Dan Crowley

That’s the spirit!

So let me get this right. Lads deserve to be called up based on what exactly?

Because on quick glance of our 40 man squad - there are quite a few who haven't seen a minute of football this year.

Didn't Mick say himself he's not eligible, isn't that why he wasn't in the 40 man squad? To be eligible you have to be able to play for us. There's obviously something holding up his transfer of allegiance given it only took Rice a month, quite possibly the Johansson issue though I'm not sure how Robinson bypassed that? Maybe FIFA had only just noticed their own statute wording when Luxembourg pointed it out to them

Specify which of that is bollocks please. 

There are a few people (mostly same lads who get regularly excited about more or less anyone, including some of those saying all the same things about Jack Byrne a few years back) touting this lad for a call up, some even suggesting he is worthy of a place in the team. I haven't seen him, so I'm enquiring what all the fuss is about. 

One poster has replied so far stating that he believes he has greater ability than most in our squad (which is believable, if not provable) and that his football brain is better than anyone we have in the squad. 

I'm a little suspicious of that analysis, as if he was that good, he would hardly be playing for a struggling championship team in the first place. He was also dropped for their last game. He will undoubtedly get back into the team, its a long season etc, but if he was that good etc. 

One poster made a sensible point that Birmingham were playing a decent team and knew they wouldn't have much possession, so that may have been the reason he was dropped. Which is a fair point, but what exactly are Ireland if not a team who concedes most of the possession to the opposition ? So if you accept that argument (because the other argument is the manager doesn't think he is all that good) is a fair argument, then if he's no good to Birmingham in a game they won't have possession, he isn't going to be much good to us either (at least under this manager) ??

Ireland possession stats; Gib away-63%, Gib Home- 75%, Georgia home 49%, Denmark away 24% -that particular stat is similar to Birmingham's possession stats in the game he didn't play in.

Since Jack Charlton in 1986, our managers have mainly picked lads in midfield who could cover ground and get tackles in ahead of 'footballer type' midfielders, some of them (Keane, McGrath when he played there, R. Whelan etc) happened to be fine footballers as well, but that was probably secondary to their ability to put in a shift in terms of deciding who was picked in a lot of cases. 

When I see lads with the opinion that a fella who has played 3 games in the championship either should be, or is going to be, the man to change all that, I dunno why, but I remain a bit skeptical for some reason, bollocks or not. 

So drawing any conclusions on Crowley/Byrne's ability based on who they play for, past failings, when they get dropped, etc, just seems redundant.

It will always come down to the manager and their personal preference based on how they want to play, but at the end of the day, not playing your most technically gifted player doesn't change the fact that they are STILL your most technically gifted player. 

Football is about getting the balance right, if the player is going to weaken the sum total but is nicer to watch, managers won’t pick him. Should Crowley be as good as some are making out, and be eligible, he will become a mainstay. Unfortunately, I think people may be getting carried away, as is the tendency with any Irish or potentially Irish player that shows any promise at all.