Posts Tagged ‘ Darren Randolph ’
Martin O’Neill has named a provisional 36 man squad for Ireland’s upcoming games against Scotland and USA.
Starting away, Scotland host Ireland in a EURO 2016 qualifier on Friday, November 14 at 7.45pm, before Ireland take on the USA in Aviva Stadium in a Three International Friendly on November 18.
The squad will be shortened ahead of meeting up on November 10. Continue reading
Noel King today announced a provisional 26 man squad for Ireland’s upcoming 2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Germany on October 11 in Cologne, and Kazakhstan on October 15 in Aviva Stadium.
The squad will be shortened ahead of the fixtures in order to facilitate injuries with both Robbie Brady and Jon Walters struggling with injury. Continue reading
We’ve always been known as a nation that produces top goalkeepers, from Packie Bonner to Shay Given and to the more than capable deputies who filled their void upon their absence, not that the performance of one Paddy Kenny in Larnaca falls into this bracket. Continue reading
Hibs let a two goal lead slip at Easter Road today, as Motherwell fought back to score three times in the closing stages to secure all three points in a hard fought encounter. Pat Fenlon’s men looked to be cruising to victory when Eoin Doyle scored his second of the afternoon, but a Jamie Murphy double and a Bob McHugh goal was enough for the Steelmen to claim victory.
Rod Petrie’s AGM plea to the lapsed fans to return in their numbers seemed to have fallen on deaf ears, as only 8413 home fans turned up to witness the fixture. Those who did so however were delighted to see club captain James McPake return to the side after injury, resulting in Ryan McGivern moving to left back and Lewis Stevenson taking a seat on the bench. Another long term injury victim, Gary Deegan was also listed as a substitute.
Hibs started well, and could have been two goals up in the first minute. Eoin Doyle slipped the ball to David Wotherspoon on the right wing, but the youngster had to delay his cross as there was no-one in the box. He eventually returned the ball to Doyle who beat a defender before his shot was blocked. Moments later Jorge Claros found Doyle who turned the Motherwell defender before shooting inches past the post with Darren Randolph well beaten.
‘Well fought back and Paul Hanlon misjudged Tom Hateley’s punt forward allowing Michael Higdon a clear shot at goal, but the big striker ballooned the ball well over the bar.
Alan Maybury found Leigh Griffiths unmarked, and the on-loan striker’s shot was well saved by Irish international Randolph.
Hibs almost took the lead when Griffiths’ free kick found the unmarked McPake in the box, but the skipper headed the ball just over the bar.
On 31 minutes, McPake was harshly booked for holding back Henrik Ojamaa, and this would prove costly later on.
With half time approaching, Hibs took a deserved lead when the ball fell to Tom Taiwo twenty five yards out. The former Chelsea midfielder looked as if he was about to shoot, but instead slipped the ball through to Griffiths who was unable to control it, but managed to find David Wotherspoon. The Scotland under 21 star did well to beat the defender on the outside before his perfectly weighted cross was met by Doyle who headed the ball past his fellow countryman Randolph into the bottom left corner of the net.
Hibs almost got a second just before the break with a long range Griffiths’ shot which Randolph was unable to hold but Adam Cummins managed to boot the ball clear before Doyle could get to the rebound.
Ten minutes into the second half, Hibs doubled their lead when Paul Cairney’s long ball over the top saw the former Sligo Rovers striker race clear of the Motherwell defence. With only the keeper to beat, Doyle took his time before smashing a powerful shot beyond Randolph from the edge of the box.
Hibs appeared to take their foot off the pedal, and it was no surprise when Motherwell pulled one back when Chris Humphrey finally got the better of Ryan McGivern on the right wing to drill a low ball across the six yard line where Jamie Murphy was waiting to knock it home.
With Motherwell dominating possession, Pat Fenlon replaced Griffiths with Deegan in an effort to solidify the midfield, and later brought on Ross Caldwell for Doyle.
Motherwell won a succession of corners, but the Hibs defence held firm, until the 80th minute, when Hateley’s cross found Higdon who beat McPake in the air at the back post to nod the ball across to Murphy who headed the ball home.
With minutes to play, Stuart McCall’s men found a winner when substitute Bob McHugh was on hand to slide home Henrik Ojamaa’s cross, however there was anger in the Hibs stands as the linesman should have awarded Hibs a corner just before the goal.
As the fourth official indicated four minutes of added time, McPake clattered into Murphy in the centre circle and was shown a second yellow card which means that he will miss the away fixture at Kilmarnock next week.
After the game, Pat Fenlon said: “We stopped playing after we scored the second goal to be honest. The second goal seemed to give the players the thought that maybe we could see the game out. We dropped too deep instead of trying to retain the ball.”
When asked whether the game changed when Griffiths was taken off, he replied: “We were under the cosh before we took Leigh off. I didn’t think he did well today to be honest. The idea was to try and get an extra man in midfield.”
Eoin Doyle said: “It’s very disappointing to be two nil up the going on to lose the game, especially at home. We’ve done very well at home this season and it’s not something we want to see creep into our game. I think we switched off after we scored the second goal and we didn’t see it out. We weren’t ugly enough. We should have been a bit uglier in the sense of trying to run down the play. I was disappointed in myself. I scored two goals bit I didn’t think I played well in the second half.”
The result will put a dampener on the team’s Christmas night out in Newcastle tonight, and the players will be desperate to get back on the winning trail at Rugby Park next Saturday.
Hibs: Williams, Maybury, McPake, Hanlon, McGivern, Wotherspoon, Taiwo, Claros, Cairney (Handling 87), Griffiths (Deegan 70), Doyle (Caldwell 77). Substitutes not used: Murdoch, Stevenson, Stanton, Kuqi.
Motherwell: Randolph, Hateley, Hutchison, Cummins (McHugh 73), Hammell, Humphrey, Lasley, Law, Murphy, Higdon, Ojamaa (Frances-Angol 90). Substitutes not used: Hollis, Ramsden, Daley, Kerr, Hetherington.
Referee: Steven McLean.
Attendance 8817
A total of 14 Irishmen started for their clubs in the SPL this weekend. A further three were injured and one not selected.
Nine were on the winning side and two drew.
Game of the day on Saturday featured six plus a substitute as Hibs beat St Mirren 2-1 in Paisley. Alan Maybury, Tim Clancy, Gary Deegan and Eoin Doyle starred for Pat Fenlon’s men, with Doyle instrumental in setting up Leigh Griffiths second goal.
Graham Carey and Jim Goodwin started for St Mirren, but both were taken off at half time. This was captain Goodwin’s first game of the new season, having been banned for the opening two fixtures. David van Zanten who was surprisingly dropped to the bench made a late appearance as substitute.
Johnny Hayes scored his first goal of the season for Aberdeen in their 2-1 win over St Johnstone in Perth, after a mix up in the Saints’ defence.
No Irishmen featured in the amazing 1-1 draw between Ross County and Celtic where the Parkhead men equalised with the last kick of the game. Anthony Stokes and Daryl Murphy both sustained injuries during the friendly against Real Madrid in Philadelphia. Kurtis Byrne has still not made the bench for County.
Motherwell’s Darren Randolph conceded against Kilmarnock, but the Steelmen went on to record a 2-1 victory to go second in the table. Randolph will be hoping to catch the eye of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni now that Shay Given has retired. Killie’s Paul Heffernan remains on the injured list.
Aaron Doran and Richie Foran both started for Inverness against Hearts at Tynecastle, but Foran was send off in the first half. Despite this, Terry Butcher’s team fought back to secure a 2-2 draw.
Dundee United’s quartet of Irishmen Sean Dillon, Richie Ryan, Willo Flood and Jon Daly all featured in the 3-0 victory over neighbours Dundee in the first competitive derby for seven years. That win was enough to move The Arabs to the top of the SPL.
Last week we reported on Pat Fenlon signing Gary Deegan from Coventry City for an undisclosed fee, and the former Bohs boss and added another countryman to his squad by signing up Alan Maybury on a one year contract.
This brings the total number of Irish players in the SPL to seventeen, although only eight started this weekend.
As expected Deegan made his debut in the Edinburgh derby and won many plaudits for his tough tackling performance even though he received a first half booking for bringing down Hearts danger man David Templeton. Tim Clancy also played well at right back where his long throws caused Hearts problems throughout the game. Maybury also had a good debut although the former Leeds fullback was at fault for Hearts goal when he misjudged a header back to keeper Ben Williams. Despite this, he kept his composure and played well for the rest of the game which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Midfielder Johnny Hayes played well in Aberdeen’s 0-0 draw with SPL new boys Ross County. Once again, Kurtis Byrne failed to make the squad although he did play for the under 20s side against his former club Hibs in midweek.
David Van Zanten was booked in St Mirren’s away victory over Dundee which sees the Buddies go top of the league, despite still being without captain Jim Goodwin who is suspended. Graham Carey made his first start of the campaign and acquitted himself well.
Aaron Doran featured in Inverness Caledonian’s 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock which fellow Irishman Richie Foran missed due to an injury, as did Killie’s striker Paul Hefferman who is likely to be out until November with a dislocated shoulder.
Darren Randolph kept a clean sheet as Motherwell drew 0-0 against St Johnstone at Fir Park. The Steelmen had lost 3-0 to Greek side Panathginaikos in the midweek Champion’s League Qualifier.
Dundee United’s quartet of Irishmen Sean Dillon, Richie Ryan, Willo Flood and Jon Daly did not play this weekend as their fixture against Champions Celtic was postponed to allow the Parkhead side to play a glamour fixture against Real Madrid in Philadelphia. United did however play in the Europa League on Thursday and lost 5-0 to Dynamo Moscow in Russia.
Anthony Stokes did not feature in the friendly which Celtic lost 2-0 having picked up an injury before the match; Daryl Murphy only lasted 33 minutes before being taken off with a hamstring injury.
Photograph of Alan Maybury by http://www.jcmackintosh.co.uk
Another Irishman joined the SPL ranks this week when Hibs boss Pat Fenlon signed Gary Deegan from Coventry City for an undisclosed fee. 24 year old Deegan who was born in Dublin spent the early part of his career with Shelbourne, before being loaned to Kilkenny City. He then played for Longford Town and Galway United before joining Fenlon at Bohemians.
The tough tackling midfielder has been on Fenlon’s radar from the moment he walked into Easter Road and is likely to start against Hearts in this weekend’s derby. His registration papers were not through in time for him to play against Dundee United on Sunday.
Of the sixteen Irish players in the SPL, only twelve started, and seven of those played in Dundee United’s 3-0 over Hibs. Sean Dillon picked up an early injury and was substituted at half time. Willo Flood and Richie Ryan both played well, but player of the day has to be Jon Daly who caused the Hibs defence problems throughout the 90 minutes. Daly capped off a fine performance with a headed goal in the second half to secure the points. Gavin Gunning was also solid at the back for the Arabs.
Tim Clancy started at right back for Hibs and was caught out of position for United’s first goal, although the former Motherwell defender could claim to have been blocked by John Rankin. Eoin Doyle played in Hibs midfield and held the ball up well creating a couple of chances.
Fenlon still wants to sign Alan Maybury but he is still waiting to see if the board can come to an agreement with the player.
Jonny Hayes started in Aberdeen’s narrow defeat against Celtic at Parkhead and had an anonymous game in midfield. Anthony Stokes recovered from his badly sprained ankle sustained against Inter Milan last week to start the match although he was taken off after 77 minutes and replaced by fellow countryman Daryl Murphy.
Aaron Doran started for Inverness Caledonian Thistle in their 2-2 draw with St Mirren, but striker Richie Foran missed the game through injury. David Van Zanten started for the ‘Buddies’ and had his usual reliable performance at right back. Club captain Jim Goodwin missed the game due to suspension and Graham Carey did not make the squad.
Kilmarnock striker Paul Heffernan is currently injured and missed the opening fixture against Dundee at Rugby Park, which ended in a 0-0 draw.
Darren Randolph kept a clean sheet for Motherwell against Ross County in Dingwall as both clubs shared the points in a goalless draw. Kurtis Byrne did not feature in County’s squad.
There were no Irish players at Tynecastle where Hearts beat St Johnstone 2-0.
The SPL kicks off this weekend and fifteen Irishmen are likely to take part in the opening fixtures. John Hislop looks at how the Irish contingent have performed during the close season and examines who is likely to make an impression in the next nine months.
Irish football fans will be interested in the Dundee United versus Hibs game as potentially seven Irishmen could take part. Before that, the Arabs take on Dinamo Moskva (UEFA Europa League 3rd Round Qualifier 1st leg) at Tannadice with some help from Michael Gardyne’s pal Aiden McGeady who has passed on his knowledge of the Russian team.
Four Irishmen took part in the club’s recent derby win over Dundee at Dens Park, with captain Jon Daly scoring a memorable hat trick. Sean Dillon ,Willo Flood and Richie Ryan also started the game and are likely to be first choices for Peter Houston’s team when available.
Tim Clancy is another likely starter alongside Eoin Doyle in the Hibs side. Clancy kicked off his Easter Road career at East Fife where he scored a stunning free kick to endear himself to the Easter Road fans. Doyle has featured in most of the pre-season games, but has yet to open his account for the campaign. Pat Fenlon’s new 4-2-3-1 system leaves Doyle as an attacking left sided midfield player with new on-loan signing Leigh Griffiths as the lone striker.
Pat Fenlon also hopes to have experienced versatile defender Alan Maybury on the books and talks are on-going between the player and the board to thrash out a deal. Maybury has also featured in most of the pre-season games and came on as a second half substitute against Huddersfield on Saturday.
Jonny Hayes has already made an impression during pre-season, with his lightning pace in Aberdeen’s 1-0 friendly defeat against Werder Bremen. He has been used sparingly and started Saturday’s game on the bench, coming on as a substitute in the second half as the Dons prepare for their opening fixture away at Champions Celtic.
It looks as though he won’t be facing Anthony Stokes who was carried off on a stretcher in the first half of the friendly against Inter Milan at Parkhead on Saturday, after blocking a clearance from Esteban Cambiasso. The injury which appears to be a badly sprained ankle makes Stokes a serious doubt for the Champion’s League qualifying round against HJK Helsinki on Wednesday.
Stokes’ team-mate Daryl Murphy appears to be out of Neil Lennon’s plans and was offered to Ipswich last month for a cut price deal however the deal fell through.
Inverness Caledonian’s Richie Foran scored a penalty in the club’s friendly win over Coventry City whilst fellow countryman Aaron Doran also took part.
Kilmarnock striker Paul Heffernan is currently injured and is a major doubt for the opening fixture against Dundee at Rugby Park.
Darren Randolph continues to be first choice in the Motherwell goal and is looking forward to the club’s Champion’s League qualifying round fixture against Greek giants Panathinaikos tomorrow at Fir Park. A large crowd is expected for the Steelmen’s first ever game in this competition.
Kurtis Byrne is currently with Ross County in the Netherlands for their pre-season tour ahead of their first top flight campaign, and hopes to get his career back on track after being released by Hibs.
David Van Zanten continues to be a first choice for Danny Lennon’s St Mirren, but captain Jim Goodwin had to be content to sit on the bench for Saturday’s defeat to Carlisle as he will be suspended for the opening game of the season against Inverness at New Love Street. Former Celtic player Graham Carey has not featured in the pre-season games and is unlikely to start on Saturday.
Irish News Review will continue to monitor how the Irish players are performing throughout the season.
Now that Dundee have finally been named as the team who will replace Rangers in the SPL, Irish News Review takes a look at the Irish players who will be plying their trade in Scotland’s top division this season. At the moment, there are 17 Irishmen in the various first team squads, and one waiting to hear whether he will be given a contract.
Dundee United lead the way with six, whilst St Mirren have three. Hibs, Celtic and Inverness all have two Irish born stars on their books.
Regular updates will appear on Irish News Review on how each player is performing throughout the season.
Jonny Hayes (Born 9 July 1987 in Dublin)
Hayes is a creative midfield player who came to Aberdeen’s attention after several outstanding displays for Inverness Caledonian Thistle. He joined the Dons in the summer on a two year contract. He previously played for Reading, MK Dons, Leicester City, Northampton Town and Cheltenham Town before moving to Scotland in 2009.
Anthony Stokes (Born 25 July 1988 in Dublin)
Stokes is a natural goal scorer who has one year left on his contract with Celtic. He began his senior career with Arsenal, but established himself with a successful loan spell with Falkirk before signing for Roy Keane’s Sunderland in a £2 million deal. He struggled to hold down a place in the Sunderland first team, and moved to Hibs for an undisclosed fee, scoring 20 goals in his only full season. In 2010, he signed for Celtic and has scored 26 goals in 63 games to date. He has been capped four times for the Republic of Ireland.
Daryl Murphy (Born 15 March 1983 in Waterford)
Murphy is a winger / striker who will also start his last year of a three year contract with Celtic whom he joined from Sunderland for an undisclosed fee. He made an impressive start to his career in the hoops, but subsequently spent a year with Roy Keane’s Ipswich Town on loan. To date he has played 18 times for Celtic scoring 3 goals. He has nine international caps.
Sean Dillon (Born 30 July 1983 in Dublin)
Dillon is a right back currently playing for Dundee United. He was a youth player with Aston Villa but failed to make the grade there, returning to his homeland where he played for Longford Town and Shelbourne. He joined the Arabs in 2007 and has played 156 times, scoring 3 goals, and has one under 21 cap and one ‘B’ international cap.
Willo Flood (Born 10 April 1985 in Dublin)
Flood is a right winger with Dundee United having returned to the club after spells with Celtic and Middlesbrough. He started his senior career with Manchester City and joined Cardiff City for a reported £200,000 in 2006. During his time with the Bluebirds, he spent two loan periods at Tannadice. To date he has played 86 times for United, scoring two goals. He has 11 under 21 caps.
Richie Ryan (Born 6 January 1985 in Tipperary)
Ryan is a midfield player with Dundee United. He joined the club in November 2011 from Sligo Rovers for whom he played 112 times, and to date has played 13 times for the Tannadice outfit. He started his senior career with Sunderland, making two appearances, and has played for Scunthorpe United, Boston United and Royal Antwerp. In 2010 he played in a League of Ireland XI.
Jon Daly (Born 8 January 1983 in Dublin)
Daly is a striker with Dundee United. He joined the Arabs in 2007 from Hartlepool United. He started his senior career with Stockport County, for whom he made 91 appearances over a seven year period. He has also played for Bury and Grimsby Town. Daly is highly regarded at Tannadice and is currently club captain. To date he has played 131 times for United, scoring 48 goals. He has 16 under 21 caps, scoring 7 times.
Tim Clancy (Born 8 June 1984 in Meath)
Clancy became Pat Fenlon’s first signing of the season and marked his debut against East Fife with a stunning free kick. He can play right back or centre half, and joined Hibs from Motherwell whom he helped to a Champion’s League place last season. Before that he played for Kilmarnock. He started his career playing for home town team Trim Celtic before moving to Belvedere in Dublin. His senior career started with Milwall but he failed to make a first team appearance, before moving to Scotland he played on loan with Walton & Hersham, Weymouth and Fisher Athletic. He has been capped at under 19 level.
Eoin Doyle (Born 12 March 1988 in Dublin)
Doyle is a striker with Hibs whom he joined from Sligo Rovers in January 2012. He was manager Pat Fenlon’s first signing for the club, and helped Hibs to last year’s Scottish Cup Final where he made an appearance from the substitute’s bench. Doyle also played for Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne in the League of Ireland. To date he has played 14 times for Hibs and scored three goals.
Alan Maybury (Born 8 August 1978 in Dublin)
Maybury is a right back, currently doing pre-season training with Hibs, for whom he came on as a substitute in the friendly against East Fife. His senior career started with Leeds United in 1995, and he spent 6 years at Elland Road, making 14 appearances. During that time he had loan spells with Reading and Crewe Alexandra before signing for Hearts. He made 112 appearances for the Tynecastle side before following manager Craig Levein to Leicester City. After three years he returned to Scotland, joining Aberdeen on loan before accepting a deal with Colchester United. In 2010 he joined St Johnstone and played 47 games over the following two seasons. He is currently out of contract, and Pat Fenlon is hopeful that funds can be found to secure his move to Easter Road. He has won ten international caps.
Aaron Doran (Born 13 May 1991 in Cork)
Doran is a right winger with Inverness Caledonian Thistle. He started his senior career with Blackburn Roves under Paul Ince and was described as a tremendous prospect, playing in pre-season games, but failed to make the grade and spent time on loan with MK Dons and Leyton Orient. He signed for Inverness Caledonian Thistle in January 2011 and to date had played 21 times scoring three goals. He has three under 21 caps.
Richie Foran (Born 16 June 1980 in Dublin)
Foran is a winger / striker with Inverness Caledonian Thistle having joined from Southend United in 2009. He previously spent three years with Motherwell and also played for Carlisle United as well as Darlington and Oxford United on loan. In Ireland, he played with St Patricks Athletic, Shelbourne and Home Farm on loan. To date he has played 115 times for ICT scoring 26 goals. He is an under 21 internationalist and has played nearly 350 games in the UK during an 11 year career.
Paul Heffernan (Born 29 December 1981 in Wicklow)
Heffernan is a striker who currently plays for Kilmarnock for whom he signed after being released by Sheffield Wednesday. He started his senior career with Notts County, scoring 35 goals in 100 games. He has also played for both Bristol clubs; Doncaster Rovers and Oldham Athletic in a thirteen year career which has seen him play over 300 times, scoring 94 goals. Last season with Kilmarnock, he scored 11 times in 29 games and has become a fans favourite at Rugby Park.
Darren Randolph (Born 12 May 1987 in Wicklow)
Randolph is a goalkeeper with Motherwell. He started his senior career with Charlton Athletic, making 14 appearances in six years. He also played for a number of clubs on loan including Welling United, Accrington Stanley, Gillingham, Bury and Hereford United before signing for the Steelmen in 2010. Since then, he has established himself as the clubs first choice keeper, making 75 appearances. He has ten under 21 caps and played as a ‘B’ internationalist. He has recently featured in Giovanni Trapattoni’s full squad.
Kurtis Byrne (Born 9 April 1990 in Dublin)
Byrne is a striker with Ross County. He started his senior career with Norwich City before joining Hibs in 2007. He played in the double winning Hibs under 19 team and had spells on loan with Stirling Albion, East Fife and Alloa Athletic, before being released. His time at Easter Road coincided with Hibs having an abundance of forwards including Anthony Stokes, Derek Riordan, Colin Nish and Benji, limiting his chances. In 2011 he was snapped up by Ross County and has scored two goals in thirteen starts.
David Van Zanten (Born 8 May 1982 in Dublin)
Van Zanten is a right back currently on his second spell with St Mirren for whom he has played a total of 229 games, scoring seven goals. He joined the Paisley club in 2010 after short spells with Morton and Hamilton. Prior to that, he played 30 games for Hibs. He started his senior career with Celtic but failed to make the grade at Parkhead after signing form Tolka Rovers.
Jim Goodwin (Born 20 November 1981 in Waterford)
Goodwin is a midfield player with St Mirren. He started his senior career with Celtic for whom he made one appearance before being released in 2002. He then eight spent years in England, starting with Stockport County, then Scunthorpe, Huddersfield Town and Oldham, before crossing the border to sign for Hamilton. After a season at New Douglas Park, he signed for St Mirren and was appointed club captain. Earlier this year he was linked with Hibs, but chose to sign a new contract with The Buddies. He has played 48 times for St Mirren, scoring one goal. Goodwin has represented the Republic of Ireland at international level being capped at Under-16, Under 21, B level and at full international level.
Graham Carey (Born 20 August 1989 in Dublin)
Carey is a left sided attacking midfielder with St Mirren. He signed for Celtic from Shelbourne in 2005 and spent six years at Parkhead, playing one game. During his time there, he was loaned out to Bohemians, St Mirren and Huddersfield before being freed last year. Last season he scored two goals in 29 games for St Mirren. He has six under 21 caps.
Gavin Gunning (Born 26 January 1991 in Dublin)
A lot has been expected of the former Crumlin United star who joined Blackburn Rovers in 2008. After a number of loan spells including a stint at Motherwell the 7 times capped under 21 international was snapped up by Peter Houston’s side. He has gone on to solidify his standing with the Tannadice faithful making 28 appearances and scoring 2 goals to date.
Paddy Barrett (Born 22 July 1993 in Waterford)
Barrett is the sixth and final member of the Irish contingent at Tannadice. The 18 year old hasn’t made an appearance for the Arabs yet but he is expected to make the breakthrough this term.
“It has not been easy choosing 23 players because we have many other very good players who deserve to be here.” The words used by the wily tactician that is Giovanni Trapattoni as he announced his squad for the 2012 European Championships. Despite the Ireland manager’s quotes to the context, it would have been a difficult decision to decide the vast majority of the players who are now in the squad.
At half three yesterday the Italian announced his squad for Ireland’s Euro 2012 campaign. The squad featured:
Shay Given, Keiren Westwood, David Forde, Richard Dunne, John O’Shea, Sean St. Ledger, Darren O’Dea, Stephen Ward, Stephen Kelly, Kevin Foley, Glenn Whelan, Darren Gibson, Keith Andrews, Keith Fahey, Damien Duff, Aiden McGeady, Stephen Hunt, James McClean, Robbie Keane, Kevin Doyle, Simon Cox, Shane Long, Jonathan Walters.
Standby: Darren Randolph, Paul McShane, Paul Green, Seamus Coleman, Andy Keogh.
The phrase “as expected” comes to mind when describing the squad, which is far from a bad thing. Continuity is a necessity at international level, something Trapattoni and his team have done right over his tenure as Republic of Ireland manager.
The first 11 picks itself, Given, O’Shea, Dunne, St.Ledger, Ward, Duff, Andrews, Whealan, McGeady, Keane, Doyle. The squad members are there to be used but only if necessary. The likes of James McClean, Stephen Hunt, Jonathan Walters, Shane Long and Simon Cox will have a good chance of getting on the pitch in Poland with the latter trio more then likely to replace Kevin Doyle after he runs himself into the ground. But aside from that, injuries not withstanding there will be very little change in the team.
James McCarthy will be one player who will not be on the plane to Poland after announcing his decision to withdraw from consideration after his father was diagnosed with cancer. “I have made the very difficult decision to withdraw my name from selection from the Euro 2012 squad following the diagnosis of my father with cancer and an ongoing requirement for treatment” he stated.
“I have discussed this with the manager. He was very understanding and I thank him sincerely for that.”I take this opportunity to re-affirm my complete commitment to playing for the Republic of Ireland, It is a huge honour and source of great pride for me and my family.”
He went on to wish his teammates luck stating “despite not being present, I would like to wish the manager and my team-mates every success at the tournament and hope that Irish fans can understand the reason for my decision at this difficult time.”
Ireland’s Euro 2012 campaign starts on Sunday June 10th in Poznan when the Republic of Ireland takes on Croatia. Four days later on June 14th they take on world and European Champions Spain in Gdansk. The final fixture takes place on Monday June 18th when the boys in green take on Italy.
Has Trapattoni got his squad right? Will the team be good enough to compete with Spain, Italy and Croatia? Can the team advance beyond the group stage? All interesting questions all will be answered next month.
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