Best Ireland XI of Your Life Time

Including Norman Whiteside as a striker too.

9 goals for NI

Irelands golden generation thus far. What are we thinking? Around Italia 90? USA 94? Or are we looking at the 2000 team? Maybe 88?

Edited by Left foot - 05 May 2020 at 3:39pm

Territorial wrote: horsebox wrote: Including Norman Whiteside as a striker too. 9 goals for NI After an astonishing scoring record in youth football, Whiteside was first picked by Ferguson for Man U as a striker, while he was still only 17. Bingham picked him up front at the World Cup Finals at the same time. But later when he picked up a series of knee injuries which cost him his pace (he had been a schoolboy sprint champion), he was still so strong and skilful that they both moved him back into midfield. Eventually the injuries became too much and after a couple of seasons struggling at Everton, he packed it in at the age of 26. Considering that strikers invariably score more goals as they get older, and his unmatched big game temperament (youngest player at a World Cup Finals, youngest to score in a Wembley Final, youngest to score in an FA Cup Final etc), had it not been for injury, he'd surely have gone on to be one of the all-times greats, any stage, any era. As it was, you might consider that he didn't quite achieve enough to be worth a place in this team, but from what he did manage, he surely has to be a contender, whether as striker or midfielder.

Gashley Grimes wrote: Ron Atkinson surely 'T' picked him as a teenager?? - Ferguson got rid of him because of the drinking culture along with big Paul.

I really don't think Whiteside achieved enough to be in the team, either at club or international level. Best wasted a lot, but he also achieved a hell of a lot in the short time he was at the top. So even though his NI career might have been a bit underwhelming, he's obviously a shoo-in for the team. Don't know enough about him, but Blanchflower seems to have been a great player and would be more or a contender than Whiteside based on what I've heard.

You might as well throw Peter(Doherty) the Great in there - captained Man City to their first title.

Jimmy McIlroy was a class act - my neighbour is a Burnley fan and still raves about him.

Burnley were well ahead in the league in 1961 -62 until McIlroy was injured.  They hardly got another point over the last 10 games and finished 2nd. They lost in the cup final also that year. They got to the quarter final of the European Cup too in the McIlroy era, losing 5-4  on aggregate, McIlroy hitting the post twice in the last ten mins, if one had of gone in, they would have had a replay for a semi final spot.

Way before any of our times, but I would wager that Jimmy Dunne has the best goalscoring record of any Irish player ever. It's absolutely phenomenal.