With Liverpool’s signing of Simon Mignolet, we thought the door had opened for Keiren Westwood to reclaim the goalkeeper’s jersey for both club and country. However, Sunderland’s recruitment of Vito Mannone puts the pressure back on the Irish international who has watched from the sidelines as David Forde has grown into his role as Ireland’s ‘keeper of the faith.
“I saw my mother’s face just before the kick-off and it was a very emotional moment for me. I was in the dug out the day after she passed away and we won the game — and it has happened again. My dedication goes to her”
– Paolo Di Canio dedicates victory over Newcastle to his late mother
It was a very good night for the Irish in the League Cup with goals for Shane Long, James McClean, Jon Walters, Wes Hoolahan, Kevin Kilbane and a screamer from Nott’s Forest’s new Cox in the Box.
After another stand-out performance from James McClean in Sunderland’s 3-1 win over QPR, Match of the Day’ s Alan Shearer hopes to see the Derry Die Hard in action at Euro 2012.
The acclaim which greeted the on-field arrival of Derry’s James McClean during last Wednesday’s game with the Czech Republic was like the return of the messiah. For many, his inclusion on the plane to Poland in the summer seems a foregone conclusion. And this gives Trapattoni a major media headache.
James McClean-mania has reached fever pitch in some quarters but Giovanni Trapattoni is not going to drastically change tactics at this point. The amount of previews of the Czech game suggesting McClean would start on the left were scarcely credible and against everything we have learned from the Trap era.
We hope James McClean gets his chance against the Czech Republic and goes all Yippee Kay Olé on their asses.
Roy Keane, the man who once said he’d rather sit in a dentist’s chair than on a panel of television experts, has now completed his move to the Dark Side by signing as a newspaper columnist for Sunday paper.
James McClean’s call-up to the Republic of Ireland squad for next week’s friendly with the Czech Republic casts the spot-light once more on the domestic game’s role in the development of international-calibre players.
Giovanni Trapattoni has relented and included James McClean in the Republic of Ireland squad for the Czech game. The Sunderland starlet will link up with the players in Dublin ahead of next week’s friendly. Oh, and Paul Green has been called up too.