Ireland Squad for Summer US tour

[Gabriel_Hurl]

Ronnie O' Brien played his first game for us on Saturday and did very well on the right wing - although Mo Johnson reckons he's only at 70-75% fit

[Main Street]

Kilbane, Potter,  Ireland,  Hunt, O'Brien, Miller

Midfield is desperatly weak. Who's going to put in a decent tackle? Who can tackle? Who can play as a defensive midfielder.
That midfield selection takes away from the whole purpose of blooding in the other new boys. Joe Gamble could do it but there is an EL programme.

Ireland does a lot of work for man city and has showen he can do it at international level. i think he is our next keano

Stephen Ireland is not a defensive midfield player, nor could you describe him as a box to box player like Keane.
I see Joe Gamble has been called up

[stephenite]

Ronnie O' Brien played his first game for us on Saturday and did very well on the right wing - although Mo Johnson reckons he's only at 70-75% fit

Is that the Ronnie O'Brien that was voted TIME magazine man of the millenium? Still makes me smile when I think of him beating JFK

[Gabriel_Hurl]

Is that the Ronnie O'Brien that was voted TIME magazine man of the millenium? Still makes me smile when I think of him beating JFK

He never actually got that award. from Wiki

In August 1999, Time Magazine in the United States conducted an internet poll to find the Person of the Century. Mischievous friends in Bray sent an e-mail urging Irish people to vote for Ronnie O'Brien. O'Brien vaulted his way to the top of the standings, beating out such notables as Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King and Bill Clinton. Then there was a computer crash, which Time said was a result of too many people voting online at once. Instead of being named Person of the Century, O'Brien was taken out of the running, because Time officials said not enough people had heard of him. The official rules stated, "whimsical candidates will not be counted."

Anyway - I can confirm he's still playing - he's been on the MLS All-Star team twice and is playing for Toronto now

[Gabriel_Hurl]

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/0521/breaking9.htm

Looks like Ronnie turned down an invite to play

[An Fear Rua]

Saw quite a few of the squad in Dublin airport on Friday(all very young), and sat beside a squad member on the journey home, who pulled out last minute with injury. Was surprised at how slight he was for a centre half. All in all a nice fella , poor lad was shitting himself as he hates flying. He informed me that Robbie Keane is seen in an almost God like manner by the younger lads in the dressing room and JOS is very much looked up to as well, that staunton was visibly under pressure before the slovakia game, and a great weight had been lifted after the result. Was quite unassuming for a professional footballer, despite previous bad press earlier in his career.

And to make this post , almost complete in its Fearoness, the lad gave me a pair of the newly issued FAI track suit bottoms as a thank you for keeping his mind off the flight.

[An Fear Rua]

Reading's Shane Long gets up above Ecuador's Luis Caicedo
Kevin Doyle earned a makeshift Republic of Ireland side a draw against Ecuador in New York on Wednesday.
Doyle's diving header a minute before half-time cancelled out Ecuador's 13th minute opener from Christian Benitez in front of 20,823 fans at Giants Stadium.

Reading striker Doyle also hit the post for the Republic, who handed international debuts to 11 players.

Wigan's Kevin Kilbane captained the side, but the rest of the starting line-up had only 13 caps between them.

Up to 25 players had withdrawn or were unavailable for the tour of America, leaving Staunton with only nine capped players in a 21-man squad.

American-born student Joe Lapira, who had only met Staunton and the squad when they arrived in New York at the weekend, became the 11th debutant of the night and the first non-professional international since 1964.

Staunton said: "This was very, very pleasing. There were some excellent individual performances and overall it was a good team performance."

[Donagh]

Reading's Shane Long gets up above Ecuador's Luis Caicedo
Kevin Doyle earned a makeshift Republic of Ireland side a draw against Ecuador in New York on Wednesday.
Doyle's diving header a minute before half-time cancelled out Ecuador's 13th minute opener from Christian Benitez in front of 20,823 fans at Giants Stadium.

Reading striker Doyle also hit the post for the Republic, who handed international debuts to 11 players.

Wigan's Kevin Kilbane captained the side, but the rest of the starting line-up had only 13 caps between them.

Up to 25 players had withdrawn or were unavailable for the tour of America, leaving Staunton with only nine capped players in a 21-man squad.

American-born student Joe Lapira, who had only met Staunton and the squad when they arrived in New York at the weekend, became the 11th debutant of the night and the first non-professional international since 1964.

Staunton said: "This was very, very pleasing. There were some excellent individual performances and overall it was a good team performance."

Wha?

[shotstopper1]

Reading's Shane Long gets up above Ecuador's Luis Caicedo
Kevin Doyle earned a makeshift Republic of Ireland side a draw against Ecuador in New York on Wednesday.
Doyle's diving header a minute before half-time cancelled out Ecuador's 13th minute opener from Christian Benitez in front of 20,823 fans at Giants Stadium.

Reading striker Doyle also hit the post for the Republic, who handed international debuts to 11 players.

Wigan's Kevin Kilbane captained the side, but the rest of the starting line-up had only 13 caps between them.

Up to 25 players had withdrawn or were unavailable for the tour of America, leaving Staunton with only nine capped players in a 21-man squad.

American-born student Joe Lapira, who had only met Staunton and the squad when they arrived in New York at the weekend, became the 11th debutant of the night and the first non-professional international since 1964.

Staunton said: "This was very, very pleasing. There were some excellent individual performances and overall it was a good team performance."

Wha?

A case of have boots will play!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[magpie seanie]

That is a joke.

[tyroneboi]

Fcuk me i would have made the trip if he had have asked me!! Thats the best i have heard from an irish team in a long while - a non-professional yank! Prob start in the qualifiers now!

[shotstopper1]

Report from FAI website



Republic of Ireland 1 – 1 Ecuador.
Kevin Doyle 44

The Republic of Ireland recovered in brilliant style to draw level with Ecuador with a spectacular goal from Kevin Doyle in the 44th minute of an open and entertaining friendly match at the Giants Stadium, New Jersey on Wednesday night.

The outstanding Kevin Doyle provided the most spectacular moment of a lively contest when he threw himself full-length to meet a flashing left-wing cross from Daryl Murphy and beat the goalkeeper with a header from six yards.

The goal confirmed the advances being made by Ireland's rising young stars and they took encouragement from it to adopt a much more assertive approach in the second half.

They were quicker into the tackle, calm and assured in possession and they maintained the pace of the game by investing their work with a pleasing level of enthusiasm and drive.

This in spite of the fact that the quality of the surface left something to be desired. A new grass pitch had been laid on the synthetic playing surface just 24 hours earlier and the pitch was heavy and lacking in bounce.

Both sides applied themselves with a will in spite of that and an entertaining contest resulted with Ireland continuing to maintain a high level of performance and good balance, despite the introduction of six substitutes in the second half.

The number of new internationals was brought up to eleven, as a result, and manager Stephen Staunton will look back upon the match and describe it as a worthwhile exercise, one which gave Ireland's new generation invaluable experience and an opportunity to build team spirit.

There were some edgy moments in the opening half-hour, however, as Ireland's lack of experience was exposed several times by a sharp and inventive Ecuador strike force that had, in centre-forward Benitez a player of marvellous skill and lots of pace.

The Irish defensive line of four contained three new caps and they were close to being embarrassed several times as they attempted to contain the swift Ecuador strike force by utilising the offside trap.

Ecuador's goal, in the 13th minute illustrated the risk involved in maintaining a high defensive line for Ireland were caught hopelessly square as Benitez raced clear onto a through pass. He drove a left-foot shot from the edge of the six yard box between the legs of the advancing goalkeeper, Colin Doyle, and into the net.

But Ireland showed plenty of ideas and initiative themselves in attack. In the 9th minute left-back Stephen O'Halloran disco-danced his way past a couple of tackles outside the penalty area and then beautifully disguised a through ball to Kevin Doyle.

Doyle, in his usual fashion, never hesitated as he drew first-time on the ball with his left foot to beat the goalkeeper, but he was disappointed as the shot struck the upright and bounced wide.

Daryl Murphy flashed a header narrowly over from Kevin Doyle's speeding left-wing cross in the 16th minute but Alex Bruce was again out-foxed by Benitez in the 39th minute but this time the striker dragged his left-foot shot across goalkeeper Colin Doyle and wide of the far upright.

Then came Kevin Doyle's cracking goal – his third goal for Ireland in his 8th appearance – and the half-time whistle arrived just as the hard-working Andy Keogh had a shot taken off the goal-line following Kevin Hunt's left-wing corner with the goalkeeper beaten.

Darren Potter was a very influential figure in central midfield for Ireland while Daryl Murphy and Kevin Doyle troubled the Ecuador defence with their vigorous and hard-working style.

Ireland had more of the play in the second half and were close to going in front in the 68th minute when centre-back Alan Bennett challenged forcefully to reach a corner kick from Kevin Hunt and his strong, downward header extended the goalkeeper.

Ireland's defence ensured that the Ecuador strike force was seldom given a clear view of Colin Doyle's goal and despite the many changes, Ireland remained positive and ambitious in their approach.

The flow of scoring chances petered out, however, and the closing minutes were notable for the introduction of an amateur player, Joe Lapira, into the Irish team and the sending off in added time of Ecuador centre-back Carlos Castro.

Lapira was last season's top player at university level with the Notre Dame University and has resisted so far several offers from MLS clubs in America. He was invited to join the Irish squad this week by Stephen Staunton and the manager took the opportunity of giving him ten minutes of football. He qualifies for Ireland as his mother came from Dublin.

Castro was shown a yellow card when he body-checked Kevin Doyle in the 58th minute and he earned a second yellow and a red, of course, when penalised for a foul on Joe Gamble in the 93rd minute.
Republic of Ireland:

Colin Doyle (Birmingham City);
Stephen Kelly (Birmingham City), Alex Bruce (Ipswich Town), Alan Bennett (Reading), Stephen O'Halloran (Aston Villa) (Joe O'Cearuill Arsenal 73);
Andy Keogh (Wolves) (Joe Gamble, Cork City 69), Darren Potter (Wolves), Kevin Kilbane (Wigan Athletic) (Stephen Gleeson, Wolves 79), Stephen Hunt (Reading) (Anthony Stokes, Sunderland 69);
Kevin Doyle (Reading)(Shane Long, Reading 60), Daryl Murphy (Sunderland) (Joe Lapira Notre Dame Uni 85).

[Mentalman]

Watched it last night, game was played at some pace, both teams really trying to win it - Ecuadorians becuase there are Copa America places up for grabs, our boys obviously to make an impression. Thought Potter and  O'Halloran showed well, and won't have done themselves any harm. The other guys gave it ago. The score could easily have been 6-4 to Ireland by the end, it was that type of game, enjoyable to watch. Of course all the subs in the second half meant the game lost it's shape, Ireland had about 5 strikers on, and players out of position all over the park. As for Lapira, apparently he was voted top collegiate player over there last year, and has had offers from MLS clubs but resisted them. His Ma is Irish, so he has more claim to wear the green than some of our recent heros Only got one opportunity on the ball, broke well but got over excited with his pass. One way or the other he was worth taking a look at, and if the U.S. come in for him later he will have a choice to make, presuming the rules haven't changed and caps in friendlies don't tie him to one country.

[The Real Laoislad]

Ireland 1 - 0 Bolivia after 12mins Shane Long from Tipperary

You could say it's a Long way to Tipp.........or maybe not



EDIT

Just as i was sending post Bolivia score 1-1 don't know who scored it but he definatly isnt from Tipperary