Updated at 6.12pm
MANAGER GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI has rung the changes after Ireland’s dismal Euro 2012 performances.
The Italian has this afternoon named his first panel since the European Championships, with a pre-World Cup qualifiers friendly against Serbia on the horizon. There’s no room for skipper and all-time record goal scorer Robbie Keane, talismanic defender Richard Dunne, goalkeeper Shay Given and Damien Duff.
Wes Hoolahan has not earned the call-up he craves though Paul Green again features. Keith Andrews, who is suspended for Ireland’s first World Cup outing due to his red card against Italy, is also out. Stephen Hunt is snubbed, while Kevin Foley — who was famously ousted from the Euros panel at the last minute in Italy — turned down a call-up, with Trapattoni explaining:
“I called Foley, and he told me he is still very disappointed. He thanked me for the call, but told me that he was still not ready because he is still disappointed.”
Meanwhile, Wigan midfielder James McCarthy returns; he opted out of the Euros due to his father’s ill health.
“This friendly offers us a great opportunity to try out younger players ahead of our World Cup qualifying campaign” Trapattoni added at the squad announcement in Donegal earlier.
“As a result, I have decided to leave some of our senior players out of the squad for this fixture. Serbia are a very good team with a great football heritage, and will provide us with a great test before our game against Kazakhstan in September.
“I am looking forward to working with each of these players next month. As we prepare for a new journey for this team, it is important that we remember our last campaign as we build for a brighter future.”
The Boys in Green travel to Belgrade on 15 August for a warm-up match ahead of their opening World Cup 2014 qualifier in Kazakhstan in September.
What do you think of Trap’s selection?
Republic of Ireland (squad to face Serbia): Westwood, Forde, Randolph, Wilson, O’Shea, St Ledger, O’Dea, Ward, Kelly, McShane, Whelan, Gibson, McCarthy, Green, Coleman, McGeady, Keogh, McClean, Treacy, Doyle, Long, Cox, Walters.
Additional reporting by Paul Fennessy
Paul Green?! ffs! I’d swear he has pics of Trap in a compromising situation or something! How does he keep getting picked? He offers nothing to the team.
It is because he played for an English team…namely Doncaster Rovers. Its a pity he didn’t play for Shamrock Rovers or Sligo then he wouldn’t get a look in.
Kevin Doyle, Shane Long, James McLean etc etc couldn’t get near the side when they played LOI. The minute their holes touched the ground in England they become good enough for our National side.
Its a joke that Hoolahan again doesn’t get a call up. Does Paul Green even have a club contract?????
Just signed of AC Milan this morning, http://www.acmilan.com/Paul-Green-il-Nuovo-Messi-por-Milan.html
Paul Green signed for Leeds United last week
That is a fair enough squad. Young players like McClean, Coleman and McCarthy are included which is great. Still I’m a bit annoyed that players like Wes Hoolahon are not there and Paul Green is there!
I’m genuinely afraid of this world cup campaign. I hope I’m wrong but the fact that Trap is still hanging so much on the early goals to Croatia and Spain shows his arrogance and how much his head is in the sand.
Be Not Afraid:-)
Total football here we come, 74 holland and the present Spain will look like Wimbledon when this group blitzes the qualifiers. Can’t wait to be enjoying a caipirinha on the beaches of Rio
Why was Paul Green called up? He is useless.
This is a big gesture by the boss. It more or less calls on the senior lads to retire. The task now must be to play our young players, not just bring them along for the experience. Trap also needs to show faith in the likes of raw talented footballers like McClean & McCarthy and let them play their natural passing game. The old system has proven to be flawed and cannot be continued with new faces. No Wes IS a disappointment.
I don’t think Wes is good enough. If you want 2 passing midfielders, Gibson and McCarthy are both better and they are both better at defending. Wes would only work in a 451 where he isn’t required to defend as much.
@billie, I can promise you that Gibson is not as good as wes. He had ten times the season of any Irish midfielder last year bar McLean.
Good to see Wilson included, would have liked to see Clarke in the squad, I don’t have much faith in St Ledger or Ward
Green, McShane,Keogh…no Hoolihan,Pilkington or Brady…
Plus ca change…
Brady isn’t ready. Sure McLean plays the same position as him anyway and he’s is the latest bandwagon.
@Billie
It’s not for a few weeks yet, will only take a few minutes to tog out.
Seems fair enough. I think those guys need to get back into pre-season and get a couple of clubs games under their belt before they see whether or not they have another campaign in them.
I’m sure the senior players wouldn’t want to begin a campaign if they don’t think they could stretch their international careers to a hypothetical world cup.
Is that you Philip???
It is a step in the right direction (no disrespect to the seniors, they have served our team well), but trap also needs to change his prehistoric system / approach. New players alone won’t fix what is broken.
Green instead of Hoolahan. Christ on a f-ing bike! Green can’t kick a football and Weso is the best natural footballer we have playing at the highest level these is week-in week-out. He’d only be 31 in 2014 too and his game never relied on pace anyway. Complete sham. Two years more of this rubbish.
Decent enough squad. There was never going to be a massive change in traps mentality . Paul green have no idea how he got in but he’s a bench warmer more worried about Stephen ward he’s a nightmare at this level.
We’re screwed forget brazil 2014 we’d only be laughed out of it .anyways Germany Austria and Sweden will be battling for top and second in our group.back to basics for us now building for next euros.get rid of old guard and try ALL eligible players.more friendlies and better decisions from trap.Is he really interested in the long term development of irish soccer or his own pocket.we have reasonable players coming through and a lack of fresh ideas from trap……..has he brought us as far as well go..?
Clarke, Houlahan should have been in there. Also, possibly Pilington, Cunningham. Stokes and maybe, just maybe Stephen Ireland. but generally a step in the right direction. more importantly though is that I’d like to see a more positive style of play, or it doesn.t matter who plays, they’ll look poor
I red thumbed you’re comment because you mentioned Stephen Ireland. I agree with the rest of the players. I hope Stephen Ireland never plays for this country again.
I’ve liked Wes since his time at Shelbourne but he is 30 and only played his first season in the premiership last season. Really it is too late for him.
There are a limited amount of 1st class players available so there is even more need for a coach with a vision -and no Trapp is not one of them .there are 2 young coaches in the Bundesliga who achieved competing with Bayern Munich last season with a fracture of their budget.Because they have a vision and the ability to bring the best out of every member of a limited squad
The lack of technical skills was a laughing matter in Poland for many people
So what is wrong with picking players like Hoolahan who can actually pass the ball unlike the complete Irish midfield in Poland -embarrassing to watch…A good coach like Klopp (Borussia Dortmund) would turn Stokes for example in one season into a 20 million euro player I strongly believe -and no it would not work with Green sorry e en Klopp couldn’t do it….
To be consistently qualifying for major tournaments and actually competing when we get there, yes we need need changes.
However, there is only so much any coach can do, particularly at International level. You say ‘There are a limited amount of 1st class players available’. Yes agreed. But that needs to change and it needs to change from grass roots up into senior football here.
We need proper coaching, infrastructure and a strong domestic league for our young players to play in. This all takes money. Unfortunately most of the ‘football money’ in this country heads off every weekend in the pockets of Irish football fans to England and Scotland. Millions of euros are spent every week on teams in the UK while every season since 2007 an Irish football team has went bust in the League of Ireland. Take a look around you this weekend at the amount of UK football jerseys you will see being worn by Irishmen.
There was approx 35,000 Irish football fans in Poland which was something quite extraordinary given the current economical situation here. Before the Euro’s began the domestic league took a break for it, with the last games on the weekend of June 1st. There were approx 11,483 in total at attendance at the 10 games that weekend. Considering Shamrock Rovers had well over a quarter of this total for their game against Shamrock Rovers it paints a telling picture.
For our National team to become consistently competitive we need to look after our youngsters and have them trained properly from an early age but the infrastructure isn’t here. Until Irish people dampen some of their obsession with British football and we can put some money back into the game here we’ll just have to hope that League of Ireland clubs can miraculously come up with more Paul McGrath’s and Roy Keane’s or we’ll have to live with the likes of the much maligned Doncaster’s Paul Green.
Pilkington surely should be on it! Plays premier league football every week
Green, McShane, Ward,? None of these guys are good enough for international football end of, Doyle? Not sure he is either, he hasn’t scored much of late does lots of huffing and puffing but seems to have lost his mojo up front. O’Shea? Bad, bad Euro finals performances and not exactly setting the place on fire at Sunderland either, Ferguson obviously saw this coming and shunted him off to Sunderland. St.Ledger, ball watcher and a liability. Can’t even command a regular place at Leicester City, not good! Trappatoni will have Given, Keane, Dunne and Duff back in the squad for the WC you can bet your last Euro on it and some of these players coming in will be the ones who get shafted causing resentment aka Foley (not that he is good enough anyway). There needs to be some serious thinking done about the future, we cannot go into the WC qualifiers with the same team that bombed at the Euro’s and the Trap method was shown to be completely useless and as the Spanish coach observed “stone age” We need good fresh players like Pilkington, Hoolahan and Clarke together with McCarthy, Gibson and McClean, McGeady and maybe even Stephen Ireland in midfield. The Serbs will be a good test and Trappatoni should use it to actually give some of these younger lads a real chance and not 15 minute run out’s at the end!
fair enough, the maybe was there for a reason. unfortunately though, whether we like it or not he’s more talent about him then some of the players in there (i.e. Green). if he can get his head together he could be a player again. note, I’m not his biggest fan either but unfortunately we’re not exactly flushed with talent
About time trap got brave with his selection. come on Ireland
Every time I see Paul Green in the squad I give an ironic chuckle- its like Trap is making a stubborn gesture. I’m sure he’s ‘a good, honest pro’ and all that lark but he is of no use to us at all
He can do what he likes at this stage, makes no difference. Our entire team are mediocre and cannot compete at an international level. They have proven this themselves.
I think he should have dropped O’Shea, as punishment for what was a disgraceful performance in the Euro’s from a senior player.