Squad for the Brazil game?

[bwagner]

My squad would look like this:

Given
Kenny
Doyle

Finnan
Dunne (capt)
A O'Brien
J O'Brien
D Murphy (Hibs)
Mc Shane
St Ledger
O'Shea

Duff
Hunt
Kilbane
Carlsey
Lawerence
Mc Geady
Ireland ?
O'Hara
Miller

Morrison
Keane
Doyle
Long

[Stuttgart88]

O'Hara isn't eligible. He is now 21 and any decision to change "nationality" (he has played underage for england) must have been made before he turned 21.

Is David Murphy of Hibs eligible?

By and large I agree with your squad, without going to any great degree of scrutiny. I'd have Steven Reid in there for certain though.

Clinton is definitely due a recall and I think we need to keep looking at St.Ledger. By all accounts he's been playing very well.

I was surprised that Liam Lawrence was overlooked by Staunton apart from one call up I think.

From the Championship Walters, Lee and Yeates are deserving of consideration, maybe also Gary Doherty as back up CB.

The better U21 players are probably better off playing in the U21 team unless they're clearly better than older players in similar positions. What on earth was the point of Andy Keogh playing out of position against Germany and Cyprus? Despite this, I still have a feeling that Garvan might be worth giving a run in the senior squad.

What age is Darron Gibson? Still U21 eligble?

New manager = new start for Stephen Ireland hopefully.

[bwagner]

I am not sure if either O'Hara or Murphy are eligble but sure we should give it a try. we need to freshen up this squad in certain areas . I only left out Reid as it may be too early ( he is out again with a calf injury at present, Gibson is only 20 I think...

[Stuttgart88]

O'Hara is definitely not eligible. He is already 21 and has played underage for England.

Steven Reid's injury isn't serious and being dropped was mainly precautionary so I'd have him in. Andy Reid will most likely be out I believe.

[AustinoAsprilla]

Would defo like to see Morrison back in there. Scoring quite regularly at the moment and has done really well for us in the past.

Would like to see Stokes in there as well. See what he can do from the start up front with Keane. Or at least 45 mins.

I would like to see A O'Brien start again as he has done well enough since his move and I'd leave out McShane for the rest he looks likes he needs.

[Hibs4Ever]

David Murphy isn't eligible according to himself. Shame though. He's class

(think he'll be at celtic in coming days if rumours are true)

[bwagner]

Hibs4ever were did you hear this mate?

[Hibs4Ever]

Hibs4ever were did you hear this mate?

Its been doing the rounds for a couple of months on the Hibs messageboards and various newspaperrs in Scotland. He has always said he wants to play in england again, but I think celtic are offering big money.

[carloz]

Lawerence

He is playing well at the moment but from what i have seen Wes Hoolahan surely deserves a call up ahead of Lawrence

[ifk101]

I think there should be a focus on sorting out our problem positions; basically Richard Dunne's partner, left-full, and the central midfield partnership. Whatever squad is picked should be looking to try out players for these positions.

[shakermaker1982]

5 names I'd like to see asked for training are the following:

Garvan - fingers crossed he is our future at CM
Morrison - on fire and worth another look.
Liam Lawrence
Andy O'Brien - regular at Bolton now so deserves a call up
Hoolahan - goal scoring MF are always welcome to the table.

[Dr. Ogba]

I think there should be a focus on sorting out our problem positions; basically Richard Dunne's partner, left-full, and the central midfield partnership. Whatever squad is picked should be looking to try out players for these positions.

exactly....lets broaden our options and draft in some younger lads with potential this time (as opposed to Stan's policy of drafting in youth with connections to Pat Devlin):

i.e

LB - O'Halloran (any news of a loan move to the championship yet?)
CB - Slim pickings but St. Ledger should be in the squad from the off and maybe try and unearth a granny-ruler? (or bring back the doc! )
CM - definitely Garvan and McCann, also Walters as an extra option on the right

it seems that centre-half is our main worry should something happen to Dunne (God forbid!)....there has to be other options out there???

[colster]

exactly....lets broaden our options and draft in some younger lads with potential this time (as opposed to Stan's policy of drafting in youth with connections to Pat Devlin):

i.e

LB - O'Halloran (any news of a loan move to the championship yet?)
CB - Slim pickings but St. Ledger should be in the squad from the off and maybe try and unearth a granny-ruler? (or bring back the doc! )
CM - definitely Garvan and McCann, also Walters as an extra option on the right

it seems that centre-half is our main worry should something happen to Dunne (God forbid!)....there has to be other options out there???

what about Bennet for CB. Seems to be playing regularly for Southampton.

[Dr. Ogba]

yeah forgot about Bennett. Thought he looked handy in the US so deffo worth a try...

[tetsujin1979]

LB - O'Halloran (any news of a loan move to the championship yet?)

from the Times on October 4th, 2007: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/spo...cle2584735.ece

Martin O’Neill is mulling over whether to send Stephen O’Halloran, the 21-year-old defender, out on loan. “I have had loads of inquiries about him and he needs games,” the manager said. “But he isn’t a million miles away from playing here.”

Of course he never did go out on loan, but at least it shows he was in O'Neill's thoughs
On Villa's website today, there's this: http://www.avfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page...204752,00.html

We've got three established goalkeepers in that group of 23 [current Villa squad] so we're down to 20, which includes Stephen O'Halloran and Moustapha Salifou who have never played a game for us, Patrik Berger and Isaiah Osbourne.

CB - Slim pickings but St. Ledger should be in the squad from the off and maybe try and unearth a granny-ruler? (or bring back the doc! )

Depsite the praise St Ledger has been getting lately, Preston are bottom of the Championship. How about Alex Bruce? Ipswich are playing some good football (well, at home anyway) and there's a large Irish contingent at the club

CM - definitely Garvan and McCann, also Walters as an extra option on the right

Rory Delap is playing regularly in a decent Stoke side (4th in the Championship, could condemn Allardyce this weekend)
Probably too early for JJ O'Toole, let him develop in the U-21's until the Autumn games
Walters on the right? Surely Hoolahan or Yeates would be a better option?

it seems that centre-half is our main worry should something happen to Dunne (God forbid!)....there has to be other options out there???

There are slim pickings at Premiership level, but we can still put out a Premiership team of
Given, Kelly, Dunne, McShane, Finnan, Duff, Carsley, Steven Reid, Ireland, Keane, Kevin Doyle with Colin Doyle, O'Shea, Harte, Hunt and Long on the bench
That's still leaving Kilbane, Kavanagh, Stokes (amongst others) out of the matchday XVI
Even picking players from the Championship, I reckon a starting XI of
Kenny (if he can be persuaded to come back), Foley, Ledger, Doherty, Bruce, Yeates, Andy Reid, McCann, Hoolahan, Morrison, Lee/Walters, with Joe Murphy, Delaney, McCarthy, Garvan, Lee/Walters on the bench is not a bad side.
That's still leaving out Michael Doyle, Jay Tabb, Billy Clarke, Alan Mahon, Stephen McPhail, Mark Kennedy, etc
Even in the SPL, there's the bones of a decent squad with
Richie Byrne, Darren O'Dea, Sean Dillon, David Van Zanten, McGeady, Cregg, Alan O'Brien, Stephen Bradley, Barrett, Hunt.

[dr_peepee]

exactly....lets broaden our options and draft in some younger lads with potential this time (as opposed to Stan's policy of drafting in youth with connections to Pat Devlin):

i.e

LB - O'Halloran (any news of a loan move to the championship yet?)
CB - Slim pickings but St. Ledger should be in the squad from the off and maybe try and unearth a granny-ruler? (or bring back the doc! )
CM - definitely Garvan and McCann, also Walters as an extra option on the right

it seems that centre-half is our main worry should something happen to Dunne (God forbid!)....there has to be other options out there???

What's the craic with Walters at Ispwich... Is he a centre forward or on the right?

[Dr. Ogba]

What's the craic with Walters at Ispwich... Is he a centre forward or on the right?

any time i've seen him with Ipswich he's down as lining up on the right but I think he floats and joins the attack quite a bit, hence the amount of goals he's getting this season.
Started out as a striker when at Bolton afaik....

Tets - I take your point on Hoolahan and Yeates, I would class Yeates and Walters as very similar types of players i.e midfielders with a happy knack of scoring goals, always though of Hoolahan as an Andy Reid type player, has a lovely left foot on him....all deffo worth a look anyway...

[Irish_Praha]

Another option at CB is Paddy McCarthy. I would rate him ahead of Bruce anyway and he only has 3 yellows so far this season so he seems to have improved his dicipline since moving to Charlton. I don't know much about St Ledger.

What's the story with David Norris. I only know he's playing regularly and has 5 goals so far this season. Anyone been keeping a closer eye on him since he was first mentioned as an Irish prospect? He's 26 now so it would want to happen soon.

[the doc]

St Ledger is believed to be a target for Derby, WBA, Wolves and Charlton so must be worth a shout, a much more accomplished player than the likes of McShane, Bruce and McCarthy.
The Preston fans are calling him "The New Mark Lawrenson" high praise indeed.
I think we need to get him tired to Ireland asap!

[tetsujin1979]

I think we need to get him tired to Ireland asap!

He was on the bench away against Germany at the start of the qualifiers: http://www.soccerbase.com/results3.sd?gameid=496929
Don't think he can change his allegiance now, even though he didn't come on.