not their fault if people in the media want to devote time and columns to idle speculation.Then there are Harry Kane, Kyle Naughton and Mark Noble - all reasonably talented players - that don't seem to be in any rush to declare for Ireland but generate plenty of column inches.
Hehe, a humanitarian issue? I've never heard the player eligibility issue being referred to as such before, but it did raise a chuckle! How do you feel about the likes of Niall McGinn and those who've been lost to the dark side forever then? You reckon they're the victims of a humanitarian crisis?And Wilson, McClean and Gibson really shouldn't come into the equation. That's a humanitarian issue and should be kept separate from discussions of lads like Cox, Green and Pilkington.
Ideally, you'd rather Cox, Green and Pilkington weren't playing for us then, simply because you suspect them to be mercenaries, in spite of their expressed pride in their Irish heritage? Have I got that right?
Last edited by DannyInvincible; 02/08/2014 at 7:12 PM.
Sean Kavanagh was a second half substitute for Fulham in their 1-0 win over Çaykur Rizespor yesterday: http://www.fulhamfc.com/first-team/2...aykur-rizespor
Hard to tell if this was a first team game or not
Reading squad numbers were announced a few weeks ago, including Liam Kelly, Shane Griffin, Sean Long and Niall Keown (was his allegiance ever confirmed?): http://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/arti...4-1756693.aspx
Griffin and Long were around the first team setup last season, this is a promotion for Kelly.
He played against Yeovil - http://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/arti...g-1769532.aspx - and Boreham Wood - http://www.readingfc.co.uk/news/arti...i-1787010.aspx - in recent pre season games
according to this - http://www.stokecityfc.com/news/arti...t-1570985.aspx - there were contracts offered to Ryan O'Reilly and Mason Watkins-Clark at the end of last season, but I can't find any confirmation the deals were signed
also, no mentions of either player on Stoke's website in the last two months. Curiouser and curiouser
First blog of the new season: Irish goalscorers for July 2014: http://irish-abroad.appspot.com/Blog...69101970644301
Aidy White has a fractured foot, Noel Hunt makes his comeback!
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.u...foot-1-6765483
Lawrence and James Collins tipped to star at Shrewsbury this season.
http://the72.co.uk/12582/4-shrewsbur...press-in-1415/
Last edited by gastric; 04/08/2014 at 4:31 AM.
Ian Holloway on Aiden O'Brien, certainly challenging him to step up.
http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/sport/millwall/11384620._/
Well let's just put it this way. Wilson, McClean and Gibson were all born on this island, hold Irish passports, self-identify as Irish and are entitled to play for Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland due to the Good Friday Agreement. That's a bit different to the likes of Cox, Green and Pilkington being born in England, holding English passports, self-identifying as English, only getting Irish passports after they decide they want to play International football and playing for Ireland, frankly, because they aren't good enough to play for their own country. That's what I meant when I said "humanitarian" i.e. Good Friday Agreement. I feel Niall McGinn is perfectly entitled to represent the country he was born and bred in. He would have been equally entitled to represent the Republic too.
Ideally, it would be changed to parentage rather than grandparentage; or alternatively players should come up through youth teams. If we became a worse team for it, I could accept that - I doubt we would.
I don't make the rules. Pilkington would/would have been in any squad on merit though. I think it's ridiculous that players like Cox and Green get called up though. They are not good enough. I would prefer the message it would send out if every U-19 and every U-21 player believed they had a genuine chance of making a senior breakthrough and their path to the senior team would not be restricted by people in their mid to late twenties who have given up on playing for England.
Anthony O'Connor on loan to Plymouth Argyle until January: http://www.pafc.co.uk/news/article/a...m-1801904.aspx
he was sent off on the last day of last season, so he's suspended for the season opener on Saturday
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