Republic of Ireland V Norway - Thursday, 17th November 2022 - Friendly

[CraftyToePoke]

Gaffney / Farrugia / Maher & Dan Cleary on standby according to DMcD.

[ontheotherhand]

The midfield is depressing but what's new there? McGrath hasn't done enough in a green shirt or elsewhere to warrant more call ups imop but we are so short on creativity. Sykes and Szmodics would have been more interesting maybe. Conor Ronan and Hodge as well. Seem to have done ok for Wolves in the cup yesterday and Hodge is at least getting EPL minutes as said above.

Scales seems to be doing well for Aberdeen at centre half but I'd agree with pineapple in that non Celtic/Rangers players shouldn't really be getting in ahead of e.g. Manning who offers the same versatility at cb and lwb.

I can see the logic behind Farrugia being on standby but I'd hope it's as a midfielder. He's not a good enough defender to move up to international level (maybe Malta...) in that position but he has been excellent going forward from either side or through the middle recently. Kenny obviously knows him well. Gaffney makes less sense at 33 but that's just a token gesture to the league I think.

At least some of the strikers are in decent form although maybe it's the less exciting ones....

[tommy_c12000]

Gaffney / Farrugia / Maher & Dan Cleary on standby according to DMcD.

Shocking depth if that’s true

[Jd2793]

Shocking depth if that’s true

im not too worried about the lads on standby. even if they are called up they wont touch the pitch nor will any be options going into the next competitive window.

[tommy_c12000]

Agree but I just don’t see the point of it. These players will never play a meaningful game for Ireland senior team while in the league of Ireland. Our domestic league remains at too low a standard. Rovers are by far and away the most superior domestic team we have and they had a poor showing in the group stages of a 3rd tier European competition. Some possible progress has been made for sure, but far substantial process would need to be made for LOI players to be taken seriously as senior international contenders. Just a meaningless gesture in my books. There are young players abroad with far higher ceilings who should be placed on standby

[elatedscum]

in fairness, there's normally about 20 players on standby, but presumably with L1 out of the equation, some LOI lads come in. I'd imagine Hodge, Coventry, Szmodics, Ronan, Manning, McNamara, O'Leary, Sykes, Dunne would all be on the standby list too

[Diggs246]

I don't like kenny
But its a good squad guys

Mcgrath is a good player tidy and while in green has done very well

Smallbone is deserved and great to see him called up

Absolutely delighted about ferguson
We have zero to lose watching him play 45 against Malta ? Young strong and has ability

Scales v manning is a poor decision unfortunately

But I'm happy he is taking a few chances

[JR89]

I don't see Ferguson getting any minutes actually. Obafemi, Ogbene, Hogan, and Robinson likely all get minutes ahead of him and if Keane is fit that's five guys ahead of him.

Against Malta could see Obafemi, Robinson, and Ogbene/O'Dowda in a front three. 25 man squad he might not even make match day squads like Ronan didn't against Lithuania.

[BOOMSHAKALAKA]

Kenny made some very poorly judged comments about Hodge recently and now he doesn't call him up. That's really poor management you have to say. A few others could have been called up but nothing really surprising or exciting about the squad.

[CraftyToePoke]

Kenny made some very poorly judged comments about Hodge recently and now he doesn't call him up. That's really poor management you have to say. A few others could have been called up but nothing really surprising or exciting about the squad.

Unless he's managing a situation where the player wants to wait & see what his international options are in time. That's one way to make sense of it, because it does go against his early press statements about not letting these dual situations go the way of others. Hodge not being called up is a marginal, but SK name dropping Jack Taylor this evening when speaking about midfield emerging options is strange when we have one getting top level minutes in Hodge in a problem position.

[third policeman]

It's strange and regressive. We know what our current midfield is capable off - not qualifying for tournaments and not winning enough games. Unless he begins to integrate or at least look at younger players getting minutes in the PL, history will repeat itself. What was that definition of madness? Doing the same thing over again and expecting a different outcome.

[SkStu]

I think Hodge should have been called up for integration purposes but from a playing perspective it is marginal. Its kind of the same type of argument as was for Kelleher v Bazunu up til this season (as starter)... on one hand you have Hodge picking up minutes in the odd game and getting a start in the low profile cup games and on the other hand you have Smallbone who is getting (more or less) regular game time in the Championship and proven at U21 level or McGrath who is tried and trusted and back on form at a decent level. And thats not taking into account, as Crafty speculates above, there may be more going on behind the scenes than we are privy to.

Scales ahead of Manning is criminal though. Bad choice. Manning must have p!ssed in Kenny's cornflakes back in June.

[JR89]

I think Hodge should have been called up for integration purposes but from a playing perspective it is marginal. Its kind of the same type of argument as was for Kelleher v Bazunu up til this season (as starter)... on one hand you have Hodge picking up minutes in the odd game and getting a start in the low profile cup games and on the other hand you have Smallbone who is getting (more or less) regular game time in the Championship and proven at U21 level or McGrath who is tried and trusted and back on form at a decent level. And thats not taking into account, as Crafty speculates above, there may be more going on behind the scenes than we are privy to.

Scales ahead of Manning is criminal though. Bad choice. Manning must have p!ssed in Kenny's cornflakes back in June.

Wouldn't call second from bottom in Scotland a decent level, and think they only moved off the bottom after beating Kilmarnock 4-0 so now have a better goal difference.

[SkStu]

But you agree with the rest? I’ll take that.

FWIW, Bazunu was playing for Rochdale in a L1 relegation season when he was getting caps.

[tommy_c12000]

Agree on Hodge, I’d have him in ahead of Browne and McGrath who will never develop into any worthwhile senior internationals. Hodge has a chance, and Kenny should foster it in case he does blossom into that midfielder we are yearning for. Not starting at the moment, but in training with the squad and possibly a late sub appearance

[Kingdom]

Unless he's managing a situation where the player wants to wait & see what his international options are in time. That's one way to make sense of it, because it does go against his early press statements about not letting these dual situations go the way of others. Hodge not being called up is a marginal, but SK name dropping Jack Taylor this evening when speaking about midfield emerging options is strange when we have one getting top level minutes in Hodge in a problem position.

Can you elaborate on that CTP?

[tetsujin1979]

It's a little strange that Hodge wasn't called up, given some of Kenny's comments on dual qualified players that changed allegiance

[CraftyToePoke]

Can you elaborate on that CTP?

A potential draft dodger Kingers, but mere speculation. McGrath over Szmodics is strange too as one is doing well in the Championship, the other failed. So it might be nothing to do with it.

[JR89]

A potential draft dodger Kingers, but mere speculation. McGrath over Szmodics is strange too as one is doing well in the Championship, the other failed. So it might be nothing to do with it.

Hodge wouldn't get in the current U21s for England so doubt he's hedging his bets and holding out to see what his options are. He's not 21 till next September so playing a couple of games won't affect him and actually would do him more good at convincing England he could be an option ala Rice impressing for us on his debut season for West Ham.

[third policeman]

Failed in League 1 which makes matters worse. We've been cursed with managers with blind spots. We're a small nation with a limited pool, picking favourites ahead of form and potential is a brainless waste of scarce talent.