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Young Irish Abroad #6 Karl Sheppard

Rather fittingly, Reading have signed a young Irish Striker from the League of Ireland.

That striker is Karl Sheppard, who moves to Berkshire from back to back League of Ireland champions Shamrock Rovers. The Ireland under 21 cap was born in Dublin on 14 February 1991. Sheppard began his career with Portmarnock and played at schoolboy level for Shelbourne, before joining Everton in 2007. Sheppard never really got up and running for Everton, failing to break into the first team, and came back to the Emerald isle to sign for Galway United in 2010.

 The Dublin native impressed for the Tribesmen, scoring a handful of goals and playing the majority of games that season. The displays Sheppard showed in April of that year seen him win the Airtricity SWAI Player of the Month Award. Sheppard’s parting gift to Galway was the winner in the promotion/relegation playoff, keeping United afloat.

He then moved onto to reigning champions Shamrock Rovers for the 2011 season, where he won the league, Setanta Cup and scored in the Europe League Group stages against PAOK Salonika. This was enough to alert Brian McDermott and Reading, who have good history in bringing Irish strikers through. Sheppard is very comfortable being the lone striker but he was forced to operate from the right hand side from time to time last season. His move to Reading will now give him the platform to fulfil his undoubted potential.

When asked about his Irish predecessors at Reading, he said “”It was massive, seeing the likes of Kevin Doyle and Shane Long come over and do well, and Hunty as well, it’s a good thing,” he said in his first interview on Reading FC Player. “The history of bringing good Irish players through is something that intrigued me into coming here. There was interest from a few other Championship clubs as well but once I heard that Reading were in, there was only one club for me.”

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2012
01/24
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Young Irish Abroad #5 Greg Cunningham

20 year old Galway native Greg Cunningham is the first player to feature in the series “young Irish abroad” that has been capped for Giovanni Trappatoni’s Ireland.

The young star has resurfaced as an emerging young talent following a serious injury picked up at the start of 2011. The Manchester city left full back fractured his tibia while on loan at Leicester City. At the time he had shown much promise playing twelve games, until being ruled out for 4 months.

For Cunningham, who began his career with Mervue United, the emergence of Stephen Ward as an Ireland regular has been a disappointment for him, as Ward has all but sewn up that role for the European Championships. The former Mervue star is currently on loan at Nottingham Forest, and is in a consistent run of form, starting the last seven on the bounce. He is a good strong naturally left footed full back, and can play left midfield also. His relative youth means he is a definite star in terms of the future, but his experience in Trap’s set up, having played three times since his debut against Algeria in the RDS. His recovery back from a bad injury also shows a battling quality and determination which is to be admired in any player.

Cunningham, who is 21 in the new year, knows that it will be difficult to shuffle his way back into Trapattoni’s plans before the EURO 2012 squad is announced “It would be brilliant to even get the attention of Mr Trapattoni over the next few months, of course I would love to play in the finals like every Irish player,” Cunningham said speaking to the Evening Herald arlier this year. “It’s going to be very difficult for any of us young lads to get into that squad but I want to make it hard for the manager to not pick me, that means doing as well as I can for Forest — or Man City if I go back there when the loan is up in the New Year.”

Like previous players in the series, he will find it very difficult to get into the squad, but will strive to be there none the less.

2011
12/13
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Young Irish Abroad #4 James McClean

The Airtricity League is by no means known as a contributor when it comes to footballers for its national team, but after Keith Fahey, read James McClean.

The Derry born winger has declared for the Republic after rejecting a call up to represent Northern Ireland. “It was a blow seeing Irish League players being called up before me to the Northern Ireland squad, but having got the call I was relieved,” McClean said in the Belfast Telegraph. “However, it’s always been my dream to play for the Republic and hopefully that will become a reality now that I’m going to be a Sunderland player.” This was McClean speaking in August 2011 and now that he is a Sunderland player; his dream may well come true.

He is a player who is quite like the Robbie Brady, who we featured in week one,  but is more comfortable out wide left. He began his career playing with Derry City, where he made 73 appearances and scored 18 goals. His £350,000 move to Sunderland, triggered a call up to the Northern Irish Squad in the IFA’s mind, but it triggered much better thoughts in James’ mind if you’re a Republic fan.

The exciting winger is yet to prove himself on Wearside, but his exciting performances for Derry and his seven appearances as a youth player for the North show some signs of greatness, while his performances at the Dublin Super Cup may have sealed the deal in Sunderland’s eyes.  That tournament did field some criticism from within the league in Ireland, but it has seen Daniel Kearns and James McClean move across the water, as well as massive interest in Daryl Kavanagh of St Patricks Athletic and Derry full back Daniel Lafferty too.

The manager who signed McClean for Sunderland, Steve Bruce, has recently been sacked and proud Northern Irish man Martin O’Neill has taken over. This can be viewed two different ways for McClean. O’Neill could snub the Northern Irish born Republic star, or he could embrace his young talent and nurture him to becoming a top player like he did with Aiden McGeady at Celtic. The experience and fair nature of the former Wycombe, Leicester, Celtic and Aston Villa manager would lead me to believe the latter.

If McClean can race his way into the Sunderland side from the bench, then we may see a new talent emerge for the Boys IN Green. Of all the players reviewed so far, and still to be reviewed, I feel that James McClean is the rawest, but has the potential to be exciting for the Republic beyond 2012.

Follow Sunderland AFC winger James McClean on twitter @JMcC19.

2011
12/05
CATEGORY
Football
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Ireland drawn against Spain and Italy at EURO 2012

Ireland narrowly missed a reunion in European Championship terms with England, but drew manager Giovanni Trapattoni’s home nation instead.

The boys in green will also face current World and European champions Spain, aswell as Slaven Bilic’s Croatia. Drawn in Group C, the Irish will find it difficult to qualify from the group, but  they can take solace in the fact that they have performed solidly against bigger nations under Giovanni Trappatoni’s stewardship.

Ireland’s group games will begin in Poznan, where they will face Croatia on June 10. The group will finish with an interesting tie against Italy back in Poznan, after Spain take on the Boys in Green on June 14 in Gdansk. Controversial RTE pundit Eamon Dunphy expressed his opinion on the draw, “I don’t think it is terrifying. It is challenging, but there are worst draws.”

The travelling waves of supporters are likely to be delighted with the locations, as Poznan and Gdansk are both strong footballing areas. The games will also be exciting for fans, as Trap and Tardelli will be able to pit their wits against some of Europe and the World’s greatest.

Another side issue from the draw is that a money spinning friendly against our Anglo rivals is now back on the cards in the Aviva in the months preceding the finals.

Elsewhere Germany and Netherlands will face off in group C, while France and England will also tackle each other in Group B.

 

GROUP A GROUP B GROUP C GROUP D
Poland Netherlands Spain Ukraine
Czech Republic Denmark Rep. of Ireland France
Greece Portugal Croatia Sweden
Russia Germany Italy England
2011
12/02
CATEGORY
Football
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Young Irish Abroad #3 Jeff Hendrick

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.

2011
11/29
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Young Irish Abroad #2 Barry Maguire

Dutch born midfielder Barry Maguire will be known to Irish fans, even though the VVV Venlo star hasn’t pulled on the green shirt since he was 15.

The defensive midfielder, born in Tiel, Netherlands on 27 October 1989, rejected a call up for Under 21 duty in 2009 from the then Under 21 manager Don Givens. He instead opted to stay with Holland and has won caps with them at 19’s and 20’s levels.

Maguire is a strong player with good positioning and from what I’ve seen loves a tackle and would get stuck in at any time. This would be perfect for the system played by Giovanni Trapattoni as he likes to play with two holding in the centre of midfield, usually Glenn Whelan and Keith Andrews.

The situation with Maguire could be levelled with the Jamie O’Hara saga, but on a lower level. O’Hara has said he would like to represent England, which is fine, but as Johnny Giles wrote recently if he had a change of heart then we should take him. Barry Maguire has had a change of heart, but we haven’t gone for him, yet. He has just turned 22 and with his adaptability of playing out wide or at the back, he would be a fantastic player to have in the squad, even for his versatility alone.

The former Fc Utrecht man, who helped his former side knock Celtic out of Europe the season before last, has been vocal with his intentions to come back and play for Ireland. He said in an interview in 2010 that “If Ireland rang me in the morning and asked me to come and play for them, I would say yes without a thought. I would like to play for the Irish team again but I have no contact at all from them”, before adding “It’s a while since I played for Ireland at any level, five years now I think, but I have said all along that I have strong connections with Ireland, through my dad, and Holland, as I was born there, but the connection with Ireland was always strong for me and now I’d like to play for Ireland”.

Many people might feel that he might have to wait a while longer, but having played over 115 senior games in his five years as a professional he comes with a wealth of experience, having debuted for FC Den Bosch at the age of 17.

A place in the EURO 2012 squad may be undeserved, but Barry Maguire is a solid player and a definite prospect for the Irish squad in the near future.

2011
11/21
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Young Irish Abroad #1 Robbie Brady

 

In his new exclusive column, Irish News Review Sport writer Damien Byrne will cast his eye over the future of Irish football.The First player to feature on this new and exciting column will be Robbie Brady, the Hull City winger currently on loan from Manchester United.

Robbie joined the Manchester United academy in 2008, and signed professional terms in July 2010. He is regarded as a hot prospect and has represented Ireland at all levels bar senior level.  Altogether he has made 14 underage appearances, scoring 5 goals.

His prospects of a senior call up might not be long in waiting, with winger Damien Duff nearing the end of his international career, even though Giovanni Trapattoni is in the process of persuading his older gems into a few more years in the green of Ireland.

I’ve seen Brady play on a few occasions for Hull, namely against Blackpool in the Championship, and he seemed like a very lively winger, who looked equally adept on both his right and left foot. He would definitely, as any young player, have to see big improvements in his game to play for Manchester United, but I do feel an area of his game that would need attention to play in Traps style would be his defence side. Sounds strange to say that of a winger but even Damien Duff, the player I would liken Brady to, has had to do his fair share of defensive work to fit in Traps team. He seems strong on the ball, and has the ability to be an explosive player with his pace.

The move to Hull is just the tonic for 19 year old Brady to learn the hard graft of tracking back and becoming physically strong as the Championship is a difficult level for the best of stars to adapt to, just ask Sam Allardyce and some of his big names at West Ham.

The Dubliners Under 21 performances of late have been top quality, firing both goals in a 2-1 win over Austria and he is expected to start for Ireland Under 21s in the Showgrounds against Liechtenstein this evening in an Under 21 EURO 2013 qualifier. To date, the fiery winger has made 15 appearances for Hull, scoring once.

Should he continue his performances he may well see himself fast tracked into the senior set up as Trap prepares his troops for next summers Euro 2012. 

2011
11/14
CATEGORY
Football
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LOI Review:Rovers Reign Supreme as Hapless Galway Endure A Season To Forget

The 2011 Airtricity League title race concluded with Shamrock Rovers winning a well-earned 17th league title.

The Hoops defeated Galway 4-0 in Tallaght to round off an impressive league campaign which saw them retain their league title. Rover’s season will not end until early December due to their participation in the Europa League group stages. The Hoops became the first Irish side to make the group stages when a Stephen O`Donnell penalty saw the Hoops edge past Partizan Belgrade. .

Sligo and Derry pushed Rovers all the way, but a Rovers win over Derry and Sligo slipping up against St Patricks Athletic in  Inchicore left it all in their hands with only a couple of games left.

The Hoops consistency as well as the return from injury of Karl Sheppard, coupled with the signings of experienced quality in Rohan Ricketts and Jim Paterson pushed Rovers over the line with a game to spare in the end. A testament to the strength of the squad Mick O’Neill created is that forgotten fifth choice striker Dean Kelly scored the goal to seal the win against UCD.

Sligo had a brilliant season and again reiterated their stance as one of Ireland`s top clubs. The Bit O`Red will be buoyed by Paul Cook`s decision to turn down SPL side St Johnstone to remain in the west and few would bet against them pipping Rovers next season. Sligo will also be looking to win a second successive FAI Cup when they battle Shelboure at the Aviva today. 

Derry enjoyed a marvellous return to the top flight and exceeded the expectations of everybody. Eamon Zayed was in hot form to take the golden boot while aa star studded batch of youngsters are coming through the ranks to ensure a bright future is in store at the Brandywell.    

Galway United had a year to forget as their side were reduced to the very bare bones due to financial trouble, reportedly working on a budget of 1500 a week. They had a horrendous record of just one win, three draws and 32 defeats. Their goal difference came in at a staggering -95 after they conceded a record 115 goals. Their fate was sealed last Friday night after a 5-1 aggregate defeat to First Division side Monaghan United.

The Mon’s will play Premier Division football next year with First Division Champions Cork City and cup finalist’s Shelbourne,  as they will take part in a new 12 team top division.  Shel’s skipper David Cassidy, who was an ever present, was voted the top player on in both divisions for the season. The poll was taken on Facebook on two pages, “The Airtricity League Banter Page” and the” League Supporters Association.” The pages have over 750 members between them.  Other players who received particular attention were Chris Forrester of Bohemians, and Evan Mc Millan of St Pats.

European Football provided a couple of talking points for Irish football this year, not least Shamrock Rovers outstanding work in the Europa League, and that Thursday afternoon when St Patricks Athletic were minutes from disaster.

In St Patricks Athletic’s case, the joy of Rovers European exploits may have never been possible as the players had refused to play their second leg tie against Karpaty Lviv, due to bonus payments disagreements with the Inchicore boardroom. The players however overturned their decision and played the game against the Ukrainians which they lost and the bowed out of Europe amidst a storm of controversy. Both Bohemians and Sligo Rovers exited Europe at earlier stages. 

Back on the home front the Saints enjoyed a fine season although their title tilt fell off towards the end of the season. The Inchicore faithful will be further aggrieved as they must wait at least another yeat before the FAI Cup will make its long awaited return to Dublin 8.

Bohemians endured a mixed season and achieved a credible 5th place position despite the financial turmoil at the club. A huge turnover of players and a large influx of youth ensured Bohs had the ability to compete given the circumstances. The main question over the off season is whether the Dalymount Park outfit can get their finances in order and stay afloat.

Bray Wanderers and Dundalk had a rather stop start season. Both teams shot out of the traps in early March and raised many eyes. The Seagulls performance in the first round of matches led many to believe they may well have challenged for a European spot but their performances dipped during the summer and they fell to a final position of 6th. Dundalk also enjoyed a fine start to the season which culminated in a Setanta Cup final defeat to Shamrock Rovers. The form of the Lilywhites dipped after that defeat and manager Ian Foster has left the club after leading the side to a 7th place finish.

UCD played some silky football but again found it difficult to break into the top 6 while Drogheda United will be relatively happy with their season. The Drogs enlisted former Monaghan United manager Mick Cooke at the start of the season. Working off a shoestring budget Cooke put together a fine squad that finished second bottom, some 19 points ahead of an ailing Galway United side.           

Team of The Season

(GK) Ger Doherty (Derry City)

(DF) Enda Stevens (Shamrock Rovers)

(DF) Evan McMillan (St Patricks Athletic)

(DF) Gavin Peers (Sligo Rovers)

(DF) Daniel Lafferty (Derry City)

(MF) Billy Dennehy (Shamrock Rovers)

(MF) Ronan Finn (Shamrock Rovers)

(MF) Richie Ryan (Sligo Rovers)

(MF) Darryl Kavanagh (St Patricks Athletic)

(ST) Eoin Doyle (Sligo Rovers)

(ST) Eamon Zayed (Derry City)

2011
11/06
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Dublin Derby Could Blow Title Race Open

One of the tightest league chases yet is starting to come to a thrilling end, but not without a few more guaranteed highlights.

A testament to the title chase and to Bohs boss Pat Fenlon is that if his side can beat St Patrick’s Athletic on Friday night, they will go within three points of defending champions Shamrock Rovers. Granted it is that the Hoops have two games in hand following their Europa League exertions, nevertheless a win for Bohs would blow the league race open even wider.

They entertain a Saints side on good form of late, having gained seven of the last nine points available to them. Saints boss Pete Mahon is hoping to bring a fully fit side to Dalymount, and believes it will be a thankless task to come away with a win. “Tomorrow is a must win game for both teams for different reasons. For us every game from now until the end of the season is must win if we have any hope of finishing top – and even then it may not be enough. Bohs have to win for different reasons and we’re aware that they’re trying to catch us and win a European spot for themselves.”

Liam Burns is the only injury threat for the Gypsies as they aim to secure their first win against St Pats this season. The Saints have taken five points from three encounters with Bohemians.

Shamrock Rovers return to league action against Drogheda United after a wonderful display against Tottenham Hotspur which will rest in the mind of their fans forever. The Hoops have a big squad to choose from and they look set to rotate the pack again. The retention of the league title is the most important thing for the Hoops fans, and the European adventures are a welcome bonus. Manager Michael O’Neill will be hoping that his players can switch their focus back and forth between both competitions in order to achieve their aims. There is no team news as of yet as the Tallaght side will look to evaluate their options ahead of Sunday`s game.

Elsewhere other league contenders are in action, with Derry hosting Bray Wanderers in the Brandywell. Barry Molloy and Shane McEleney are both set to miss out, although Daniel Lafferty will be once again available after missing the EA Sports Cup success against Cork City. Candystripes manager Stephen Kenny is relishing the pressure towards the end of the season. “It’s been said that the title race is between Sligo Rovers and Shamrock Rovers – and that is fine by us. We have a tough run-in but everything is still in our own hands.”

League leaders Sligo Rovers welcome Galway United to the Showgrounds in a must win game for the Bit o’Red.  Galway are on a hopeless losing streak and at this stage of the day Sligo can’t afford to muck up. Paul Cook has ruled Eoin Doyle and Jason Mc Guinness out of the game, and he knows Galway will be up for the game against their rivals from the west. “We know Galway will try to stop us and they come here with nothing to lose. The pleasing thing for me is that in our last two games we have been very professional, recorded wins and put in the level of performance we needed. That is what we’ll be aiming for this week.”

UCD host Dundalk in a game which has no bearing on either end of the table. Both managers will probably look to have a strong end to the season, in tandem with giving fringe players and youth a chance to blossom. Ian Foster echoed his calls this week to not let the season peter out, and will hope for a professional performance from his side which so much was expected of.

FIXTURES:

FRIDAY 7.45

Bohemians V. St Patrick’s Athletic

Derry City V. Bray Wanderers

UCD V. Dundalk

SATURDAY

Sligo Rovers V. Galway United

SUNDAY

Shamrock Rovers V. Drogheda

2011
09/30
CATEGORY
League of Ireland
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Crunch Time For Top Teams

This weekend`s League of Ireland fixtures could go a long way in determining the final outcome of the season with all the top teams facing potentially difficult ties.

League champions Shamrock Rovers host Bray Wanderers, who defeated the Hoops in Tallaght in the first round of games to put an end to the ideology that the Hoops were an untouchable team.

Player of the Month Pat Sullivan will be back in action, and Gary McCabe will be pushing Rovers other attacking options for a start against his old team. The Seasiders are coming off a good midweek win against UCD and will be looking to upset the apple cart once again. 

Any slip up for Rovers will see Sligo crank up the pressure on the Hoops, but they have a task in itself by travelling to Hunky Dory’s Park to take on a much improved Drogheda United. The Drogs have lost all their games against the Bit o’Red this year, but have amassed four points from their last three home games. Sligo havn’t been beaten since early August in the league, and will hope to welcome back Danny Ventre and Aaron Greene to league action. Sligo boss Paul Cook believes Drogheda can’t be taken for granted. “You just have to look at Drogheda’s results. They have drawn with Derry twice and were beaten by a 94th minute goal by Shamrock Rovers. There are no soft touches in this league. It is going to be a very hard game. When you’re winning games it is easy to think you can just keep going. You have to earn the result and respect every team in this league. Mick Cooke has done an excellent job and made Hunky Dory Park a very hard place to get a result from.”

St Pat’s can’t be removed from the title race just yet as any sort of slip from the top three could see Mahon’s men sneak back into contention. Mahon feels the game against Dundalk is an opportunity to push back into the top three, but to also give players a chance to stake a claim for first team action. “Our preparations for tomorrow’s game haven’t been ideal. We have a number of players injured which has impacted our training sessions this week. We are hoping two or three will have recovered, but we need to consider the impact the artificial pitch will have on them before making any decisions, having said that, this is good opportunity for those who haven’t featured recently to stake a claim for a starting place in the team for the remaining matches of the season. This is a really important game for us, as they all are between now and the end of the season .We want to break into the top 3 and to qualify for Europe through the league.”

Dundalk, who are fourteen points off the Saints, have manager Ian Foster trying to push players in an attempt to stop the season grinding to a halt. “We’ve got six games to go and I’ve got a proud bunch of players,” he said. “I’ve got a committed bunch of players. Friday night is going to be tough for us. It certainly is, because obviously we played 120 minutes on Tuesday – 45 minutes with ten men.”

The only other league game this week will be the clash at Terryland park between Galway United and Bohemians. Bohs will be trying to push the Saints hard for the last few games, as well as maintain their cup challenge. Manager Pat Fenlon has a full squad to choose from, and may give some of the younger players a run out ahead of the forthcoming Leinster Senior Cup Final and the FAI Cup semi final..

League leaders Derry City are not in action, as they take on Cork City in Saturday`s EA Sports Cup Final. 

Fixtures:

Galway United V. Bohemians, Terryland Park 7.45pm

Dundalk V. St Patricks Athletic, Oriel Park 7.45pm

Drogheda United V. Sligo Rovers, Hunky Dory’s Park 7.45pm

Shamrock Rovers V. Bray Wanderers, Tallaght Stadium 3.00pm

2011
09/23
CATEGORY
League of Ireland
Sport
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