FAI...June 2024 Friendlies v Hungary and Portugal

[Jim_Murphy_74]

Ideal Draw (England, Croatia, Sweden, IRELAND)
Nightmare draw (Spain, Italy, Czech Republic, IRELAND)

Remember that Croatia were our banker last time round!

/Jim.

[JPGJOHNNYG]

Surely we have some young lads around 17-19 year old playing at some of the Premiership clubs that could make the break thru?

Look at the u19 sqaud, there's not too many of them playing for premiership clubs and none of them at top clubs.

United, Arsenal & Liverpool always had several young Irish players on their books, not too many these days unfortunately. Qualification for future tournaments will become unlikely given the lack of talent coming through.

As I said earlier I dont see O'Neill bringing in any new faces before Euro 2016
For the world cup they may take a look at Dan Crowley or Patrick Bamford both young (18 and 21) but unfortunately both suffer a touch of Grealishitis and will wait to see if they have a sniff of an England call up first.

Here is an interesting guardian article from a month ago about the next generation

3 of the lads are on Irelands books

[AZOffaly]

Fantastic result and well done. Delighted for the lads that have stuck with this team. I know lads that go to every game, home and away, and I can't understand their passion (or where they get their money). Some of the stuff they've been subjected to is dire, but they've stuck with it.

Sure it'll make for a good summer anyhow.

Delighted for John Walters as well. The prototype 'good honest pro'.


Somebody above said this bunch are very likeable, and they are. They are limited, but they always seem to try, and they do seem to genuinely care about whether Ireland do well or not.

[The Wedger]

Any chance Stephen Ireland will come back?

[JoG2]

Any chance Stephen Ireland will come back?

he was seen rocking up to Malahide this morning

[illdecide]

Any chance Stephen Ireland will come back?

He wouldn't get his place anyhow

[JPGJOHNNYG]

Surely we have some young lads around 17-19 year old playing at some of the Premiership clubs that could make the break thru?

Look at the u19 sqaud, there's not too many of them playing for premiership clubs and none of them at top clubs.

United, Arsenal & Liverpool always had several young Irish players on their books, not too many these days unfortunately. Qualification for future tournaments will become unlikely given the lack of talent coming through.

As I said earlier I dont see O'Neill bringing in any new faces before Euro 2016
For the world cup they may take a look at Dan Crowley or Patrick Bamford both young (18 and 21) but unfortunately both suffer a touch of Grealishitis and will wait to see if they have a sniff of an England call up first.

Here is an interesting guardian article from a month ago about the next generation

3 of the lads are on Irelands books

Sorry had work to do and didnt finish before I posted DOH
Anyway here is the interesting guardian article

http://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2015/oct/06/next-generation-2015-20-of-the-best-talents-at-premier-league-clubs

3 of the lads are on Irelands books (Marcus Agyei-Tabi, James Finnerty, Kian Flanagan and some of the others with Irish sounding names that may also qualify)

[JPGJOHNNYG]

You'd be looking at trying to convert a few more Jack Charlton style if there's not many coming through the ranks. I wonder why this lad went back to england.

http://www.balls.ie/football/dan-crowley-is-set-to-switch-his-allegiance-to-ireland/308440

I really hope Grealish doesn't make the england squad for 2016.

Im almost certain he wont which kind of makes his decision all the more baffling.

[NAG1]

You'd be looking at trying to convert a few more Jack Charlton style if there's not many coming through the ranks. I wonder why this lad went back to england.

http://www.balls.ie/football/dan-crowley-is-set-to-switch-his-allegiance-to-ireland/308440

I really hope Grealish doesn't make the england squad for 2016.

Im almost certain he wont which kind of makes his decision all the more baffling.

Not that I agree with him but he was probably looking and realising that while he had a very outside chance of getting into the squad for the Euro '16 he would be starting to hit his peak coming up to the next world cup and the Euros after that which England would have a more than decent chance of qualifying for.

[JPGJOHNNYG]

Here is Crowley scoring a great goal the other night so hopefully we can get him to switch back again

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/row-zed/watch-arsenal-youngster-dan-crowley-6840189

[Walter Cronc]

Here is Crowley scoring a great goal the other night so hopefully we can get him to switch back again

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/row-zed/watch-arsenal-youngster-dan-crowley-6840189

As a Gooner I've been keeping tabs on this lad for some time now.

He was doing really well at Barnsley then all of a sudden ended up back at Arsenal. Not sure whether that was a lack of midfielders at Arsenal or some discipline issue. Hopefully not the latter. Perhaps someone can confirm.

Similar style player to Jack Wilshere - hopefully the personalities are very different!

[foxcommander]

You'd be looking at trying to convert a few more Jack Charlton style if there's not many coming through the ranks. I wonder why this lad went back to england.

http://www.balls.ie/football/dan-crowley-is-set-to-switch-his-allegiance-to-ireland/308440

I really hope Grealish doesn't make the england squad for 2016.

Im almost certain he wont which kind of makes his decision all the more baffling.

Not that I agree with him but he was probably looking and realising that while he had a very outside chance of getting into the squad for the Euro '16 he would be starting to hit his peak coming up to the next world cup and the Euros after that which England would have a more than decent chance of qualifying for.

His star may have faded by then if he was thinking long term. There's plenty of other players making it into the England midfield and he won't be guaranteed a starting place or a place at all. Alli and Dier from spurs breaking though, Wilshere, Sterling and Barkley. He's going to find a nice place on the bench perhaps.

[Maroon Manc]

Surely we have some young lads around 17-19 year old playing at some of the Premiership clubs that could make the break thru?

Look at the u19 sqaud, there's not too many of them playing for premiership clubs and none of them at top clubs.

United, Arsenal & Liverpool always had several young Irish players on their books, not too many these days unfortunately. Qualification for future tournaments will become unlikely given the lack of talent coming through.

As I said earlier I dont see O'Neill bringing in any new faces before Euro 2016
For the world cup they may take a look at Dan Crowley or Patrick Bamford both young (18 and 21) but unfortunately both suffer a touch of Grealishitis and will wait to see if they have a sniff of an England call up first.

Here is an interesting guardian article from a month ago about the next generation

3 of the lads are on Irelands books

Sorry had work to do and didnt finish before I posted DOH
Anyway here is the interesting guardian article

http://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2015/oct/06/next-generation-2015-20-of-the-best-talents-at-premier-league-clubs

3 of the lads are on Irelands books (Marcus Agyei-Tabi, James Finnerty, Kian Flanagan and some of the others with Irish sounding names that may also qualify)

Only one of them born in Ireland though and wouldn't be surprised to see 2 of those lads do a Grealish if their good enough to receive a call up from England.

Ireland are wasting their money with full time scouts in England trying to pick up lads as young as 13, better of spending the money on producing their own talent.

[JPGJOHNNYG]

Dele alli scores a cracker looks like thats one more ahead of grealish in the pecking order

[MW]

Poor Scotland missing out on the party. Wales and OWC and England and us there.

Well dumbed down tournament .   Both Ireland s and Wales will be filleted and England will struggle too .

Northern Ireland (and England) topped their group so can't be counted among any supposed "dumbing down".

Wales (and Iceland and Albania, whose presence will also no doubt be pointed to in the coming months) were group runners-up, so were among the top 18, so could well have made the 15 (plus hosts) of previous tournaments.