He can be forgiven for spinning the lie in the first place. That's no biggy as far as I'm concerned, we all make dumb mistakes.
What SI needs to do is to reconcile his "Trap is arrogant and treated me with disrespect", "I'm glad I've retired from international football" and "I feel nothing for the national team" remarks with his recent "I'll be watching on TV and kicking every ball" and "when the question comes I'll consider it" comments.
It takes nothing to realise that the ball is in his court to rectify these inconsistencies.
It's also quite simple. Two of his team mates are Trap's quasi-captains. An approach can easily be manufactured and it can be spelt out to SI exactly what he needs to do. Spouting nonsense either directly or by his missus is not that.
I'd have him back quite simply because the more options we have the better, and because this whole episode is tiresome. There's nothing to say that he'd even make the squad let alone the team. McCarthy, McClean and Coleman are barely in the squad, and within a year or so you'd expect the likes of Murray, Mason and Hendrick to be pushing hard. Hoolahan might even figure in WC14 campaign according to Tardelli.
In addition to the miscarriage if people knew his father and the kind of upbringing he had I think they'd be more understanding as to the kind of insecure individual he's become. It's not appropriate to go into more detail on that on a web forum but it's worth understanding that his childhood and upbringing has affected his rationality as an adult. People assume many things about him based on his eccentricity and inconsistent remarks, most of them wide of the mark.
I think the bigger ssue is the sheer disrespect he has shown towards the team. He hasn't just said international football isn't for him and he'd like to focus on his club career. Instead he has continuously spouted a load of nonsense that has rightly irked many parties.
I'd probably forgive and move on if he just said sorry and admitted he was wrong and would like to change his mind. However, any standard of decency demands that he can't expect the FAI and Trap to come calling first. This is regardless of his upbringing. Stephen Ireland is not the wronged party in this argument.
If he's serious about returning he should let Dunne and Given know and they can intermediate. He can be told what he needs to say and if he can't say it he clearly doesn't want it.
Can he play left back?
This has nothing to do with the miscarriage/granny incident, as I wrote on the last page if that was the only incident I could've welcomed him back a long time ago. No, I'd boo him because he's an arrogant, narcissistic, egotistic (etc.) chav **** who has constantly basically spit upon the team I support...however I might be able to at least be able to tolerate him if he apologized (to the FAI, team, etc.) for all the **** (which Stutts pointed out above) and showed some sort of dedication/effort. The thought of him playing over a player who truly wants to play to Ireland, even if less skilled, turns my stomach.
Last edited by theworm2345; 23/04/2012 at 6:52 PM.
My Guarantee
Am looking for old Irish matches on VHS, PM me if you have some and I'll upload them here
IF trap wants him in the team post the euros then I will support the decision.
SI is certainly not deserving of a place, purely based on form, that he wouldve been a couple of years ago when he was one of the bright lights in the EPL.
My concern is if he came back, how much discontent would he cause? And also Im not sure I could trust him to stick around, whos to say he wouldnt feck off again!?! Thats up to him to prove.
Stephen looks a bit like Dustin. As he seemingly wants to go can we send him as a mascot? Problem solved.
If in the hypothetical situation he was playing for us then surely he'd have made his peace with the FAI and Trap to an extent that they are happy to call him up? If you don't agree with his call up for the reasons you mentioned then surely your bile should be directed at those making that decision rather than Ireland?
Don't think he'll fancy the championship next season,
Its hard to say. We all know the FAI will do pretty much anything for a little money, so if they believed that bringing him back would put people in the Aviva then they'd probably let bygones be bygones. As elroy pointed out above though, that wouldn't prove anything other than that the FAI are money-grubbers and I'd still have no reason to believe Ireland wouldn't just up and walk out on a whim. Trap bringing him in might be a little different, though what if he is brought in after Trap is gone (who knows when) and its some manager who has little knowledge of the situation, that could also be problematic.
My Guarantee
Am looking for old Irish matches on VHS, PM me if you have some and I'll upload them here
Trap out!
I was chatting to a lad from Cobh on a night out there a year or two back and he gave me the same impression. He referred to a troubled upbringing and the effect the break-up of his parent's relationship had on him and how the petulance and irrationality we sometimes see from Ireland was even more at large during his youth.
That said, he's made it this far and he is massively talented. Football and celebrity status tend to bring the worst out in a lot of people and Ireland is a prime example.
The thing about his more recent comments is that he hasn't positively said that he wants to bury the hatchet, apologize for past misdemeanours and endeavour to perform to his best for Ireland, should he ever regain the privilege and opportunity.
I agree that using Dunne and Given to facilitate his return is the best manner. If they are unwilling to accept him into the fold, as two of the best (if not the best) current servants for the national side, then nobody will.
Not really sure whether I'm in favour of Ireland ever returning either.
It's difficult for him to prove that he won't féck off again until he makes himself available and turn up if called.
If he was mature enough to do that, I think it would work and I seriously doubt if issues would arise with the other players. He would be a talented footballer in most teams, football ability earns some respect.
We have had plenty of dysfunctional players who were treated leniently/given leeway, but they wanted to play.
In that interview of sorts with Trap on Sunday, he has kicked SI well into touch by saying more or less that 'we have McCarthy, we are preparing McCarthy we make promises of sorts to McCarthy, how can I turn around and say to McCarthy in the next campaign to go away home, for him (SI)'
I wonder if Trap spat into a spitoon when saying "for him".
I think it also means that Trap still sees McCarthy as playing a more roving advanced role for us at midfield than he does at Wigan. That James is the man for whatever role Trap would envisage for SI.
Now I know how the Koran has so many interpretations.
But unlike me, the problem there and with other texts is that they claim to have the one and true interpretation.
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