QuoteYep. He has Hibs written all over him
He needs a run of games in a first team somewhere. The Championship might be beyond him. League 1 or the SPFL might be a better option.
Yep. He has Hibs written all over him
These footballers' tattoos are getting ridiculous.Originally Posted by Diggs246
See here's the problem with all the hysteria over calling up LOI players and the sarky comments about the plane to England making them magically better players. A couple of years ago this started with Towell - the star player in a dominant Dundalk team - banged in 25 goals in 32 league appearances...from midfield! Why on earth were the management team not picking him? This was utter disrespect to the league! I mean, there were half-a-dozen ex-LOI players in the squad, why wait for Towell to go to England to prove himself? Well Towell's experience since moving shows why the management team needs to see top LOI players perform at a higher level before picking them. And yes, while the LOI is better than the barstoolers like to claim, it's still a big step-up to Championship level, and a huge step-up to Premier League Level (realistically it's probably a step-up to League One). If it wasn't, LOI players would be transferring in droves to get paid 5-10 times their current wages. Right now there are about 20 Irish players in the Premier League, about 50 in the Championship, a couple at the top three SPL clubs and one in the top Polish league who all could make a claim to a place in the International squad that is as valid, if not more so, as Sean Maguire, Daryl Horgan, Andy Boyle or Kevin O'Connor. This quartet have got to prove that they can perform at Championship level at least. For example Maguire has got to outperform McGoldrick, Hogan, O'Brien, Sheridan, Rooney and Will Keane to even get in the squad, and there's no guarantee of that. With that said I do hope most, if not all, of these lads find success and put themselves in the frame for regular international football (and there are certainly reasons to believe that there a couple who will). I just think they need to show longer term form in the Championship before we start giving them competitive caps
Not sure why on the one hand you're saying the likes of Maguire have to prove themselves at that level and in the same breath mention Will Keane, who has yet to prove himself at any level.
If you go back through my post history you'll find that I've always said LOI players need to prove themselves at a higher level before they merit a call up to the national team. I have no argument with that.
what I don't like is when a player transfers to the UK, and very soon, before they have proven themselves at that level, they are getting a call up. There seems to be a fairly lazy approach that 'if he's good enough for (inset UK club here) to sign, he must be worth taking a look at.'
You have to be able to do it in the big league as MON would say. Horgan has also lost his place. Lets hope seanie does it, but lets see him do it first in the Championship
I'd agree with you in saying the LOI contingent need to prove themselves in the Championship before a call up.
Boyle & Horgan were a different, they played well against decent opposition in Europe, but they need to push on now and carve out a career in the Championship.
Maguire doesn't have to prove himself to merit a place in the squad ahead of Aiden O'Brien and especially Will Keane. Maguire has been on a sensational scoring run and is full of confidence. I've no problem with Maguire in the squad.
As for Towell he needs games. A Championship club would be taking a risk bringing him in considering his injuries & form. He's more likely to get a L1 or SPFL side signing him.
I think Towell is well capable of performing in the Championship, but needs to get back on track first.
The Towell injury issue is slightly over played IMO, he regularly played for Brightons under 23s
I don't know if I'd quite agree with that. Apart from a hat-trick against an Estonian side, he hasn't scored from play in ten games in Europe. Scoring goals for fun for Cork is what Roy O'Donovan, John O'Flynn and Dave Mooney did before him (ironically, Kevin Doyle has a worse scoring record for Cork than any of those). And the LoI is arguably poorer now than when the others were playing in it.
I agree with osarusan that there's a trend where players get called up the moment they make the move cross-channel, which is annoying. I'll also agree that I've no problems with Maguire being in the squad, partly because our striking options are so thin on the ground. And would love to see him come good of course.
But samhaydenjr's point is absolutely valid. I think the success rate of LoI players going cross-channel is lower than many people might realise.
Last edited by pineapple stu; 27/08/2017 at 10:15 AM.
With the run Maguire was on he was a bit of a let down in Europe this season, but it wasn't just him. The whole team were poor. They only lost 2-0 on aggregate to Larnaca but never looked like beating them and nearly blew the 2nd leg at home to Tallinn. This Cork team is nowhere near the level of Dundalk over the past few years, but that's a debate for another section on the forum.
I'd have him ahead of the likes of O'Brien & Will Keane mainly because neither of those lads have gone on a scoring run (albeit at LOI level) like Maguire has.
In fairness to O'Brien he is back in the Millwall team now but playing out on the left. Keane always seems to be injured.
Has Will Keane actually changed allegiance?
I'd agree with that - but then he had six games last year too, and though he scored three penalties, he didn't score once from open play. That's not a great record.
I guess keep things in perspective is all I'm saying.
I don't think there's anything official, but there was at least one newspaper article last year where he expressed an interest before he got injured. Now he doesn't have a stellar goalscoring record at senior level but Hull obviously saw something in him that they felt made it worth their while paying a million pounds for him and putting him straight into their Premier League first team. I think it would have been good management by MON and Keano to at least touch base with him and acknowledge his interest and let him know that they'll keep an eye on him because there's always a possibility that he'll go on a scoring spree upon his return.
If he were to emulate his brother & how he turned it round at Burnley it would be lovely.
How do you know they haven't touched base with him?
Sorry, my last sentence wasn't meant to imply any belief that they had or had not made contact, merely that I thought it would have been a good idea.
No, nothing yet....
Still nothing, I guess. Does that mean he will be playing U-23 football all season?
Late move to sign for Rotherham on loan until the end of the season: https://www.themillers.co.uk/news/20...al-for-towell/
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