Staunton looks set to start McGeady
Emmet Malone in Nicosia
Euro 2008 Qualifying: Cyprus v Republic of Ireland: With the Republic of Ireland seeking their first goal since the 3-0 defeat of Sweden in March, Steve Staunton looks set to liven up his attack for tomorrow’s European Championship qualifier against Cyprus by handing Celtic midfielder Aiden McGeady his first competitive start for his country.
The 20-year-old has hit a strong run of form at Celtic and has excelled in training over the past few days. He looks set to benefit from the absence of Andy Reid, Steven Reid and Steve Carr, all of whom would have offered the option of selecting more experienced figures on the right side of midfield.
“I think he’s improved a hell of a lot,” said Staunton at the end of his team’s first outing in the early afternoon Cypriot sun. "I saw him in the under-21s and you don’t know if people are going to go on to the next level.
“But he’s playing with Celtic and in the Champions League, and he’s taken it on board,” enthused the manager. “There’s no fear in the boy and you can see he oozes confidence at the moment. He’s flying.”
McGeady has six caps to his credit but has started just one game at this level, the 4-0 defeat by the Netherlands in August. Yesterday, though, he looked both comfortable and confident as he continued his preparations for tomorrow’s game.
With John O’Shea having filled in at left back through much of yesterday’s practice game, Kevin Kilbane looks likely to be partnered by Liam Miller, Jonathan Douglas or Stephen Ireland in central midfield.
Ireland, said Staunton, had looked “sharp” in training while Miller had been obliged to sit out the tail end of the session because of a minor foot injury but all three remain in strong contention to start at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia.
Kevin Doyle remained an onlooker throughout yesterday’s squad work-out, though, and Staunton confirmed he would not be training this morning either.
“We will give him every opportunity to get fit for Saturday. If not, he has got every chance of being ready for Wednesday. The other side of the coin is that if he does play on Saturday there is every chance he won’t make it on Wednesday.”
In the circumstances, it seems, Staunton is likely to play safe by holding the striker in reserve for what should be the greater challenge of next week’s game against the Czechs.
Everton midfielder Lee Carsley, meanwhile, has denied that any sort of behind-the-scenes clash with Staunton is the reason for his continued exclusion from the squad.
The 32-year-old has made several public statements and, apparently, had at least one private phone conversation with the Louthman as he seeks to make an international return after two years away. Despite the spate of injuries suffered by established squad members, however, the midfielder’s campaign to win a recall has been ignored, prompting speculation that the pair might have had a clash.
But Carsley insists relations remain good and that despite the disappointment of his omission this week, he is ready to travel if and when he is needed.
"We were team-mates (in the international team) and shared some good times together, so for people to suggest otherwise is just plain wrong.
“Of course I want to play for Ireland again. I did say that I didn’t want to be considered a while ago and then I had my injury. I never actually retired - the reasons for that are complicated and have been documented. But it means a lot to me to play - otherwise why would I say that I want to be involved at this stage in my career? I’ve not given up hope. At the moment, I’m playing for Everton, the team’s doing well and I’ll keep plugging away.”
The midfielder has drawn support this week from others within the squad, with Stephen Ireland admitting Carsley had marked him out of last week’s Premiership game between Everton and Manchester City and suggesting he should have been included, while Kilbane observed, “I think we probably need him. He is very professional on the pitch, someone who is not afraid to stamp his authority on games. He knows his job and I would say he sacrifices himself for the team. I think he is the real reason why, while I was at Everton, we qualified for the Champions League two years ago.”
Carsley’s absence from the scene was originally prompted in part by annoyance that his efforts in the home game against Russia during the last campaign were ridiculed at a time when he had agreed to play despite being unfit because manager Brian Kerr was shorthanded.
The greater difficulty, however, was the fact that his second son, Connor, was born with Down’s Syndrome and he wished to spend more time with his family who, despite him having been at Everton for the past four and a half years, are still based in the English midlands.
More settled these days at club level, however, where he is playing well in a team that is performing solidly, Carsley has repeatedly indicated he is keen to be involved at international level again although Staunton revealed during the build-up to the Germany game that the player had said he only wished to be included in squads if he had a good chance of playing.
It remains a possibility he will be asked to join up with the squad at the weekend ahead of the Czech game but so far, at least, Staunton has seemed content to do without him as, presumably, he does not see him actually featuring in the team at any point.
“If the call does come, whether that’s next week or next month, I’ll be ready for it,” Carsley says nevertheless.
“But it’s the manager’s prerogative to pick his team and I’m going to have to accept it although of course, I’m disappointed that I’m not involved this time out.”
Also read last night that apparently the FAI sent Andy Reid’s call up to the squad to Spurs, not Charlton and Spurs passed it on. Probably old news but fucking jokers.