By popular demand and given the times that are in it ive decided to float this thread.
Maybe we can set up a poll later but first of all id like to get some contributions from the board before launching into any rash conclusions about who should feature on the poll.
Some basic criteria
-players from the Free state side who completed at the 1924 summer olympics up to the present day can be included.
-if including a player from 1924-1950 please specify that he played for the free state side
-1950-1953 is a tricky one as there were 2 irish football associations so please caution is advised
-1953-present day players will have played with the Republic of Ireland
-no players from the Irish football association can be included
-you cannot just name a player without giving due reasoning, please maintain your dignity and keep posting to the usual high standard, the critria wont be as anal as the celeb spotting thread but some effort is required
Tazdedub, Fagan and Sid must contribute to this thread
we have already had alan kernaghan mentioned today and mygod that hun bastard is a worthy nomination for almost costing us a place in USA 94 for the way he allowed Iain Dowie and Jimmy Quinn tear him apart in november 1993 up in windsor.
2 of my personal favourites are Liam Daish who played 5 times including giving a phenomenally bad performance in his debut in a 1-0 defeat to wales with mark pembridge scoring, liam went on to play 5 times for his country.
another is Bernie Slaven, the scotsman made his debut in 1990 scoring in a 1-0 win over wales, we played wales a lot back then, also in the snowi remember in wrexham in 1991 and also i think in tolka park.
anyway bernie went to italia 90, didnt kick a ball and is famously remembered for putting is his bestselling autobiography that he hope we would loose against romania so he could go home and see his dogs, that was the end of bernie really
anyway, i know we have some dross right now but id like us to dig out the gems from the 80’s and 90’s ( or fagan the 70’s) before jumping into John O Shea, O’Dea, etc, even tho that was the worst i have ever seen
Joe Lapira: capped once against Ecuador under Staunton’s reign
Scaled the heights of 2nd division soccer in Norway after that
The story went that he was related to an FAI blazer and got a cap as a result on that US tour
in your own words could you give the forum a brief description as to what offences he committed that day?
also i remember USA 94 v holland, second round, he was clearly at fault for one of the goals ( not the one from Wim Jonk that Paddy Bonner let slip thru his fingers) , but the one where he misjudged a high ball in the box leaving it bounce and some dutch fuck took advantage and scored. i remember my oul fella shouting " what type of fucking idiot lets a ball bounce in his own box"… i used to always shout that at our back 4 if i ever saw it happening from then on
I believe this game I refer to actually happened in 1997. Irwin put in an absolutely abysmal performance playing as part of a back three. His defending for one of the goals had to be seen to believed. He was trudging along the ground like David Murray after his car crash.
I’d forgotten about Alan O’Brien. What ever happened to him? I could be wrong but did he play when we were beaten 1-0 in Germany by that deflected free kick? Headless chicken, a white Theo Walcott with even less speed and football ability.
failed bohemians mangaer and ex everton midfielder gareth farrelly had a number of impromptu appearances after the departure of jack charlton in 1996, the poor fella actually had major for pancreatic cancer in 2008 and had his contract terminated with cork city, he won the ensuing case against them in 2009.
Wrexham stalwart Brian Carey played a few games against mediocre oppoition under Jack as well,
friend of the forum and ex bolton donkey and failed manager owen coyle playd for us for a few minutes in a 1-0 win over the dutch in a friendly in 1994 that tommy coyne scored, that was it for poor owen tho.
of the modern day players i think the now clubless Caleb Folan’ cameos and also Cillian Sheridan’s performance against argentina in the opening game in the aviva in 2010 are two strong candidates here
I think there should be a few categories - the one/two cap wonders are a specific category while the truly bad who got a number of chances to show how bad they were.
The incident where Irwin let the ball drop was the second goal against Mexico, the one where Hamilton shouted out “Oh no!” Terry Phelan was at fault for the goal against Holland.
Re the Macedonia game in 1997, Jason McAteer was the worst culprit, giving away a penalty and then doing his kung fu kick near the end. Phelan also gave away a penalty.
