Having bided his time, to the consternation of Irish fans, before breaking into the Republic set-up, Seamus Coleman has been rewarded with a nomination for international player-of-the-year. The Everton defender is up for the award alongside goalkeeper David Forde and captain Robbie Keane.
It’s a big year ahead for Irish players looking to impress a new management team. Martin O’Neill has spoken of unearthing a hidden gem while some more established names will be hoping to make a bigger impact than they did with Giovanni Trapattoni. We could also see some new faces in the Irish set-up with a big second half to the season coming up ahead of the beginning of Euro 2016 qualifying in September.
Once upon a time in Dublin, getting a score from Old Wes meant something entirely different, but it was shift of a different kind at another south Dublin venue that has Irish football fans all hot and bothered. Wes Hoolahan’s cameo against Poland has put a pep in the step of the Irish soccer team and its under-fire manager.
Only Trap could introduce a new-look Irish squad but fail to get people excited. Marc Wilson, James McCarthy, James McClean, and Seamus Coleman are in but there has been no cull. Still, the Italian has hinted that change could be coming.
As the fall-out from Euro 2012 continues, the question on everybody’s lips is will Giovanni Trapattoni overhaul Ireland’s playing style? Will those who failed so miserably at Euro 2012 be jettisoned and new faces given the chance to lead us to World Cup 2014? Póg Mo Goal looks at ten young guns who can come into the fray and fire us to Brazil.
IRISH players continue to figure prominently in the end-of-season awards with Ciaran Clark the latest to receive the plaudits.
An infamous night in Skopje. Not so much a tangerine dream as an orange nightmare. In 1997 Mick McCarthy’s hopes of emulating Jack Charlton by leading the Republic to a World Cup finals disintegrated when an ageing Irish side […]
HE WAS out, then in. Now he’s out again. He’s just returned from injury but the reason for James McCarthy’s eventual withdrawal from tomorrow night’s Carling Nations Cup clash with Wales is as clear as mud.
I had written a critique of Giovanni Trapattoni’s original squad selection yesterday for next week’s clash with Wales. However, earlier today I was handed a revised squad update here at Spud Watch Towers and I’ll be f*cked if you think I’m gonna go back and re-edit all the nonsense and garble. But what has been handed to me is is the most exciting looking Irish squad in 5 years….
IT MAY appear to be an innocuous squad announcement for a meaningless friendly, but this afternoon could turn out to be a day of reckoning for the Republic of Ireland’s bid to qualify for their first major tournament in ten years.