Few of those who have watched Brian Kerr in action over the years could doubt his ability to make hard choices when they're called for. As he named a squad of 26 players for Wednesday week's game at Hampden Park yesterday, however, he made it clear he does not quite feel the time had come to start alienating a group of players he is still striving to become better acquainted with. Emmet Malone reports
On Tuesday he remarked that he didn't really have a huge panel to select from and if you had tried to work out what his options were since then well, there's no need to anymore, just take a glance at the list below instead.
The seriousness of Bohemians striker Glen Crowe's knee problem has ruled him out him of the trip while most of the younger players promoted to the senior panel by Don Givens for the Greece match before Christmas are also absent, but a few of them are included on a stand-by list.
Normally for a game of this stature earning reserve status would be almost as good as being included in the original travelling party for the withdrawals would have started flooding in almost as soon as the news agencies relayed the squad in England. But with the new man keen to meet his players as a group for the first time and few of them, one presumes, keen to disappointment him, even the walking wounded may show their faces at the Scottish get-together.
"I felt it was only fair to give the players who had played for Mick (McCarthy) a chance to come and see me and for me to take the chance to see all of them," said Kerr yesterday. "If I'd kept it tighter some players might have felt I'd made my mind up without even seeing them in a few games and I didn't want that.
"A few of the lads (Rory Delap, Kenny Cunningham, Damien Duff and Robbie Keane) have slight injuries but I talked to some of them and anyone I have talked to about it was very enthusiastic about coming."
Roy Keane, of course, won't be there and there was little said of the Manchester United player yesterday other than confirmation from Kerr that he sees the competitive games in two months' time as a more pressing deadline for resolving the question of the Corkman's international future.
There is, however, at least the prospect of Steve Carr making a welcome return to international action after 20 months out through injury. Mark Kennedy is another long-term absentee to get the call from the new manager while David Connolly, who famously declined Givens's late invitation to travel to Athens, returns from self-imposed exile.
"I spoke to Don just to make it clear that whatever happened before with David was between the pair of them," said Kerr. "David's been scoring a lot of goals over the last few weeks and we don't have too many free-scoring players available to us. But the main thing is that I think it's only fair everybody starts with a clean slate with me."
Kerr confirmed, meanwhile, Chris Hughton's availability to take on the part-time position of assistant manager and that, as of yesterday, the Spurs coach was officially a part of the his set-up.
"I'm very pleased and very honoured," said Hughton last night. "You always want to work at the highest level and in football the international game is the highest level. The chance to get involved with an international team is wonderful but to be offered the opportunity to become involved with Ireland again is a dream come through. When Brian offered me the chance it took literally a couple of seconds to give him my decision and I can't wait to get started."
Hughton, who holds the prestigious UEFA Pro coaching licence, will be centrally involved in preparing the players for games. Between internationals he will continue to work on a full-time basis for Spurs but will also watch players and games for Kerr.
"I'm hopeful it's going to work out well for everybody," he says. "In the normal course of things I watch quite a few games, our ones, the reserves and teams we are going to be playing over the following week or two and the intention is that I'll be able to keep tabs on any of the Irish lads involved in those.
"From the club point of view I think they're happy on the one hand I'll be working at a higher level and gaining experience that will ultimately benefit the club and on the other I might see players the club might be interested in."
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND SQUAD (v Scotland, Hampden Park, Wednesday, February 12th): Given (Newcastle Utd), Kiely (Charlton Ath), Colgan (Hibernian), Harte (Leeds Utd), Breen (West Ham), Kelly (Leeds Utd), Cunningham (Birmingham), O'Shea (Manchester Utd), Carr (Tottenham), Dunne (Manchester City), Finnan (Fulham), O'Brien (Newcastle Utd), Holland (Ipswich Town), Healy (Celtic), Kinsella (Aston Villa), Carsley (Everton), Delap (Southampton), McPhail (Leeds Utd), Kennedy (Wolves), Kilbane (Sunderland), Keane (Tottenham), Morrison (Birmingham City), Duff (Blackburn), Doherty (Tottenham), Connolly (Wimbledon), Reid (Millwall).
