Joey O'Brien (Bolton) and his Ireland future

Pure Cork

http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2008/1026/obrienj.html

JPA

I don't understand this new attitude of players to simply give up on their country because they aren't picked.

Duh, you're not good enough.

glenjamin

Does he really think that coming out with garbage like that is gonna win him many more caps? Really can't understand these players with the attitudes nowadays. Just being selected for your country should be an honour.

Requiem4adream

It's an absolute honour and privilege to represent your country at anything but he obviously feels sitting in the stands no hope of getting a game is not representing your country.

You can still see where he's coming from though and i thought he spoke pretty eloquently in this piece. He's young, establishing himself in the Premier League and securing a long term career for himself in the game has to be paramount for him at the moment.

He's a decent player, i dont think anyone can argue the likes of McShane and them are far superior full backs. If an international manager simply doesnt fancy a player and will never/rarely play him, should they keep answering the call ad infinitum on the basis that it's an honour to play for your country? Personally i would do...and i'm sure most of you would too, because of patriotism, but it's hard to know exactly what you'd do unless you're in that position.

Mr.Nice Guy

I don't like the 'I'll take my ball and go home' attitude either but there does seem to be confusion from players who aren't in the squad as to why that is. It's surely not that hard to keep an open line of communication with ALL the players and not simply leave them in the dark about their future chances.

Wasn't there confusion as to why Carsley was left out of the last squad? I'm pretty sure I heard somewhere that he was left out as it was felt he wasn't fit, which puzzled Carsley as he felt he was and that he was ready to play. So it seems to me that the management could relate to the players better.

For me, O'Brien should have played against Cyprus but even so coming out and threatening retirement isn't a wise attitude to adopt.

Charlie

Oh wait.......

SectionF

Cheerio Joey.

shane86

Meh, average player.


Christ I hope McShane tells us to shove it soon.

pablomakaveli

shane86 wrote: »

Meh, average player.


Christ I hope McShane tells us to shove it soon.

I agree. He seems to be under the illusion that he is a brilliant player.

Dont be at yourself

He would have had a bit more presence than Darren Gibson in the middle of the park though.

zAbbo

From his point of view, he's always been picked for Bolton unless he was injured.

And two young reserve lads who don't have anywhere near the PL experience he has, and with a bunch of players injured, he still can't make the team

I'd say it would kill you, and no amount of training or hard work is going to get you a chance when Trappers has his mind set against you.

There is ZERO point in being selected in a squad, if you are not going to get a sniff of an appearance.

I doubt he cares about some patriotic pride in the jersey crap. That went out when we starting picking foreigners and B team players.

He spends a week over here with Team Paddy, probably running laps and holding water bottles, where he could be doing some actual training back in Bolton instead of watching Paul McShane and Darron Gibson start ahead of him, hardly Stevie Finnan and Roy Keane...

leninbenjamin

in fairness i was just thinking to myself a few days ago 'why he wasn't in the frame at all for the cyprus game?'. I'm guessing it's because Trappa thinks the likes of Whelan and Gibson have more potential to grow and play a good passing game, but still...

he's not a fantastic player but he is (or was at least) a premiership starter, and afterall isn't that really what counts?

tbh i wouldn't look at this as anything negative about Joey. i think he's just trying to get the manager to stand up and take a look at him, although going about it this way is prone to backfiring.

zAbbo

At least he'll know now, there seems to be a terrible channel of communications from the management to the players.

No one here who has seen Joey this season can say that he would have been worse than Paul McShane or either Gibson or Whelen against Cyprus.

noodler

Stupid attitude and **** off if you don't want to be considered. I could understand Dean Kiely's initial reasons for quitting cos he is a keeper and Given was nearly always fit (back then) but not this.

Xavi6

zAbbo wrote: »

I doubt he cares about some patriotic pride in the jersey crap. That went out when we starting picking foreigners and B team players.

Amen to that.

Love this quote -

'But I don't like walking around in a track suit saying, 'I play for Ireland'. I'm like a fan in a tracksuit.

Funny cause it's true.

Het-Field

If he wants to walk, then let him walk. Ireland had personal reasons for walking, and i am not suprised that he doesnt want in.

O Brien is looking like an egotist. Bolton were crap last year, and not much better this. If he wants to walk away from his country at 22, then he should.

JimiTime

Jack Charlton was on the radio the other day, think it was on Matt Coopers show. He said that back in the day, even people who weren't picked for the squad would ask if they could come over to be part of things. I just thought, 'Things have certainly changed'.

To call a spade a spade, I think its awful that this is happening. These players are entitled to walk away, of course. It just baffles me though These types of things sound the death knell of football IMO. Greedy, money motivated, pampered prima donna's. Between the idiot badge kissers, the diving pussies (Ronaldo after Phil Neville's tackle at the w/e:rolleyes: ), and the whinging squad players. Where is the Mans game I loved as a boy? Look at the issues people like Paul McGrath had on and off the pitch. His knee's were 40 years older than he was, his family life in pieces. An unbelievably bad Alchahol problem. Heck, against Italy in '94 half his body was paralysed and he still played a blinder. Oh the memories:)

Lament over.

Mr.Nice Guy

JimiTime wrote: »

Jack Charlton was on the radio the other day, think it was on Matt Coopers show. He said that back in the day, even people who weren't picked for the squad would ask if they could come over to be part of things. I just thought, 'Things have certainly changed'.

To call a spade a spade, I think its awful that this is happening. These players are entitled to walk away, of course. It just baffles me though These types of things sound the death knell of football IMO. Greedy, money motivated, pampered prima donna's. Between the idiot badge kissers, the diving pussies (Ronaldo after Phil Neville's tackle at the w/e:rolleyes: ), and the whinging squad players. Where is the Mans game I loved as a boy? Look at the issues people like Paul McGrath had on and off the pitch. His knee's were 40 years older than he was, his family life in pieces. An unbelievably bad Alchahol problem. Heck, against Italy in '94 half his body was paralysed and he still played a blinder. Oh the memories:)

Lament over.

Or the likes of Frank Stapleton having it put into his contract that he be entitled to play for his country. I agree there does seem to be a shift in priorities in the modern game away from a love of internationals but there's encouragment to be had in certain cases. For example Lee Carsley came out there recently and said he'd still be willing to help out the team even at the age of 34 and despite not being picked for any of Trap's squads...

http://www.herald.ie/sport/soccer/internationals/carsley-im-still-keen-to-play-for-ireland-1501778.html

DeadSkin

noodler wrote: »

Stupid attitude and **** off if you don't want to be considered. I could understand Dean Kiely's initial reasons for quitting cos he is a keeper and Given was nearly always fit (back then) but not this.

I don't see any difference


Edit: the only difference is Kiely came out and quit for same reasons. O'Brien is threatening to quit, which is bullshit. Either shit or get off the pot.

eirebhoy

JimiTime wrote: »

Jack Charlton was on the radio the other day, think it was on Matt Coopers show. He said that back in the day, even people who weren't picked for the squad would ask if they could come over to be part of things. I just thought, 'Things have certainly changed'.

Duff went to Bratislava and Prague with the squad even though he was injured so fair play to him.