Yeah. I posted it on here at the time.Originally Posted by third policeman
I think I read elsewhere that the door has been held open for KDH for a number of years, but he's shown no sign of wanting to play for us, so its not for lack of an approach. Maybe it will change but even with no other realistic option he doesn't seem interested.
Wasnt there something when the latest squad was announced about them working on some new recruits or am I remembering a previous squad? With Cirkin in the English set up now you'd wonder who else they would be working on.
Edit: I just seen that Cirkin had withdrawn from the England squad with a hamstring injury so maybe all hope not lost there?
https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/a...s/c15qyxvjpk3o
Last edited by Razors left peg; 25/03/2025 at 9:31 PM.
Its really not that complicated!!!
Louie Barry was rumoured recently. Might see him in June. Another forward to throw on the pile if it happens.
Cirkin would be mad to stay with England. Even if England don't produce another left back for a decade he's already behind Lewis Hall and Lewis Skelly-Murphy who are both younger than him.
Odds are He never gets a senior call up for them. He could plausibly get 100 caps for us.
Bring Back Belfast Celtic F.C.
True, but it's also hard to play for a country you couldn't give a crap about, and he's never really shown any affinity to Ireland. He'd be a great get for us, but there's only so many times you can ask
Its really not that complicated!!!
He probably still has an eye on the Euro Under 21s this summer. Might be a different story after that.
Fascinating to see the negative reaction to the suggestion of Hodge as a CM alternative. I take the point that he is playing intermittently at a lower level than some others, but I've liked what I've seen of him and I was very impressed with him (and the similarly statured Andy Moran) when the U21s beat Iceland in Cork in 2023. That team contained the likes of Bosun Lawal (at CB), Killian Phillips, Sam Curtis, Tom Cannon, and Festy Ebosele (who was, in my view, harshly sent off). Sinclair Armstrong came off the bench and looked decent then too.
Hodge's lack of height isn't a huge issue for me. There was one point of that Iceland game where he started a move and got onto the end of a header from the subsequent cross into the box. He's handled himself well against the likes of Thiago, Fabinho, Jorginho, Loftus-Cheek and others in his odd appearances for Wolves. He certainly needs a bit of luck on the injury front and more first-team football, but he definitely has the ability.
End Apartheid Now! One Team in Ireland!
Even if his lack of height doesnt bother you, does his lack of actual games played in football not bother you? He has only managed 22 games so far this year and has only played 90 minutes 3 times, I think he has only 9 starts. I agree he showed a lot of talent in the u21 games, in fact I thought he was probably the standout player often in that u21 team, but you have to make some sort of impact at club level. Being a bit part player in L1 cannot be of the standard we are looking for at international level.
Luca Connell interests me still. I think hes a good player and might be capable of stepping up in future, but I wouldnt even consider him until we see how he does at Championship level. Hodge could be decent, but he needs to figure out his club career before International football is even on the radar
Its really not that complicated!!!
Predator - I think you might be a bit biased in terms of Hodge's links to Derry City maybe? He isn't holding down a consistent starting place at a League 1 team, that's not going to get you in the Ireland squad these days as there's too much depth now, even in midfield.
I liked him at underage too and had a lot of hope for him, but it just doesn't seem to be happening so far for him in senior football. It might be a size thing and he will develop into someone who can play at a higher level in time, but right now I'd worry that he'll end up finding his level in the lower leagues.
I take the points Eirambler and RLP (though there's no Derry City bias there). His injury woes are well documented and I think that's the chief issue when it comes to regular game time rather than ability. I like the type of player he is. He's tigerish, technical and has great vision. I think the fact he's been around the senior squad a few times already is notable too. There is talk of a few more friendlies in June, so if he's fit and we're talking about exploring options, I'd certainly call him up to see what he is made of. He'll probably have a few more games under his belt by then.
End Apartheid Now! One Team in Ireland!
Fair enough!
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