I asked this question once in a quiz, nobody got it.

 

All the idiots saying Arsenal, Liverpool, Utd, Celtic etc.

 

The answer is so obvious.

 

Home Farm have a far more impressive claim to "providing" Irish internationals than Rovers. They actually developed the players rather than just having later signed them. 

Is this confirmed as caps won whilst at Rovers? 

Yes.

Frank O'Neill has the most with 20 caps. Other notable players capped while at Rovers include Paddy Moore scorer of our first goal in a World Cup Qualifying game and Liam Tuohy scorer of our first goal in a European Championship qualifying game.

And what about the players that Home Farm poached from other clubs who 'developed' them ?

 

Vicious circle.

 

Let's get to the bottom of this. I'm nominating "Sunny Happy Days" kids Montessori in Kimmage as the Mecca of Irish underage talent development. 

I know you're involved in underage football and fair play to you but what do you think is the right course of action for youngsters and clubs? Surely, it's best to get all top players at the elite level whether that is DDSL Premier or LOI u13, u15 etc at the expense of the so called smaller clubs?

Yes of course.

 

DDSL 15 Premier used to be 'the' league and I agree with the LOI u15 but its argued that the LOI u13 is too young and putting too much pressure on young shoulders.

 

Every team (in the lower levels) has a gem or a late developer, AFAIK Conor Masterson didn't play top division football with Lucan Utd and there's plenty of other examples - the 14 year old that went to Atletico Madrid (with Coerver) that nobody in Dublin had heard of.

 

There is also a matter with the new system about compensation when players are 'sold on' to England.

 

Also the so-called smaller clubs are not that anymore.

 

A quick scan of the top divisions show teams from Ballyoulster, Newbridge, Leixlip, Corduff, Palmerstown, Esker etc at the expense of some of the 'so-called' Top Six. My teams this season have already beaten the Orchard, Belvo and Joeys. Got bashed by Rovers though  

Fair play Gary. Yeah, I think u13's is too young an age group for the LOI also but hopeful that it will work out. Regards to compensation pay outs, how this is managed is going to be key. The LOI underage set up is going to be a big financial drain on the clubs unless the money is coming in from somewhere. It will be interesting to see how it is all balanced. 

I'm glad to see Burke getting some recognition for the league anyway. The added exposure hasnt seemed to do him any harm either looking at his performance vs Pats the other week. I thought he was really superb that evening.  

I predict a hat trick against the yanks and a summer move to the Cleveland city razzamataz 

Id say this is the thinking behind this and Burke has obviously impressed him. Chances are he will move form Rovers next season anyway. 

https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2018/0531/967301-burke-to-miss-shamrock-rovers-game-to-play-for-ireland/" rel="nofollow - https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2018/0531/967301-burke-to-miss-shamrock-rovers-game-to-play-for-ireland/

I know MON is a dope but telling Bob Bradley his team 2 days before the game isn't on

Wonder what clubs have been in contact

f**k sake! Who is going to score now?

John's more likely so save goals 
 

I still can’t help but feel his call up is just a token gesture, but wouldn’t be surprised to see him do well tomorrow considering the opposition. 

Does MON just drop him and pick Hogan, Walters, Long etc over him in the next squad? 

This isn’t a dig at Martin but I’d say he probably hopes that Burke doesn’t give him a reason to be picked again, he’s almost guaranteed a decent chunk of game time tomorrow. 

https://m.independent.ie/sport/soccer/league-of-ireland/duffy-wows-roy-as-rovers-loss-heaps-pressure-on-bradley-36970446.html" rel="nofollow - https://m.independent.ie/sport/soccer/league-of-ireland/duffy-wows-roy-as-rovers-loss-heaps-pressure-on-bradley-36970446.html

Do you reckon?

I wouldn't be too sure about that tbh, he's looked comfortable in his two caps and if you scan through the list of players who have played 10/15+ times for us in the last decade or so, Burke would certainly do fine as a squad filler in the short term.

Agreed, even his goal aside he worked his bollox off and had great link up play between the midfield and forwards. Looked really comfortable on the ball, was always looking for it and wasnt afraid to try things. In his 80mins across the 2 games this week, hes offered more than any other forward in recent months/years.

He looked decent, but these friendlies were played at 50% and he wouldn't have the amount of time he had on the ball at times tonight in the loi. No mind a higher level. Hopefully he gets a move and can prove himself across the water in league 1

It was noticeable that we lost our way and couldnt string any passes together for about 15 minutes after he went off. Between this game and the France game, he definitely looks like he could play at a higher level.

Who was the last current LoI player to score for us?

A maligned travel agent.  

Ray Tracey in 1978

The amount of players in the current squad, with a LOI background proves that the league is a good quality league with decent players. It should not be seen as completely off limits to the Ireland international team. 

There may come a time the movement between IRL and UK (wherever) is invisible and just part of the path of a football career. 'Returning' to IRL wont be seen as a pause or distruption to a footballer's career but just part of a normal career.

Burke scored and the 75 or so minutes over the two appearances contributed more than some have in half a dozen appearances. He doesn't need blinding pace, his football intelligence and natural ability more than compensates.

Should remain part of the squad but I've no faith in O Neill deeming it so. 

Delighted for the lad the past week. 

They said the same about Teddy Sheringham. I disagree regarding Burke. Wes wasn't exactly Usain Bolt either.,

You wouldn't have said that Wes had blistering pace either. Regardless of what MON said I do think that Burke will need a move back to the Championship to kick on to the next level. 

To be clear, I'm not suggesting his lack of pace will prevent him winning more caps, merely that it will hold him back from reaching the top level. He looks a useful footballer, but unlike Sheringham I doubt he's brilliant enough to compensate for for his lack of speed at the highest level of the game. 

I'd like to see him remain in the LOI until at least the end of the season and see what sort of a goal tally he can rack up. Lest we forget that failed L2 striker Pat Hoban is currently 5 goals ahead of him in the charts, while mediocre SPL striker Graham Cummins is level with him...

Burke isn't a  striker so whats the point in comparing him to Hoban and Cummins?

Yes he is  at best you could argue he's a "2nd striker", but that is still a striker.... In any case, if he's going to continue to be called up, he'll need to be outscoring the likes of Hoban, Cummins, and McEneff (who is a genuine midfielder, unlike Burke).

Usually plays behind the striker in an attacking midfield position or out wide on the right, rarely plays as an out and out striker for Rovers.

Burke broke into a sprint at one point yesterday, and I was surprised by his rate of acceleration. Hopefully he’s got a hidden gear.

Beat Turkey 4-2.

Tracey got 2 and Giles also scored.

So 3 of the 4 goals scored by Rovers players.

Is Burke the first Ireland player to be publicly criticised by MON in the media?

Completely agree and I think it's more to keep them on edge (Not that I necessarily agree with O'Neill's public approach to this) to not be complacent and thinking they've done it and they'll be expected to be picked.

I genuinely don't mean this as a dig and I'd be the same myself but Burke in the interview wasn't shy in praising himself so O'Neill may be wanting to bring him back down to earth a bit. 

O'Neill is still very loyal to players that have always been with him showing up for every game, irrespective of form. Even someone like Darragh Lenihan who looked very good last night at CB. More so than Long and a lot more mobile.. This just like Trap is a fault they both share. Not to the extreme Trap did but still guilty of playing someone like Robbie Brady, Hendrick in the last qualifying campaign when they weren't playing well since the euros. 

Lads, he played in two nothing friendlies and did grand and only grand at that.

He needs to go and establish himself at a higher level and then be given a chance again. I'd be fuming with O neill if he was in the next competitive squad. Some fellas get so carried away on here.

Well you should. It wasn't a slip of the tongue. It was his way of telling Burke,  "Until you upsticks and play in my neck of the woods, then pfo". 

Burke did his job, and did it well. There's not much more a striker can do to impress on your debut than score goals. But even with the current squad packed with ex-LOI players, the stereotype about LOI players is as rock solid in the mind of the current boss, as it has been with everyone before him since 1986. 

It seems that Rice, O'Dowda, and Browne are the three players who are likely to play a major role in the next Qualification Campaign, provided their club form maintains. I suspect the likes of Matt Doherty, Scott Hogan, Sean Maguire, and possibly Alan Judge will all be the go-to squad names, alongside the likes of Westwood, and Hourihane. After that the names Randolph, Coleman, Ward, Duffy, Clark, K.Long, Arter, Hendrick, McCarthy,Brady, McClean Walters, and Long will all be guaranteed slots in the final reckoning. Already you are hitting 22 names before you include either Elliott/O'Malley/Doyle etc as the third keeper. That leaves very little room, and even with injuries, you have Christie, Meyler, McGeady, and Whelan who are all likely to get the nod over some of the lesser known names in the recent squads

If it was that cut-and-dry, then why did he bother calling him up in the first place, much less play him twice? You're making a ridiculously precise level of inference from what O'Neill actually said... As I've already pointed out, O'Neill's comments on Burke are directly in line with his comments on just about every Irish player; he focuses in on the negatives and doles out actual praise very sparingly. That's just his personality, he's a fairly dour git 

https://m.independent.ie/sport/soccer/league-of-ireland/championship-clubs-to-step-up-interest-in-shamrock-rovers-hotshot-graham-burke-36973977.html" rel="nofollow - https://m.independent.ie/sport/soccer/league-of-ireland/championship-clubs-to-step-up-interest-in-shamrock-rovers-hotshot-graham-burke-36973977.html

Tokenism.

His interviews, (at least the ones I see) are standard manager speak, praising his players, criticising the ref/officials. Then attack TOD/journos for asking hard questions. You would expect a coach to encourage a new player and commend his contribution, even if he's crap. I have certainly never seen him dismiss a new player's contribution as "the game passed him by". He just doesn't want him there while he stays at home, and that was his way of saying it.

We are very short in options upfront, so to indicate that a player needs to get the hell out of Ireland, in order to play for Ireland is stupid. If a player is good enough to play for us while at a LOI club, he's good enough to play for us at any time. 

Tokenism to play him twice? You can delude yourself all you want, but that's a bit more than "tokenism"....

He plays as an attacking midfielder for Rovers, mostly in the centre, sometimes wide, but he's never played as the centre forward for Rovers and we haven't played with a "second striker" since Michael O'Neill.

Surprised that solid Championship clubs are in for him after his time in England. That said, LOI is definitely on the rise. 

Maguire’s impact last season has done a lot for perceptions of the league. Hopefully a few more lads can make the step up

https://www.balls.ie/football/graham-burke-heading-championship-390457" rel="nofollow - https://www.balls.ie/football/graham-burke-heading-championship-390457

Could this be Prestons new attack?

 

             Burke

Robinson Browne Maguire

Maguire will be starting up front, Burke will go the way of Boyle, O'Connor and to a lesser extent Horgan who hasn't done much but is more suited to Prestons style of play compared to Burke.

 

But delighted for the lad to be getting another crack over yonder.  Have loved watching him at Rovers.

I dont think its a good move, far too many players competing for the same positions there. Can see him going the way of Horgan rather than Maguire.

He generally plays as in attacking mid or right wing for Rovers, but can do a job up top if required.

So at Preston he'll have Robinson, Bodin, Barkhuizen, Browne, Horgan, Maguire, Harrop and Moult to compete for a 2 or 3 places.

He'd stand a better chance at Forest or Blackburn IMO.

 

He has licence to roam behind the striker, he's not a winger by any stretch of the imagination.  He has the natural intelligence to drift into the spaces between midfield and up top and that's where he's at his best.  He can be hard to mark because of his intelligence in taking up positions.

 

Horgan is a completely different player to Burke.  The only similarity between them is they're Irish and both at Preston.

He'd be more like Callum Robinson, who will be his main competition. I only mentioned Horgan as I meant he'd probably be finding it hard to see game time like him, rather than slotting right in like Maguire did.

I just dont think this will be a good move for him.

You might want to look up the definition of "completely different". A goalkeeper would be "completely different" to an attacking player; Burke and Horgan would realistically be competing for 1 of 4 attacking places in Preston's side, so they aren't that different... In any case, difference does not make comparison impossible, and Horgan is the better player IMO.

I would disagree with that, I think Horgan has plenty of natural talent of his own. The Terry/Ronaldo example is a trite one; Terry is a centre-back, Ronaldo is a striker/winger. In any case, although Terry may be a better defender, absolutely no one would argue he's a better footballer.... Horgan and Burke are both attackers, and Horgan is the better attacker by a reasonable distance in my view.