New thread as the last thread seems to be broken.
he’s back available to Roma after the international break. Personally I hope and think he pulls out. This campaign is done and we are just waiting to be put out of our misery so no point risking his career further on those odds.
Maybe if you name him int he squad, it means Irish medics can also examine him ? Or his injury is less severe than originally thought?
It's hard to know. We're still 9 days out from the Hungary game. I agree that if we're already eliminated then no point playing him v Hungary anyways.
Is this fella any good, or is he Joe Lapira part II?
Hes a pro so he’s better than lapira. No one’s likely to know unless they watch New York fc
HH will want to go out strong and can see him starting his strongest XI. If Ferguson is available he'll start. His contract is up this month so won't want to go out on a whimper.
Yeah, the players themselves need to believe. HH will want his strongest team as this is the World Cup.
If we get a draw against Portugal then we go to Budapest still in with a shout. Or if Hungary drop points in Yerevan.
It's highly unlikely we'll actually qualify for the World Cup nor do we deserve to.
But we might well go to Budapest to play what is effectively a knockout game.
According to MLS stats he is ranked the 251st best player this season out of 435 players with an average rating of 6.79. For comparison Kevin Long is ranked higher.
seems a dumb call up but hopefully I’m wrong
I'm kinda thinking the same. The USMNT are quite generous at handing out caps to players so doesn't say much that this guy at 26 doesn't even have an underage cap. It is a position in which we're quite short in options, but you'd wonder what the likes of Garcia MacNulty, Adaramola, Roughan, or Ndaba have to do to get a cap.
I wonder did Honohan make himself unavailable if hes eyeing up a move now the Irish season is done?
Otherwise quite random O'Toole parachuted in above him.
personal opinion but I’d have probably called up or recalled McClean. International football is its own thing as we see with how easily Seamus Coleman slotted back in.
I don’t think there’s that much mystery while Mcnulty & co aren’t getting a call up. Little evidence they are senior international level players and just not ready to be thrown into nail biter last round of qualifier matches.
Theyd be ok in a friendly but this is a different thing.
Exact same argument of welcoming an MLS player who has no experience at international level at all. At least those other lads, as below the standard they may be, have played for Ireland at underage.
Theres a difference between underage and senior games.
yes… I wasn’t arguing for O’Toole so….
I'm well aware of that. I'm debating whether it makes more sense to call up a player with experience of some level at international football than someone with none at all.
No, you're arguing for a retired international who's played 2 minutes of first team football since the start of October.
I'm not sure that comes into the equation one way or another really… I think they pick the guy they reckon will be the biggest asset in the 2 games based on current ability and form.
I've wanted Corrie Ndaba to get a shot for a while after some decent performances for Kilmarnock, but he's barely played this season since he moved to Serie A, so it's hard to consider him. Really, it's one of those where it's mostly different grades of bad options. Don't think i've ever seen this O'Toole fella play, so no idea where he fits amongst the other options, but I guess there's something in his game that fits what HH wants. Likely won't see a minute of play anyway.
A 36 year old famously athletic footballer with 103 caps. McClean for his faults will give you something.
You’re asking what more lads at PEC Zwolle, Lincoln, Lecce and Leyton Orient have to do?
Pretty obvious what they have to do: have a career at a better level
What are you on about? Why are you comparing the career of McClean as a whole against players in their early 20s? McClean is 36, can't get into the squad of a Championship team, and has spent the last two years playing in League 1 and 2. Just because he's experienced doesn't make him the best option to come into a double header against Portugal and Hungary.
McClean was way ahead of what those lads had achieved when he was the age they are now if that’s the argument.
But that’s not really the argument. I think you greatly under appreciate the importance of experience at international level and are greatly over estimating what a zero cap player can bring you in this situation.
it’s not really a surprise. Irish fans wrote off Coleman and Brady for years and then when the white line is crossed proved themselves as two of our best players
It's not a double header unless we beat Portugal and I think McClean could've done a job in a backs against the wall type game where we'll be playing for set pieces.
I'd absolutely take a 22 year-old McClean ahead of any of our other left back options. But not a 36 year-old who isn't playing even remotely regularly and who spent the last 2 years playing in even lower divisions. I'm not undervaluing experience. Coleman is a year older than McClean but is still a better player and hasn't needed to resort to dropping a couple of divisions.
Paul McShane made his Ireland debut against the Czech Republic and was awarded MOTM. Gavin Bazunu, who on his third or fourth cap, played a blinder against Portugal at a very young age. Maybe O'Toole is the best option right now. As that other poster said whoever did come in probably won't even play just like Honahan hasn't been capped after appearing in 2 (?) squads.
Honohan is injured. He wasn't in the Rovers squad in Athens tonight.
I thought mark mcguinness was very good the game he played for us, was it against Greece? and that was his first cap, id have him in instead of that American guy.
he sulked and retired from International football, i don't see why he should come back in.
different players and replacing manning /brady. Mcguinness ain’t giving you what manning or Brady are giving you
103 caps against a lad with zero caps.
Listen, hopefully it’s a good move but I have a feeling that it’ll be a nothing call up
there’s surely a degree of culture shock that this lad will go through in camp. In a final round of qualifying window it’s a weird call but 🤷♂️
McClean also wasn't just no longer selected or something, he did actually issue an official international retirement with his own quite nice little statement about it, and an official final match (New Zealand) and everything, saying "I feel now is the right time to step aside without any regrets". For all we know they might have given him a bell and he felt like he'd already closed that door.
possibly McClean doesn’t want a recall but personally I think he would the type who was absolutely love one
Mark Sykes again. Sigh.
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