I'm all in favour of a better domestic league. I can't imagine it being any more of a joke than it is right now. For a whole host of reasons, the domestic league has gone backwards, not forwards, over the last ten years. When was the last time we had a player who played for a LOI club actually make an impact for the international team? Has it ever happened? Anyone good enough to play professional football is snapped up by a British club as early as possible. I think Bazunu was sixteen when he went to Manchester City.
Keith Fahey is about the only player I can remember that was good enough for the international team, and he only chose to play in the LOI for personal reasons, despite being good enough to play in England. Damien Duff came back for a cup of coffee before retiring. Kevin Doyle moved to Reading sixteen years ago, and Seamus Coleman twelve years ago. All the rest of the so-called LOI superstars have failed to make any kind of impact outside of Ireland, and some mid-table team in Cyprus just released Jack Byrne because he wasn't good enough to play for them. Richie Towell couldn't make it in non-league football in England. Michael Duffy couldn't make it playing non-league football in Scotland. Sean McGuire can't even get a call up to the national squad. Daryl Horgan is a benchwarmer at Wycombe. These are all PFAI Players' Player of the Year winners! Maybe putting a manager in charge from a league of that kind of caliber wasn't the best idea.
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