Wasted Irish Internationals

It's very hard to get your head around the fact that Wes only has 40 odd caps for us . Then I think of Stephen Ireland with less than 10 caps and also Anthony Stokes who also has less than 10 caps . Is there any other players out there that had bags of talent but wasted it ? I
I know Roy will pop up but it's a shame the likes of Stokes and Ireland didn't have the attitude to want to play for their country

I think there are a number of internationals who have lost it, well before their time, and their prime.

Joey O'Brien and Stephen Ireland looked like they had a genuine ability to be mainstays in the Irish team. Injury for the former and attitude for the latter prevented them from being at two European Championships. Both had great ability, and have done well in the PL but I believe have been lost. While Stephen Reid, and Andy Reid made more hay, both didnt make as much as they should. I feel the latter would have had his swansong at this tournament if his form in 2008-2010 had continued.

Kevin Doyle is another. It just seems to have been one snake after another in the past four years. Again, he would have been a prime candidate for a career finishing Euros over the past two weeks.

I also feel that players like Darren Gibson had the ability to be great, but have just not let it play out.

I feel at the Euros if we had had a team with O'Brien, Ireland, A.Reid, Doyle, and Gibson, at their prime, and while playing their best football, it would have greatly enhanced the team.

David Connolly done very well in Dutch football just never done it in Ireland Jersey for me.

If Stokes can hit the score sheet for Blackburn I'd have him in the squad. Still only 27/28. Keane, Murphy and Walters are only getting older/ retiring so we'll need Stokes to resurrect his career

Gerry Peyton and Alan kelly to a lesser extent. Both great keepers whom should have collected more caps than they did anyway

GoneToShowgies wrote:

armahibee wrote:

Gerry Peyton and Alan kelly to a lesser extent. Both great keepers whom should have collected more caps than they did anyway

Probably a little unfair on Alan Kelly. He was the second keeper to Packie Bonner, and was biding his time to become the first choice. Then along came Shay Given, an even better keeper.

Through no fault of his own I should have said, think he should have gotten more caps than he did. Packie was a childhood hero but was a liability near the end

Edited by armahibee - 27 Jun 2016 at 8:55pm

John Sheridan, even though we had savage mid field options around his era

Steven Reid - never fulfilled his promise, entirely due to injury.

Stephen Ireland - was the great white hope for a while. Walked away and his club career has gone to sh*te too.

Aiden McGeady - has been so inconsistent for years now.
In hindsight I'm sure he regrets going to Siberia.

Keith Treacy - undoubtedly a real technically gifted player but seems like he didn't have the mentality to be a top player.

I won the Player of the Century award thanks to the people.Pele was second.He also came second behind Aryton Senna as Brazil's greatest sportsman.The award FIFA gave Pele isn't worth sh*t - Maradona

Dean Kiely. He was one of the best keepers in the prem for a good few years, just unfortunate that given was at his peak at around the same time.

Steve Finnan and Stephen Carr another two that spring to mind.