Good to get the win, I'm not sure any of our players actually touched the ball between us scoring our first goal and scoring our second, which I don't think I've ever seen before in a game.
Obviously a lot of players missing but at the same time quite a few of them - the likes of Parrott, Idah, Knight, Connolly - possibly won't play at this level again. Others like Collins and Bazunu might come back in for a short while but longer term they will be with the seniors also.
So it will be mostly these lads, plus possibly Rose, Coventry, Hodge, Smallbone, Finn, Kayode and Obafemi for the campaign. And Odubeko if he wants to play.
The lack of depth among the older players in the senior squad is going to hamper this group's qualification chances I think - especially with Kenny clearly keen to give youth a chance at senior level. But that should at least mean opportunities for other lads to come in and play games, even if our qualification hopes will take. a hit as a result.
Not sure where best to post this as the thread for the Euro 2021 qualifiers has been archived but I noticed that Iceland, who beat us to qualification for the finals, performed very poorly at the finals tournament - 3 games, 3 losses, 1 goal scored but in a 4-1 defeat.
I don't know the details but, as a small nation with a small pick, they may well have lost quite a few players to the senior squad for the tournament. Given how many under 21 players we had with the seniors, as well as a few more out injured, it's probably safe to say we would have struggled badly at the finals had we qualified.
Under 21 really is a difficult age group for the smaller nations. It was a bit galling to hear Aidy Boothroyd describing the English Under 21 job as "impossible", given their depth of resources relative to most other countries. England were also knocked out in the group stages today.
Edit - just thinking about it again, we might have been down as many as 18 players who would have been eligible and likely to be selected for the finals tournament - Kelleher, Travers, Bazunu, O'Shea, Masterson, Collins, Knight, Molumby, Coventry, Taylor, Hodge, Smallbone, Patrick, Obafemi, Parrott, Idah, Connolly and Kayode. One or two of those might have made it - for instance Coventry might not have been called up to the seniors - but it still would have been a disappointingly weakened squad to take to a finals tournament.
Last edited by Eirambler; 31/03/2021 at 10:46 PM.
It doesn't have to be though.Originally Posted by Eirambler
This comes back to the development thread. all of these issues really are linked. If you take it that this new emerging group of players - whether you, I or anyone else rates them, leave that aside for now - and assume that they and the next batch will become the senior squad with a couple of exceptions, it means that bar perhaps an exceptional player that each underage squad from 21s down to 16s, will be composed of the best players from each year, and not lost to a grade ahead our of necessity, so that for example in 6 yrs time, the next group that has a collective such as Collins, Molumby and Parrot will have them for the duration of the campaign and develop as groups, rather than chopping and changing constantly.Edit - just thinking about it again, we might have been down as many as 18 players who would have been eligible and likely to be selected for the finals tournament - Kelleher, Travers, Bazunu, O'Shea, Masterson, Collins, Knight, Molumby, Coventry, Taylor, Hodge, Smallbone, Patrick, Obafemi, Parrott, Idah, Connolly and Kayode. One or two of those might have made it - for instance Coventry might not have been called up to the seniors - but it still would have been a disappointingly weakened squad to take to a finals tournament.
With the 21s going to 16 finalists recently, we need to be making the finals as regularly as possible.
Here they come! It’s the charge of the “Thanks” Brigade!
Friendlies against Switzerland, Australia, and Denmark in Spain confirmed for the end of the month
https://www.fai.ie/ireland/news/unde...ia-and-denmark
Would be good to see Finn involved, though I haven't heard much about him recently. Is he still injured or did he just fall out of the first team picture at Getafe?
I wonder if Odubeko will show up this time or if there will be another issue.
Last edited by Eirambler; 11/05/2021 at 4:19 PM.
Ryan Johansson is apparently Irish again, according to Paul Nealon on twitter. Good to see him back involved, thought that ship might have sailed.
Would be interesting to see him lining out against both Luxembourg and Sweden for our Under 21s.
I'll happily be proved wrong and hope to be wrong.
Every indication under the sun that he doesn't have interest so we'll wait and see.
nice one. bit more detail from the independent:
https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...-40417713.html
Screen Age Mutant Moaning Mytle.
Hello, hello? What's going on? What's all this shouting, we'll have no trouble here!
- E Tattsyrup.
Squad announced for friendlies v Switzerland, Australia and Denmark in Marbella 30th May, 2nd June and 5th June.
No Odubeko is interesting.
Last edited by OMTY; 25/05/2021 at 8:35 AM.
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