Newstalk aired a half hour interview with Kenny yesterday in which Kenny specifically spoke of how good a player Ronan is but that he can't play in a team that.goes back to front fast. Kenny said you need to play through Ronan. For two of the goals that was definitely the case. Kenny spoke about the loan moves and how the style of play may not have suited him at the clubs. So the writing was on the wall there from that interview.
There's genuine cause for excitement with Kenny. In word and deed he seems to be the antidote to 15 years of reductive tactics and treading international water. You ultimately live and die by the quality of player available of course, but he'll no doubt promote some of these lads with him next year and the likes of Ronan and Idah look ready for it. Yeah, it was Luxembourg but there's something different in the air...
Crikey, Adam Idah, whatever level you put him at he just scores. Remember that again he's playing an age group higher as he's only just turned 18. Probably a bit premature to be thinking of putting him in the senior squad for the qualifiers in June but he should be monitored very, very closely for the rest of the season, pre-season and the start of next season with an eye on the Bulgaria and New Zealand games
Idah could do worse than looking for a loan move to play some senior football such is his progression.
https://kesslereffect.bandcamp.com/album/kepler - New music. It's not that bad.
Ya know there's a couple points you make in there that are very interesting. Kenny put faith in, for example, Neil Farrugia who is 19 and has very little LOI experience and even less at the Premier Division level. He trusted the ability of the lad. Conor Ronan has bounced around lower level English sides to little success in recent times but was trusted to play by Kenny. Young Idah, ditto.
The points that Kenny made in his programme notes for Dundalk that we all heard about are being put into action. After the year we have had, I think we would all rather if we went and tried something instead of focusing on our limitations like the previous senior and under 21 managers did.
There's a few golden touches from Kenny so far. He spoke glowingly of O'Shea and it looks like O'Shea is on a lot of radars. He spoke very highly of Farrugia and Scales and they're off to Man City for training. He spoke about Ronan before the Lux game stating he can prosper once he's playing in a side that goes through the lines and Ronan goes and assists a goal or two and looks brilliantly sharp between the midfield and forward lines. Someone on here questioned why Ndaba was in the squad before Ryan Nolan and Ndaba looks to make his senior debut this year. He has an eye for a player...
O'Shea did look the better of the two centre halves against Luxembourg. You could see the difference first team football, even at league two, was having on him compared to Masterson
I'd like to see the 19s eligible lads (Parrott, Idah, Coventry, L O'Connor, Kavanagh, Collins, Connolly) kept for Armenia. And use the Toulon tournament to work with the lads he's already worked with, along with the likes of: Ryan Nolan, Tyreke Wilson, Josh Barrett, Kian Flanagan, Ronan Hale, Simon Power
Last edited by elatedscum; 10/05/2019 at 8:42 PM.
I would take hodge to toulon
I think there will be plenty of pressure on him to switch both now and in the future. Hodge is a little unusual in that he is the first dual I can remember who played for both England and Ireland during his 17 season and was first choice for both but decided to play for us. Him and his family would clearly have known that doing this meant he could only switch once .
If you were cynical about it in his shoes then surely the play would be to stick with England for under 17 where he was first choice and would have expected to have had a better chance to win a tournament or qualify for the world cup and save your chance to switch back to us until you were older and saw how your career was panning out. Especially if commercially been involved with England even underage is worth more money.
I think we need to do what we feel is best for his development for us and taking him to toulon with the manager who will have an opportunity to pick him at senior level if he continues to develop would be a positive I think.
Ronan Hale signed for Pats today. Really impressed me the two times I saw him play for the 21s in the previous campaign. He was probably hurt by the fact Crusaders withdrew him from the home based squad at the start of the year. Hopefully himself and Glen McAuley start banging the goals for Pats and give Stephen Kenny something to think about
I read somewhere that the 21s squad will be announced tomorrow. This is the squad I would name if it was me... I think he went with 23 for the previous European squad, so I followed suit.
I’ve added replacement players if any of the shortlisted lads make the senior squad and I’ve made a few assumptions with injuries. Don’t have Bolger in the squad which is tough but hard to really justify him ahead of anyone....
Kelleher
Travers* (Maher)
Kearns
O’Connor
Lyons
Masterson
O’Shea
Scales
Collins* (Nolan)
Leahy
Connell
Coventry
Molumby
Mandriou
Taylor
Knight
Connolly
Kilkenny
Barrett
Obafemi* (McAuley)
Parrott* (Hale)
Afolabi
Idah
Injuries:
Farrugia
Elbouzedi
Clarke
Ronan
Hodge
-
This squad looks just so talented. Great work by Kenny, Mohan and O’Brien
Squad announced - https://www.fai.ie/ireland/news/irel...den-qualifiers
Think that's a first call up for McNamara? I thought at least one of the forwards would be in the senior squadRepublic of Ireland U-21 Squad
Goalkeepers: Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool), Gavin Bazunu (Manchester City)
Defenders: Danny McNamara (Newport County, on loan from Millwall), Lee O'Connor (Manchester United), Dara O'Shea (West Bromwich Albion), Conor Masterson (QPR), Darragh Leahy (Bohemians), Nathan Collins (Stoke City), Liam Scales (UCD AFC)
Centre Midfielders: Jayson Molumby (Millwall, on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion), Jason Knight (Derby County), Conor Coventry (West Ham United), Jake Doyle-Hayes (Cheltenham Town, on loan from Aston Villa).
Attacking Midfielders: Jack Taylor (Barnet), Dan Mandroiu (Bohemians), Gavin Kilkenny (AFC Bournemouth), Zack Elbouzedi (Waterford).
Forwards: Adam Idah (Norwich City), Jonathan Afolabi (Celtic), Aaron Connolly (Brighton and Hove Albion), Michael Obafemi (Southampton), Troy Parrott (Tottenham Hotspur).
Great blend of a squad.
Really exciting squad. Anyone know much about McNamara? Have we better than Elbouzedi? Shouldn’t be starting with the emergence of Kilkenny though. Let’s hope clubs don’t hold our players back now that’s they are starting to establish themselves at club level.
I would confidently put money on a side of Kelleher, O’Connor, O’Shea, Collins, McNamara, Coventry, Molumby, Knight, Kilkenny, Parrot, Connolly (with Afolabi, Idah, Obafemi waiting in the wings) would beat our seniors while playing a far more exciting brand of football
Last edited by tommy_c12000; 28/08/2019 at 2:48 PM.
[QUOTE=tetsujin1979;2014323]Squad announced - https://www.fai.ie/ireland/news/irel...den-qualifiers
I assuming Mick can still keep whoever he wants for the Senior team?
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