It may seem like sense for them to retire,in your opinion, but, despite their limitations, who is better than them, or even potentially better than them, that can be selected?

Not specifically Whelan, but we will learn even less by throwing a rookie team out there and they will learn even less again.

Being honest, I don't think there is any need for them to retire. Either they should be selected on merit, or left out to prove themselves worthy of a place in the team. Whelan has been out of a high functioning Villa team, while O'Shea and McGeady have been in a dysfunctional Sunderland team. That doesn't speak well for any of them, but that shouldn't mean they have to retire.

Notwithstanding, I would like to see a number of new faces in the friendly matches. Rice has been playing regular PL football, Doherty has been integral to a very good Wolverhampton team, Hogan and Maguire have been scoring in the Championship, Hourihane has been important in Villa's revival. Browne has been very impressive in a strong PNE team, and I would like to see more of him. Equally, as Alan Judge gets stronger, I would like to see him given a chance to impress.

But that doesn't mean that we should toss the spine of the team. I appreciate that Walters, Brady, and McCarthy are injured, but with luck they will return quickly. Randolph is best placed to continue as keeper. Shane Long isn't scoring to the extent we would like, but he has contributed to Southampton's cause in other ways, and perhaps will be able to rediscover his form.

I think this is an important period for the team, and these games should be used to develop the most balanced and capable squad we have.

Totally agree. The 5-1 defeat to Denmark is not our level. That result is not a reason to toss a wholesale amount of players. We need to incrementally develop new players, within the context of established players.

I'm not sure that deciding substitutions be for the game begins is helpful either, although regularly done with international friendlies; a large part of what has made them so meaningless. I think we will learn more from players getting a real chance to stake a claim for the future.

The games against Mexico and Iceland last year are in my mind. It gives little or no context to start and experimental eleven for the sake of it. If all players were available, I would think that it would be beneficial to start 7/8 experienced players, with the rest as new players. For example, i would have no problem starting Hogan and Maguire together, Rice and Doherty in the defence, and Hourihane in the midfield. But the rest of the team should include the likes of Randolph, Coleman, Duffy, McClean etc. And not only that, I would avoid the cameo style appearances, which can tell little or nothing about a player, or in a game which may not suit them. I would also avoid, swapping out experienced heads for new caps.

I agree that a forward looking approach is key, but it has to be done sensibly. My concern is that MON may not be interested in necessary overhaul, and with Wes and Murphy being the only retirements there is little tangible need to change hugely, in spite of that fact that some change is necessary. 

Yeah, that is how I would see it. The result may ultimately not matter here but it needs to be treated somewhat competitively by the management team. Maguire deserves to start, if fully fit, as does Rice and possibly one of Hourihane or Browne, surrounded by the better experienced players who will still make up the backbone of the team.

Which has been a key issue of the National team for a good 2-3 campaigns now, there's far too many passengers in the squad getting called up without merit and just for the absolute sake of it.

Shamtheram isn't wrong suggesting the players shouldn't be there - They're all so badly out of form and/or playing at a very poor standard of football atm they shouldn't be even remotely close, and add McShane to the list.

And when you have the likes of Maguire, Browne, Doherty, Hogan, Horgan all still waiting for an appearance if the former are still getting call-ups before the new breed of players, it'd be an absolute disgrace.

No one has said the latter list of players should be immediately starting games, I do agree with what people have said about starting Maguire and 1/2 others and then implementing the others via substitutions etc.

But what I fear the most is the likelihood of MON changing up his system in order to suit the new players coming in is very low - For Maguire/Hogan to work I do think we need them both on the pitch at the same time, Maguire is definitely not a long-ball type of Striker, and I even think Long would benefit from having someone else beside him.

I think it's great that they dont retire...nothing worse in hearing "I'm retiring to prolong my club career".

"Killer" never retired, they just stopped picking him ...I have the utmost respect for him because of that,,,

Because if we do this nobody will lead anything. Can anybody tell me what we learned from Portugal or Mexico?

A strong eleven with a couple of the lads who have played their way into contention getting a further chance to bed in. I also hope there is no more than 3/4 subs,maximum, or else this whole thing will be yet another pointless exercise.

Why are the 2 worst examples being used when O'Neill reverted to an all out attack 4 up front  and only 2 in midfield formation in the 2nd half in both matches.

I'm glad you remember those 2 matches because it's the only times where O'Neill wanted to attack teams, even if it was kamikaze and completely overzealous. We were tragic at it but atleast we were entertaining to watch tragic 

I agree. I'm not sure if it is a personal issue, whether MON just doesn't see him as his type of player or, and this is just my own gut instinct, that the player himself isn't overly excited by international football.

Genuinely not being smart here, but I have read this a few times now and I haven't a notion what it is about!

Glad we've cleared that up.

Have an answer to what? Was it a question? To respond, I first need to be able to understand it!

 Liam Kelly, Alan Judge, Greg Cunningham also included.

Hogan and Maguire are the other strikers named

 

Who else is gone, aside from the retirees?

O'Shea, Whelan, Randolph, 

It's bugging me

He's been very poor that's what the crack is.

He was shocking against Sunderland a few weeks ago and the week before that against another team, people being dropped because of poor form is a thing I'm a fan of personally.

What about the aptly named Shane Long who started nearly every game upfront on his own for us last campaign?

Some of them had protestant names.

 

Wouldn't be too surprised with the 3 of them being left out. Can't see Christie dropping out though.

 

No chance Ward is retiring. No need for him on the trip, especially as he's just back in the Burnley XI after injury.

That's an encouraging squad. If MON wanted to pick a RELATIVELY new starting XI comprised entirely of debutantes or players who only have a handful of caps:

O'Hara/ Elliott

Doherty   Rice  Egan Cunningham/Stevens

Horgan Kelly  Browne  Judge

Maguire Hogan

**Disclaimer** I'm not advocating this team selection. I'm just pointing out there are a lot of new options available to us.  The above XI wouldn't have a huge number of aggregated minutes of international football. 

 

Yeah I suppose. I mean there aren't many Derricks around anymore.

 

 

Trying to think of that myself. Any players doing well in the championship who weren't included?

Not since the shipyards closed.

That is pretty mad! I thought all the counties of Dublin would have been represented by now.

 

Agreed. It's nice to have even the smallest of lifts after the crushing disappointment that was last year. Hopefully a good few of the newer faces get game time.

I'd hope it's also a conscious decision to move away from hoofball...I'm personally surprised he has brought in so many fresh faces but happy he has done so

None of those three 'keepers are long term options, and even as short term options they aren't great.

An international cap might even increase O'Hara's chances of appearing in a league cup game for United next season, and will definitely increase his chances of going out on loan to a half-decent side.

From what I've seen of him for our under-21's he is a very decent goalkeeper.

And on a side note, he is English born - cap him now and get him integrated into the side. While it's quite unlikely he'll make it at Man United, a dazzling display in a League Cup / Cup game, and the English press would be wondering why this talented young Man United goalkeeper wasn't in their squad.  

A lad I work with is a Blackburn ST holder and speaks very highly of Lenihan. Slightly less enthusiastic about Williams although he said he has improved a hell of a lot recently

Looked good in game I watched at the weekend, one lovely no nonsense crunching tackle, commentators were loving it, saying it wasn't hard to see why Roy Keane was his favourite player.

Happy with the squad but you'd have to be a bit worried that we are dipping down to L1

I'd much prefer to see promising League 1 players in the squad over tried and tested Championship players like Keogh, O'Shea etc.

It works for Northern Ireland, Iceland and Wales, no reason why we can't see similar results with these type of players.

 

Dunboyne, Dublin 15's finest

 

Sheffield United bid for him three times in the summer but Blackburn wouldn't sell. Great time for him to come back from injury.