Squad harmony? These blokes are in squads week in, week out where players are dropped, injured or have peed the manager off and lose their place. They are professionals who don't have to cry on a tricolour to find motivation. You seem to have a very idealistic view of these players. Ultimately, they live in a world of survival of the fittest and that includes international football. Earlier, you mentioned if players like Noble play for Ireland, it will affect the motivations of younger players. The reality is, if they play well enough, they will play for Ireland. If not, they won't. This is the reality of professional sport.Originally Posted by TheOneWhoKnocks
You honestly think a 27 year old who has previously expressed zero interest in playing for Ireland declaring literally days before a qualifying campaign won't cause a little resentment? You honestly think Hendrick, Meyler, Reid, Gibson and Hoolahan wouldn't be a little ****ed off if Noble was playing at their expense? You honestly think younger players would be happy to have their path to playing for their country being restricted because of near 30 year olds declaring because they give up on playing for England?
The player isn't good enough to improve Ireland - bottom line. People said Paul Green would be the answer to our problems after he concussed the ball into the net against Algeria!
A few things worth considering. He has been eligible for over three qualifying campaigns without declaring. He was said to want a place in the first team as a condition of declaring for this country. What kind of attitude will he have if he doesn't play?
Is it so much to ask for for us to have a little self-respect and pride in the jersey?
That's all I have to say. There are no quotes from the player and just two weeks ago he said he wanted to play for England. We have been down this road before so I'm not going to get any more passionate over an average, average player.
Last edited by TheOneWhoKnocks; 29/08/2014 at 12:25 PM.
He doesn't improve the quality of the squad, just adds another body. And if true, he'll stand in the way of the development of a future star for us, thinking Jeff Hendrick. Seeing this as another step towards the all too familar stage of a manager blaming his own inadequacies on not having the players to hand .....
At the end of the day if Noble does in fact make himself available O'Neill will pick him.
"We lost because we didn't win"- Ronaldo
Have you a quote from him to back up that ridiculous assertion?
If he declares for us - he is, apart from McCarthy, our best midfielder. People who think Gibson is better are ridiculous - maybe just maybe Gibson is more talented than Noble but Noble is a regular in a Permiership - something that can't be said for Gibson.
And while I have certain misgivings about him declaring - at the end of the day if the Diego Costas of this world are doing it - who are we to turn down Noble. He's as Irish as Townsend, Houghton or any of them. If you don't cast your net as wide as you can you run the risk of falling behind - especially as the FAI couldn't give a toss about youth development.
He didn't say it, but back when Trapattoni was talking to the agents of players like Noble and O'Hara, he made a comment about how agents were telling him their player would only declare if they were guaranteed to play. He didn't specify who it was but people seem to have concluded it was Noble.
Because he's missed an entire year with injury and months before that. Anytime he's been fit, he's been first choice for his club.
That's a bit of a daft assertion, it's as much to do with cultural & social factors as economic rationale.
Except you have to have the talent to develop in the first place...you could invest billions in domestic soccer at a youth level, but there's no guarantee it's going to develop lots of quality international players!
Our pool is spread quite thinly, given soccer is not our national sport so it's always going to be a problem IMO.
Otherwise a good post, though don't share those misgivings. If anyone improves the Irish team and they're eligible (>1% DNA will do for me) and the other players accept them, who cares...
Saying Noble is better than the rest is very subjective, and nothing I'd agree with. We're not comparing Diego Costa with Conor Sammon here, no disrespect to Diego Costa intended. The assumption is Noble will apply himself to the best of his abilities but he's been sitting on the fence for countless years so why entertain Noble's whim and devalue our team this way?
I'm not all that gone on this, to be honest. However, we'd be in denial if we thought that there weren't numerous England-born Irish players down through the years (who we've happily supported in idealistic manner) that would have chosen to play for England if they'd ever been offered the opportunity. Noble's case has just been a bit more discernible as he, until now obviously, has perceived his chance of an England call-up to be a bit more realistic than that of some other England-born players who might have declared for us at a younger age.
Out of interest, does anyone know who the oldest player to declare for us/switch has been to date?
If Noble does indeed decide to switch, he'll need to prove his commitment and worth to the team.
Well, Martin does have IFA roots.
Kane doesn't quite rule a switch out as the article's deceptive paraphrasing suggests. He just states that there has been no decision to switch allegiance, or even that there is no decision, but that doesn't rule out the possibility of there being some decision in the future.
Noble hasn't just discovered his eligibility though. He's known about it for years and has had plenty of opportunity to declare, so the analogy doesn't quite fit.
Well, the aforementioned list of players will have nothing to worry about then if Nobel's not good enough to add anything... What you say is somewhat contradictory, no?
He'll surely add competition and depth at the very least. It will, or should, motivate others to try harder; not offer them an excuse for self-pity if they miss out at his expense. He'll win me over if he fights for his position in the team along with the other eligible players vying for places in midfield and appears to be deserving of it.
I must point out though, I don't flatly disagree with everything you're saying on the matter.
I'm not flat-out against his prospective declaration (if he proves his worth), but I'd be reticent to celebrate it just yet. It's a bit like the Pennant case, and, if I recall correctly, that story sparked a few unfavourable comments from established squad players at the time in relation to johnny-come-lately types.
Noble fails my gut test. Badly.
Not sure, but Jon Macken must be up there? A month short of his 27th birthday when he played for us.
Has anyone ever failed the gut test and proved you wrong?
Terry Mancini was in his 30s I think.
Bernie Slaven was 29 when he made his debut.
Last edited by Charlie Darwin; 29/08/2014 at 2:51 PM.
Tbf you could say much the same about a certain RMK, S.Ireland & probably at least a few others, on occasion.
my gut composition has changed over the years!
I'm a lot more fussy than I was at the time of Charlton and Hand. I was pleased as punch when Townsend declared but he'd probably fail now, but prove me wrong. Back then, of course, the FA was asleep at the wheel so there were fewer players then who were very clearly England holdouts who switched late. Townsend wasn't a holdout, nor was Aldridge, they were just overlooked. That's a bit different.
It's been argued above that our players are grown men and professionals so shouldn't be too miffed if a latecomer comes in and nicks their place. Maybe so, but O'Neill's insistence that we haven't the players really annoys me. We have plenty of good players. I'd prefer to put my faith in Hendrick, Gibson, McCarthy, Meyler, Quinn, Reid and Hoolahan. If Noble was to replace Whelan then maybe I'd be more inclined to see this as a progressive move
As SF says maybe this'll be a necessary evil.
Last edited by Stuttgart88; 29/08/2014 at 3:19 PM.
Thinking about it from a purely footballing perspective I'd be happy to have him in the squad. He is a very accomplished midfielder, he marks well, he wins the ball and he is good at keeping possession, I would say he is the sort of high-tempo central midfielder akin to the likes of Andrews and Kavanagh (possibly a step up from both) that we are missing in our squad at the moment. In an emergency he could also play out wide, especially on the right, so again he brings a degree of versatility to the squad. If we play a 4-5-1 he could be in central midfield, on the right or at a push just behind the striker (at a push but Hoolahan would be better there), if we stuck with 4-4-2 he could be one of the central ones and if we did 4-3-3 he could be a centrally defensive player, McCarthy's shield so to speak. 21 goals and 30 odd assists in almost 200 premier league games suggests he would carry an attacking threat. I think he would compliment James McCarthy very well, and Gibson's situation at Everton is looking a bit bleaker than a year or so ago (his injuries and the additions of Barry and Besic might have caused him to slip down the pecking order). Aside from the other week he's very good at set pieces (esp penalties) and, if in the starting 11 would probably be the default taker (especially if Robbie isnt playing)
All of that is from a footballing persepective, I have mixed feelings about him playing for us in terms of desire. It does feel a little bit like we are his back up plan now he thinks the England ship has sailed, a lot of the signs in terms of timing point to this, but we don't really know either way. There can be a whole host of reasons for this sort of thing, Kevin Gallen wanted to play for us but was more or less prevented from doing so by his club (QPR), didn't McCarthy himself say his grandad's dying wish was for him to play for Ireland and that was a big factor in him playing for us? It could be he made a decision at under 21 level with a degree of duress or under undue influence and the situation has just drifted from that decision - who knows how much contact the FAI had with him in the last few years, it could be that he feels like he has a genuine split sense of nationality - did Houghton and Townsend say they both felt very Scottish/Irish, maybe there is a situation like that? If Noble does declare for us and if says his motivation for doing it is honorable (for want of a better word) then I wouldnt have a major problem with it.
if noble comes on board and plays a key role in a successful qualifying campaign, most of these concerns will fade away.
personally i don't mind if one or two squad members have questionable motives as long as the team on the pitch does the job.
It's a curious management technique both Trap and O'Neill have adopted - motivate your players by publicly talking them down on a regular basis. I don't know what coaches of other sides of our level do to get their players to play above their level, but I'm guessing it doesn't involve that. If I was being cynical, I'd say there was a bit of management going on of their own reputations.
Honestly? Do you watch West Ham? They are probably one of the worst footballing sides in the Premier League. He went down to the Championship with them a few years ago. There is no way he should be shifting McCarthy, Hoolahan, Reid, Hendrick, Gibson, Meyler or even Whelan.
It's as well to give Eunan O'Kane a reward for his form at Bournemouth, a good footballing side. If Noble is much better - I sincerely, sincerely doubt it - any benefits are negated by his reticence to actually play for Ireland and any attitude problems stemming from a lack of playing time.
I haven't even mentioned Stephen Quinn. Start the season on fire for Hull and get the shaft while someone literally declares less than a week before the campaign starts and jumps ahead of him in the pecking order. It's shameful.
Think you're underestimating Noble a bit. He's a very solid player at a poor team. And even if he does declare, it will take a few months, probably into 2015, before he is cleared to play.
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