Eircom League For Ireland

**lofty9** · 14/12/2006, 6:42 PM

Heary is the only one. Best right back Ireland have got.

**DmanDmythDledge** · 14/12/2006, 7:21 PM

Devine, Ryan, Quigley, Heary, Gavin, Murphy, Gamble, O'Donovan, S Byrne, J Byrne

**eirebhoy** · 14/12/2006, 9:00 PM

Originally Posted by lofty9

Heary is the only one. Best right back Ireland have got.

Surely you don't think he's better than Finnan?

**pete** · 16/12/2006, 10:42 AM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

Surely you don't think he's better than Finnan?

In fairness Finnan may play for big club but is useless for Ireland. If O'Shea wasn't as bad he'd be noticed too.

**irishfan86** · 16/12/2006, 4:47 PM

Originally Posted by pete

In fairness Finnan may play for big club but is useless for Ireland. If O'Shea wasn't as bad he'd be noticed too.

With the exception of the Cyprus game, I'd disagree.

It's also worth noting that he's playing out of position for Ireland most of the time.

**lofty9** · 21/12/2006, 8:49 AM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

Surely you don't think he's better than Finnan?

I have only ever seen Finnan play in the flesh 3 times. He was awful defensively, caught out positionally and offered absolutely nothing going forward. From that I don't rate him. He may have played well in other games but I haven't seen him "live" enough to comment. I couldn't comment on any games I have seen him on TV.

Over the past eight years watching Heary he has been outstanding each time I have seen him. I know they are different levels of football but Heary is good value for a place in the team.

Heary is the only player good enough in the eircom league to get into the Ireland team. if he had played right back in Cyprus the score might have been less embarrassing. The rest of them are B internationals at most. Deery in Derry is not good enough, anytime I have seen Gamble - Barry Molloy has him in his pocket and Molloy himself is too slow to be in an international team, as is Jason Byrne.

**eirebhoy** · 21/12/2006, 10:09 AM

Originally Posted by lofty9

I have only ever seen Finnan play in the flesh 3 times. He was awful defensively, caught out positionally and offered absolutely nothing going forward.

I don't know what Finnan you watch. I can't remember Finnan having really hard time against a winger much in his career. He makes it look easy.

**lofty9** · 21/12/2006, 10:24 AM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

I don't know what Finnan you watch. I can't remember Finnan having really hard time against a winger much in his career. He makes it look easy.

One of those 3 games was in Russia - watching him have one of the worst games I have seen a footballer have. Luckiliy enough I was in Russia because of work and didn't have to make the personal sacrafice that some made to go from here. In the matches I have seen him, he didn't need a winger to challenge him, he got caught out positionally. He is a very average footballer - somehow lucky enough to be playing for one of the historical giants of world football. And because we have so many average footballers like Finnan, it's the sole reason why we are having a debate on whether any EL players are good enough for Ireland.

**eirebhoy** · 21/12/2006, 10:54 AM

Originally Posted by lofty9

He is a very average footballer - somehow lucky enough to be playing for one of the historical giants of world football.

It's not through luck that you keep your place and play consistently well for 3 and a half seasons with Liverpool. Premiership players also voted him into the Team of the season when at Fulham, that's like Wigan's Chimbonda making it this season.

If you're going to judge Heary on his club career then you have to do the same with Finnan. If he was as average as you think then surely the Liverpool fans wouldn't be happy with him.

**pete** · 21/12/2006, 11:40 AM

Irish players who play for the bigger teams usually play well for their clubs otherwise they would not get a game. They rarely transfer their club form to the International stage though.

Our best international performers are the players at mid level clubs who raise their games for Internationals.

**cavan_fan** · 21/12/2006, 2:16 PM

Originally Posted by lofty9

I have only ever seen Finnan play in the flesh 3 times. He was awful defensively, caught out positionally and offered absolutely nothing going forward. From that I don't rate him. He may have played well in other games but I haven't seen him "live" enough to comment. I couldn't comment on any games I have seen him on TV.

Over the past eight years watching Heary he has been outstanding each time I have seen him. I know they are different levels of football but Heary is good value for a place in the team.

This is madness. Do you not think that if Heary was a better player than Finnan, one of the 40 Premiership/Championship clubs in Britain would have signed him by now. One of the great things about football is that it's a great meritocracy. Players rise to the level of their abilities, those that are over-promoted are obvious.

Finnan is a regular choice in one of the 10 best teams in Europe. He's not a very exciting player but he makes very few mistakes. I would guess that Rafa Benitez knows more about football than all of us put together.

I would love to see the day when the eL is providing the 'squad filler' in our team rather than us needing to tout around for Clinton Morissons. Our bext players will hopefully always play overseas as is the case in all succesful European countries excpet Italy, Spain, England and Germany.

**S�C** · 28/01/2007, 11:21 PM

Originally Posted by cavan_fan

This is madness. Do you not think that if Heary was a better player than Finnan, one of the 40 Premiership/Championship clubs in Britain would have signed him by now. One of the great things about football is that it's a great meritocracy. Players rise to the level of their abilities, those that are over-promoted are obvious.

Funny that...how is it that one of the best players/strikers in the Premiership (Dolyer) this was only picked up by one English club by total chance, (a tip off from a former manager). The same English system totally missed out on Shane Long too. Kevin Doyle was a quality player and better than many of the chancers in the Ireland squad when he was playing in the eircom league but amazingly 40 clubs were not knocking down the door!

**Risteard** · 29/01/2007, 12:35 AM

Left back - Nobody good enough in the eL to take this place.
Centre back - Jason Gavin.
Midfielder - Joseph Gamble.

**cavan_fan** · 29/01/2007, 11:07 AM

Originally Posted by S�C

Funny that...how is it that one of the best players/strikers in the Premiership (Dolyer) this was only picked up by one English club by total chance, (a tip off from a former manager). The same English system totally missed out on Shane Long too. Kevin Doyle was a quality player and better than many of the chancers in the Ireland squad when he was playing in the eircom league but amazingly 40 clubs were not knocking down the door!

But Dolye is playing in England, whether by chance or not. Owen Heary is 31, it's unlikely he has not been watched.

My original point (weeks ago!) was that we should be looking to the eL for players to fill in the gaps in our squad. Right back is not a gap, Left Back, Central Midfield and Centre Back are.

**galwayhoop** · 29/01/2007, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by cavan_fan

I would guess that Rafa Benitez knows more about football than all of us put together.

the thread is about eL players who could get into the national team. i would guess that rafa benitez knows diddley squat about the eL. i also think that rafa benitez, while were talking about him, is very adept at buying average players and has a squad of about 30 who fall into the medocre bracket (by EPL and CL standards), bar one or two players. he is totally overatted

**pete** · 29/01/2007, 4:25 PM

Possible Ireland Internationals now they recognised by foreign managers:

Forde, Dillon, Hawkins, Murphy, O'Callaghan, Molloy, Ward, Byrne, Ryan...

**cavan_fan** · 29/01/2007, 4:30 PM

Originally Posted by pete

Possible Ireland Internationals now they recognised by foreign managers:

Forde, Dillon, Hawkins, Murphy, O'Callaghan, Molloy, Ward, Byrne, Ryan...

None of these are possible Internationals until they do something more than they have in the past. If any of these are called up for the next squad then it will show Stan has no mind of his own.

**pete** · 29/01/2007, 5:22 PM

Originally Posted by cavan_fan

...it will show Stan has no mind of his own.

Do we not know this already?

e.g. Alan O'Brien

**Qwerty** · 29/01/2007, 11:40 PM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

It's not through luck that you keep your place and play consistently well for 3 and a half seasons with Liverpool. Premiership players also voted him into the Team of the season when at Fulham, that's like Wigan's Chimbonda making it this season.

If you're going to judge Heary on his club career then you have to do the same with Finnan. If he was as average as you think then surely the Liverpool fans wouldn't be happy with him.

I would agree, when Rafa came in I got the feeling he didn't fancy Finnan and he gave Finnan a fair amount of bench time early on but that has changed and Finnan is pretty much one of the first names on the team sheet.

**galwayhoop** · 30/01/2007, 1:45 PM

Originally Posted by Qwerty

I would agree, when Rafa came in I got the feeling he didn't fancy Finnan and he gave Finnan a fair amount of bench time early on but that has changed and Finnan is pretty much one of the first names on the team sheet.

second if he goes from GK and then R to L with his defenders, however he may start with the CF and work back in which case he would be one of the last