Today Hull clinched promotion after a tense late scare to join Cardiff in the Premiership next season. Hull's promotion bodes well for Ireland with 4 Irishmen in the starting line up today. Paul McShane is established with the Ireland team but playing regularly in the Premiership may go towards improving on the lack of trust in him many Ireland fans have. David Meyler and Robbie Brady will hope regular Premiership football will allow them to step up from the fringes of the Ireland team chasing World Cup qualification for 2014, while Stephen Quinn will have his second spell in the Premiership and hope earn his first cap to add to his international record of 9 u21 caps.
They will join fellow aspiring Ireland forward Joe Mason of Cardiff in the Premiership, who has been in and out of Malky Mackay's starting XI all season, although at 21, has time on his side.
Watford, Brighton, Crystal Palace and Leicester will battle it out in the dreaded play offs for the final promotion place, with each side having an Irish (although some moreso than others) contingent.
Watford - Mark Yeates, Sean Murray, Conor Smith, Tommie Hoban, Jack Bonham
Brighton - Gary Dicker, Marcos Painter
Crystal Palace - Paddy McCarthy, Owen Garvan, Damien Delaney
Leicester - Sean St Ledger, Conrad Logan
So, from an Ireland fans point of view, who would you prefer to see get promoted for the sake the national side?
Would you like to see the established Sean St Ledger make the step up or would you prefer one of the other sides move up with more, and younger Irish players to help bolster the national teams roster? Is there a particular player from the promotion candidates which you have high hopes for and Premiership football may improve his chances of improving and gaining an Ireland call up?
New Season/New dawn
posted on 4/5/13
I don't know Campbell. What I will say is keep an eye out for Leeds in the Championship next season who are bound to take on some Irish youngsters now that McDermott is their manager.
But the question that needs answered is will these players who played in the Championship be trusted in the Premier League? In theory they should, but that's not always how it happens.
I'm edging toward Leicester because I want St Ledger to perform at a higher level, they also have young Conor Clifford, but he is out-of-contract in the summer after a very short spell.
What has to happen though is that Trap becomes more trusting of the likes of Brady, Coleman, McCarthy and Clark though because they are all Premier League players.
Yes, Brady plays with Hull, but I do believe he is already good enough to play in the Premier League and would most likely outlast Hull there.
We have an urgent problem in attack. Sammon isn't good enough in my opinion; Keano' is coming towards the end of his career and is being phased out; Doyle's career has declined too. Looking beyond that you've got Long- who should be an automatic pick, Walters and Cox.
posted on 7/5/13
Wasting your breath, Irish football is stagnant and only deteriorating daily every hour that spoofer disinterested Trap stays spounging a wage off irish football. He needs sacking and get someone in who actually cares about developing young players and attedning games at Championship, Premiership and SPL level
posted on 7/5/13
I tend to agree Len.
Delaney realises that if Trap is sacked then his position would really be untenable. He has made too many bad decisions and is running the game into the ground, the sooner we are rid of him the better. The game is struggling throughout the country and this idiot is taking €430,000 a year!
Now that McShane is a Premier League player, let's hope Trap's usual selection process of picking Championship players ahead of Premier League players extends to McShane now!
posted on 7/5/13
I understand your point Henrik... However, I do feel Brady and Meyler will be key players for Hull next season.. They are among Hull's younger players and already have Premiership experience (albeit Brady with very little).. I feel they will be putting all their efforts towards bringing in a goalscorer over the summer.
I had hoped Owen Garvan would have made the step up before now, so if Crystal Palace are to move up it will be interesting to see how he handles the higher level.
Whether or not Sean St Ledger will be trusted as a first team player for Leicester if they move up considering he has had spells in and out of the first team since he signed for them, remains to be seen, as I do think its only a matter of time before Leicester have another shot at the Premiership whether its next season, or over the next five years, Id imagine Leeds will return over the next few years also.
Id say our best chance of seeing more future Ireland players in the top flight probably lies with Watford as they have the most in their squad out of the other hopefuls, although they could be prone to your theory of being replaced for the step up, although their Irish players are mainly younger than the likes of Damien Delaney or Paddy McCarthy, who the international ship may have sailed for regardless of whether they make the step up or not, like it had for Rory Delap.
(Im aware Delaney and Delap have a handful of caps between them but they were never able to make a name for themselves with Ireland)
posted on 11/5/13
Fa cup medal for McCarthy!