Martin O’Neill has announced his first squad as Ireland manager for the friendly with Serbia at the Aviva Stadium next month. There’s been no recall for Shay Given, whose loan spell at Middlesbrough expires at the end of February. Ipswich’s Daryl Murphy makes a return to the squad but there’s no room for Stephen Ireland. Although O’Neill oversaw the games with Latvia and Poland, he inherited those selections from interim coach Noel King.
Noel King has shaken up the Irish squad by recalling exiled Andy Reid, Kevin Doyle, Darron Gibson, and Celtic’s Anthony Stokes in his selection announcement for the final qualifiers against Germany and Kazakhstan.
Statistics released this week show Ireland with the fourth highest representation of footballers in the Premier League and, with the new season just starting, international boss Giovanni Trapattoni was able to name ten top flight players in his team to face Wales. This time a year ago, however, his squad was reeling from a disastrous European Championship. The manager has stuck to his word and overhauled the playing staff but for the team that lined out against Italy last summer, much has changed in just 12 months.
Richard Dunne has been omitted from the Irish squad for the friendly clash with Wales in Cardiff. The new QPR signing’s return could depend on how much game-time he sees at Loftus Road. Meanwhile, Robbie Keane has not been asked to fly in from the States, and there’s another chance for Anthony Pilkington. Stephen Quinn is rewarded for his impressive display against Spain and is named in the squad for the August 15 friendly.
Big Phil Scolari has shocked Brazilian supporters by omitting both Kaká and Ronaldinho for the upcoming Confederations Cup. The squad announcement, indicating the players expected to compete for World Cup glory on home soil next summer, drew gasps from the assembled press.
Robbie Keane was back on the mark for LA Galaxy grabbing his side’s first in a 2-2 draw with San Jose Earthquakes. It was Robbie’s 16th goal in 15 matches and ensures Galaxy finish fourth in the Western Conference.
The FAI have backed Giovanni Trapattoni and he will remain as Irish manager following an EGM of the association in Dublin. Read the full statement:
Having mauled Ireland in Dublin, Germany thought they were home and leder-hosed when 4-0 up on Sweden in Berlin. Zlatan and co had other ideas though. The Swedes produced a stunning comeback to blow Group C wide open and leave Ireland trailing in third in the early World Cup qualifying running. It prompted a Swedish radio commentator to lose his cool and our own Des Cahill to ask, when have Germany ever thrown away a lead like this before?
Ireland got their World Cup hopes back on track last night with a 4-1 win over the Faroe Islands but the pitch-forks are still out for the manager. An ogre in the eyes of the press and some supporters, Giovanni Trapattoni answered some of his critics by naming Seamus Coleman, Robbie Brady, and Marc Wilson in the starting eleven but will there be a happy ending or has the page turned on the Trap chapter of Irish soccer?
God has descended from his heavenly throne to impart some words of wisdom for Irish football fans in despair.