Gibraltar (H) - Sat, 11th Oct. / Germany (A) - Tues, 14th Oct.

[Olé Olé]

Why is Stephen Kelly in the squad when he hasn't started a league game for one reason or other since the turn of the year? Why is Andy Reid getting called up when he is only playing league games with injections? Why are Simon Cox, Paul Green and Conor Sammon in the squad when they are not good enough?

There is not much to argue about with the squad selections but there is still grounds for concern. As big as the squad is there isn't a player in it who didn't feature under Trapattoni. We aren't brimming with full backs so why isn't Matt Doherty of Wolves getting in the squad? Why isn't Eunan O'Kane getting in the squad?

It's pretty unimaginative. They should try and bring a couple of players through on form. Poland have loads of players on minus ten caps getting call ups for competitive duty. We seem to be straitjacketing ourselves by only calling up players who already have over 5 caps - regardless of their suitability.

Left-back is a serious problem. Stephen Ward isn't getting first team football. Joey O'Brien is not available. They have to try and do something about it. For sheer lack of depth there, Tommie Hoban or Ian Bermingham should be called up to get assessed in person. WTF happens if Ward and Wilson are unavailable at the same time? It's not like we can ask O'Shea to fill in there anymore.

I'll concur with the point about bringing in players to assess them in person. When you pick a bullked squad of 37 players before trimming the fat and leaving the requisite lean mass, I'm not quite sure why the fat has to be the same players. Why call up Paul Green before cutting him? Why not bring in Eunan O'Kane for an assessment and cut him if he warrants it but at least add some value to the project of picking an initially inflated squad. I think this point becomes even more pronounced when you take into account that Gibraltar are one of the two fixtures.

It's a farly unimaginative squad but, in context, none of the names being bandied about as potential call-ups bear resemblance to that of Seamus Coleman and Marc Wilson when they were PL regulars and Trap was afraid to pick them.

[geysir]

From the RTE.ie article
The squad will be reduced ahead of a planned meeting on 7 October.

[the doc]

Is O'Neill obliged to name an enlarged squad or is it just to manage relationships with club managers? It seems a bit pointless naming such a long list.

Breaking News Ireland Manager ONeill has now added An Irish Wolf Hound, 2 Leprechans, Mollly Malone and 4 pints of Guinness to his squad!

[samhaydenjr]

Breaking News Ireland Manager ONeill has now added An Irish Wolf Hound, 2 Leprechans, Mollly Malone and 4 pints of Guinness to his squad!

But still no place for Sean St Ledger

[ArdeeBhoy]

All joking aside, if Stokes is getting a chance then Sheridan, Mooney and Doyle should be giving a look at. League One is more or less on the same level as the SPL and the Cyproit league.

Stokes has been terrible this season by all accounts, but even Celtic and Apoel Nicosia should prove to be far a higher standard than Div.3 in Eng.FFS.
His club form doesn't suggest he should even be in the Ireland squad, give Sheridan & Best a go, ahead of him & Sammon.

Otherwise as per my posts 'passim' from elsewhere, MO'N should have picked uncapped players with dual nationality, and got them 'tied' down.

These two games are almost pointless, given the results should be a foregone conclusion.
So, er, it should be Scotland we're looking rather more at.

[Fixer82]

Stokes has been terrible this season by all accounts, but even Celtic and Apoel Nicosia should prove to be far a higher standard than Div.3 in Eng.FFS.
His club form doesn't suggest he should even be in the Ireland squad, give Sheridan & Best a go, ahead of him & Sammon.

Otherwise as per my posts 'passim' from elsewhere, MO'N should have picked uncapped players with dual nationality, and got them 'tied' down.

These two games are almost pointless, given the results should be a foregone conclusion.
So, er, it should be Scotland we're looking rather more at.

You're right, I think we'll hammer both teams

[ArdeeBhoy]

Aye, two pretty one-sided matches.


Wonder which is longer odds, the Gib theme park to score, or us...

[Crosby87]

Ardee how do you copy an image on here with a tablet?

[ArdeeBhoy]

Of the electronic or medicinal variety...

[the doc]

But still no place for Sean St Ledger

😢

Even MON won't include a player that no club wants.

[DannyInvincible]

Otherwise as per my posts 'passim' from elsewhere, MO'N should have picked uncapped players with dual nationality, and got them 'tied' down.

They have to want to play for us first before we can select them. What players had you in mind? Harry Kane wants to play for England. Same with Mark Noble. Jack Grealish doesn't want to be forced into making a decision yet. Kyle Naughton's name is often bandied about as well, but he mustn't be too bothered or he'd surely have declared already. Meanwhile, it seems David McGoldrick is still sorting out his documents.

[ArdeeBhoy]

M'ON could have at least 'selected' them and if they all say No, fair enough. An end to more tedious speculation. At least for now.
Or they get tied down.

And none of them are ever likely to be picked by anyone else for whom they're also eligible.

[DannyInvincible]

Naughton, Kane and Noble would all have to submit to FIFA an application to switch from the FA to the FAI before we would be able to select them. The whole process can take a few weeks at the very least. All McGoldrick needs to do is get a passport but even that seems to be taking quite a while.

[Stuttgart88]

I don't agree AB. We don't need the fuss. There's actually been quite little speculation this time around anyway. That all was put out of the way last month, although of course people asked about Noble. I'm with O'Neill on this one.

It looks like this month's unnecessary fuss will be about Keane's new book. O' Neill attempted to laugh it off at the presser yesterday but I think it'll come to dominate discussion come match time.

I don't like the general tone of these conferences. There's a real us and them mentality emerging already and our media doesn't need a second chance to pounce on the team and the set up. It'd be nice if the press actually gave the management and players the benefit of the doubt and actually got behind the team, but as that only ever happens when a major tournament is around the corner I won't hold my breath.

Wrt comments on the the squad selection, and TOWK's criticism in particular, I have to say I partly agree, especially as it relates to the conservatism. I love the excitement of a young guy being called up and given a chance to impress. McCarthy specialised in it and it ultimately bore fruit.

That said, the squad does actually provide cover in the areas highlighted. The cupboard is bare at left back but after Ward there is Wilson, Delaney, Clark and McShane who can fit in - none is ideal, but probably no less ideal than a lower division candidate. That's O'Neill's thinking anyway and it's debatable, but not outrageously wrong anyway.

Meyler jumped up the queue of possible deputies for Coleman, and again McShane is probably next in line.

I didn't like O'Neill's quips about calling up any player eligible under the age of 80 or whatever it was he said. It kind of trivialised the selection.

What I did like, and I only saw it on thescore.ie, was where O'Neill said we need to take a positive attitude to Germany.

Once the froth is blown out of this enlarged squad there is still a decent core of players capable of putting in good performances if steered correctly by the management. I'm far from convinced that will happen, but I'll comment on things objectively as we learn more about how O'Neill approaches these competitive games.

[geysir]

The 23 man squad has yet to be selected from this list of possibles, before they are called up to attend squad training.

[the doc]

I don't agree AB. We don't need the fuss. There's actually been quite little speculation this time around anyway. That all was put out of the way last month, although of course people asked about Noble. I'm with O'Neill on this one.

It looks like this month's unnecessary fuss will be about Keane's new book. O' Neill attempted to laugh it off at the presser yesterday but I think it'll come to dominate discussion come match time.

I don't like the general tone of these conferences. There's a real us and them mentality emerging already and our media doesn't need a second chance to pounce on the team and the set up. It'd be nice if the press actually gave the management and players the benefit of the doubt and actually got behind the team, but as that only ever happens when a major tournament is around the corner I won't hold my breath.

Wrt comments on the the squad selection, and TOWK's criticism in particular, I have to say I partly agree, especially as it relates to the conservatism. I love the excitement of a young guy being called up and given a chance to impress. McCarthy specialised in it and it ultimately bore fruit.

That said, the squad does actually provide cover in the areas highlighted. The cupboard is bare at left back but after Ward there is Wilson, Delaney, Clark and McShane who can fit in - none is ideal, but probably no less ideal than a lower division candidate. That's O'Neill's thinking anyway and it's debatable, but not outrageously wrong anyway.

Meyler jumped up the queue of possible deputies for Coleman, and again McShane is probably next in line.

I didn't like O'Neill's quips about calling up any player eligible under the age of 80 or whatever it was he said. It kind of trivialised the selection.

What I did like, and I only saw it on thescore.ie, was where O'Neill said we need to take a positive attitude to Germany.

Once the froth is blown out of this enlarged squad there is still a decent core of players capable of putting in good performances if steered correctly by the management. I'm far from convinced that will happen, but I'll comment on things objectively as we learn more about how O'Neill approaches these competitive games.

Very good post with some good points made.

I like MON as a person, but wonder if he's a spent force management wise?

The Sunderland disaster and losing his right hand man Robertson has posed questions regards this.

We aren't going to learn much from the next 2 games.

We are expected to beat Gibraltar and likewise Germany to beat us, a draw against a Germany could be priceless in terms of qualifying.

We have the makings of a good competitive side if we are set up right, Mr Trapattoni showed that.
Add that to our passion and desire to wear the green shirt and backed by our fans, then we always have a chance.

Trouble is we can't win games without all our players being at least 90% of their top form, in contrast the likes of Germany can still get results with 3 or 4 player playing below form.

We all know its a mini league of Ireland, Scotland and Poland, if we come out on top of that we will qualify.

Let's just enjoy the campaign fellas.

[SwanVsDalton]

Say what you want about O'Neill, but I do like him griefing sports journos for their scruffiness.

[Stuttgart88]

Yeah, maybe I'm misreading the relationship between management and meeja. It was the very definition of a quiet news day after all.

[jbyrne]

Yeah, maybe I'm misreading the relationship between management and meeja.

I think the whole manager / media relationship thing has become far too much centre stage than it actually warrants over the last 10 years or so. Most of our media have their own agendas to follow resulting in pretty much constant criticism / borderline ridicule of the set-up and petty sniping. There are one or two I would listen to but most are miserable whingers in the most part.

[Stuttgart88]

I always have time for Liam Mackey, and usually for Dan McDonnell.