Posts Tagged ‘ Derby County ’
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
Norwich City’s Anthony Pilkington has been named in the Republic of Ireland squad to face Poland next month.
Pilkington, a standout performer in the Premier League this season had been capped at Under-21 level back in 2008. The decision to call up the 24 year old will go down well with fans who feel it should have happened a lot sooner. Continue reading
Rising Irish star Jack Tuite has set his sights on breaking into Derby County’s first team after signing a contract with The Rams.
The Dubliner, who becomes the latest Cherry Orchard player to move to the English midlands, will complete his move to Pride Park when he turns 16 in January.
Current Rams duo Conor Sammon and Mark O’Brien both started out at Cherry Orchard, as did ex-Rams players Davy Langan and Don O’Riordan. Tuite will be hoping to follow in their footsteps and few would back against the Irish under 16 full back making the breakthrough.
A whole host of clubs were vying for the Lucan native’s signature but when the cards were thrown down, one club stood out. “It’s a great achievement to move to a club like Derby County and I’m delighted to have the chance” said Tuite before citing the route between the academy and the first team as his main reason for joining The Rams.
Tuite, son of League of Ireland referee Paul, explained how the move came about “Derby invited me over for a trial. I had a week of training and a match with them. When I got home I was told they wanted to offer me a contract”.
The 15-year-old spent some time at the club’s Moor Farm training facility in recent weeks and Rams Academy manager Darren Wassall said: “Jack is a player with real potential. “It’s a great fillip for Derby County that we’ve been able to attract Jack and I think the positive news stories over the last year or so have played a big part in that. “Players can see there’s a pathway to the first-team squad here at Derby for youngsters within the Academy.”
Jack will begin his Rams career with their under 16 side but the youngster has quickly set his sights on moving to the under 18’s in the short term.
He will be hoping to make rapid progress and insists it would be “a great honour” to line out alongside Irish stars Sammon, O’Brien and Joe Hendrick, with the latter two proving that the route from the academy to the first team is one that is more than achievable.
“That was why I chose Derby, I feel I have a real chance there” said the Irish star, who is relishing his move in January and is already dreaming of catching first team manager Nigel Clough’s eye.
Jeff Hendrick’s start as a Rams player will leave him in the hearts of Derby County fans forever. The young Dubliner scored a 72nd minute winner against bitter rivals Nottingham Forest in September, when the Derby team only had ten men.
Hendrick, who will turn 20 in the New Year, has made 22 senior appearances for Derby, scoring twice. Although he is still relatively inexperienced, he would have gained some experience in the recent under-19 championships during the summer, where the Irish team were knocked out by eventual champions Spain.
The Rams youngster is a busy midfielder, with an eye for a pass and a strength of positioning, which would be invaluable in Giovanni Trapattoni`s` team. His performance and goal in a local derby against Forest with just ten men was testament to his ability to play under pressure, which again against a big side would be a plus.
He began his Derby career as a youth and signed professional terms in the summer of 2010, after making an appearance in the final league game of that season against Cardiff. His performances to date have seen him attract interest from the Premiership in the shape of Aston Villa and West Brom, both who possess current Irish talents, Richard Dunne, Shay Given and Shane Long.
Another positive feature to his game is the way he has turned in impressive performances against other quality central midfielders. In the Forest derby, he came toe-to-toe with former Irish international and Andy Reid, as well as Champions League winner Jonathan Greening. He has also faced off with Kevin Nolan, Papa Bouba Diop and Julio Arca, all proven Premier League players. What’s more is that Hendrick has kept Paul Green, a player TrapaTtoni favoured in his early days, out of the Derby team.
Hendrick has represented Ireland at all levels bar senior, and was shortlisted for under-17 player of the year in 2010. He scored the only goal in a one nil win against Poland under 19s in 2010 to secure qualification for the under 19 championships, where he played in all the games. After that tournament he was called into Noel King’s under-21 team, and has made three appearances to date.
Hendrick is definitely a talent to be reckoned with, maybe not for the EURO 2012 campaign but most definitely for the World Cup Qualifiers, along with Robbie Brady and Barry Maguire, the previous two young stars.
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