Ireland U-21 2019 Qualifying

If you look at our under-21 squads from the last several years it is usually three quarters english players and mainly from under-23 squads and players in lower division squads who rarely amount to anything.

Put this together with the FAI's satisfaction with the mediocrity of our performances and results over as long as you can remember (thinking nicking a win against Andorra is a great triumph) and the persistence with Noel King in charge, and the fact that Noel King is also in charge of British player recruitment and is judged and incentivised by how many english youngsters he can get capped in ROI squads.

Then think of the meticulous dedication to unearthing grandparental connections of kids at english academies and contrast this with the pitiful neglect of player and club development on these shores and its clear they are putting all their eggs in the granny rule basket.

Other associations look to improve the quality of their national team by investing effort, time and resources in to developing youth football within their jurisdiction. Belgium is a great example of a country that has turned around their fortunes by doing just this.

The FAI on the other hand think it is easier to just tap up as many players as they can get hold of from a neighbour who has this structure in place.

This is ethically dubious, lazy and parasitic and it is also unfair on the irish born kids who get neglected as a result and denied the opportunity to represent their country in favour of players from abroad who couldn't get in their own national age group squad. 

Also if a bunch of mediocre english players who can't get anywhere near qualifying for the under-21 finals ever are so much better than the best Ireland can produce then there's something seriously wrong with the development of young players in this country. That isn't going to change until the mindset of Irish football and its governors changes.