james mccarthy

EURO 2016 Takeaway: Kings of Lyon

Ireland proved a point at Euro 2016, and more importantly, grew as a team from the experience. But what were some of the key takeaways? The Opel Jersey explores.

Keano Named Player of the Year

Robbie Keane was named Senior International Player of the Year for 2013 at the FAI awards while James McCarthy picked up the young player gong. Ireland’s captain scored 8 goals including a hattrick against the Faroe Islands in a game when he broke the all-time appearances record.

Coleman, Forde, Keane Up for Award

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.

Passage of Play: Roberto Martinez

“He is a credit in the way he behaves and the way he performs. All in all, he could potentially be one of the top midfielders in European football” – Roberto Martinez sings the praises of new recruit James McCarthy as he tells evertonfc.com.

YBIG Football Show – Twitter, Transfers & Broadcasting Rights

Andy Keogh has taken to Twitter to vent his disappointment having been left out of the Ireland squad. Andy Reid is back in business for Forest, while James McCarthy’s transfer looks imminent. And what do you do when you live in Australia and can’t watch the Ireland-Sweden game? You buy the rights yourself.

In Demand Mac’s the Centre of Attention

If there’s one universal truth in professional football, it may be that talented young players keep moving on and moving up. Sadly for Wigan supporters, it’s increasingly apparent that 22-year old midfielder James McCarthy is not exempt from this truth. Despite the 5-year contract McCarthy signed with the Latics in 2011, the last few months have seen rumours of a transfer escalate into a bidding war between top English clubs with Everton and Spurs upping the ante last week.

Swede Spell of Success: 10 Talking Points

Many expected our World Cup hopes to be dashed in Sweden. Instead, the Irish team shocked us with their display in Stockholm and they take on Austria on Tuesday with an opportunity to put us firmly in the play-off spot. How did that happen? Here’s ten talking points.

Nomination Won’t Hold its Breath

The list of nominees have been announced for the FAI International Awards but it’s likely to be a short ceremony. There won’t be many highlights to play back reviewing a year to forget for the senior team.

Window of Opportunity for Irish

This time last year, there were high hopes of transfer movement for Irish stars struggling at club level. A European Championship loomed on the horizon, a competition Marco Tardelli said could serve as a shop window for the Republic squad. The demand for our stars failed to materialise and Poland saw the shop bankrupt. This time however, it’s form players and old reliables that are attracting attention.