Actually that could potentially have a huge impact on us - Home Office visa rules for non-EU players from a country ranked 31-50 (where we are) states that they must have played in 75% of their country's international games in the previous two years (http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/35919247). So we've played 20 games in 2016 and 2017 - of the 39 players called up to the provisional squad for the Georgia and Serbia games, the following players would not have been granted visas: Colin Doyle, John O'Shea, Paul McShane, Stephen Ward (1 cap short), Greg Cunningham, John Egan, Matt Doherty, Kevin Long, Glenn Whelan (2 caps short), Jeff Hendrick (1 short), David Meyler, Stephen Quinn, Jonny Hayes, Daryl Horgan, Conor Hourihane, Alan Browne. So that's 17 who would be affected (assuming Sean Maguire got a UK passport based on being born in Luton) - plus EVERY OTHER PLAYER BORN IN THE REPUBLIC OF IRELAND WHO PLAYS OR ASPIRES TO PLAY IN THE UK
Out for a spell, got neglected, lay on the bench unselected.
Nobody knows what will happen with brexit. I would personally expect it to increase the number of British players in many teams. This will have an impact on us.
I did hear the end of a 5 live conversation last year after the brexit vote which noted that it is likely to result in a tightening of restrictions on younger foreign players in the academys of British clubs. A Naby Keita or proven top international talent like a Morata isn't going to stop coming to the premiership under their current visa requirements,but i do think it will result in less of our players at the academys of the Liverpools or Uniteds of this world. The "premier league product" won't be allowed be run in to the ground by Sky and the powers that be,but i do see us being impacted on more than other countries as england is currently a finishing school for nearly all our players.
In the long term,it may be a blessing as some seriously talented lads may delay leaving Ireland and it means we have to get our act together by building our own academies.
If Brexit leads to a reduction in the number of foreign players being imported by English clubs due to difficulties for them in acquiring a visa, but the Common Travel Area between Ireland and Britain remains in place (as is the purported ambition of the UK government and the declared hope of the Irish government), that might well benefit young Irish players in that it would potentially free up space for them in English academies. Irish citizens would still have the same residency rights as UK citizens and wouldn't require a visa to move to the UK if the CTA is maintained.
Ken Early was watching the game with a family member and when one of our players took a throw she remarked "he looks out of shape".
I wonder who she was referring to.
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