Goalkeepers
Gavin Bazunu (Southampton)
Age: 20 Caps: 10 Club minutes this season: 540
Mixing spectacular saves with some chastising experiences as Southampton’s middling start to the season accelerates the Firhouse native’s development. No debate over the Irish number one.
Mark Travers (Bournemouth)
Age: 23 Caps: 3 Mins: 360
Lost place to Brazilian Neto after 9-0 drubbing at Anfield - although only one of the goals was categorically his fault - but something had to give when Scott Parker was sacked.
Max O’Leary (Bristol City)
Age: 25 Caps: 0 Mins: Zero
Sits on the Championship club’s bench behind Daniel Bentley but injury to Bohemians’ James Talbot leaves O’Leary next in line.
Wing backs
Matt Doherty (Tottenham Hotspur)
Age: 30 Caps: 29 Mins: 8
Key play-maker for Ireland despite Brazilian Emerson Royal dominating the right flank for Spurs. Proved last year that a lack of club minutes will not negatively impact his international form.
James McClean (Wigan Athletic)
Age: 33 Caps: 95 Mins: 695
Away from Twitter storms, McClean has been a stirring presence on the left for the Latics on their return to the Championship.
Callum O’Dowda (Cardiff City)
Age: 27 Caps: 23 Mins: 536
Named as a forward by Stephen Kenny, but looks like another wing back to stir into the selection stew after injury issues seem to have abated. Has registered two goals and two assists for Cardiff while offering a constant threat on the right and left.
Robbie Brady (Preston North End)
Age: 30 Caps: 57 Mins: 755
Touch wood on the injury front, Brady is flying at left wing-back for Preston, with Troy Parrott ahead of him, as the club aim to shake off six early season draws and drive towards the play-offs.
Centre halves
Nathan Collins (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Age: 21 Caps: 6 Mins: 630
Holding his own against the Premier League megastars and set to establish himself as the central figure in Ireland’s defence for the next 15 years.
John Egan (Sheffield United)
Age: 29 Caps: 26 Mins: 900
Nailed-down on the left of three centre halves, with a strong case to transfer the captaincy from Coleman to the colossus spearheading the Blades’ push towards the Premier League.
Andrew Omobamidele (Norwich City)
Age: 20 Caps: 5 Mins: 720
Sublime since returning from back surgery, as Norwich lie second in the Championship behind Sheffield United, making it likely that the Canaries will sell him if they fail to bounce back up. Calmness personified, looks set to complete the back three at Hampden Park.
Seámus Coleman (Everton)
Age: 33 Caps: 65 Mins: 90
Restricted to cup runs, on the right of three centre halves, as Scotland’s Nathan Patterson (20) nails down right back despite winless Toffees manager Frank Lampard branding his club captain “the best man” he has ever met.
Shane Duffy (Fulham, on loan from Brighton)
Age: 30 Caps: 55 Mins: 92
Putting Kenny’s loyalty to the ultimate test after loan move from Brighton to Fulham still has the Derry man watching from the sideline. Slightly insulting to brand him a set-piece weapon to hold in reserve, but it’s true.
Dara O’Shea (West Bromwich Albion)
Age: 23 Caps: 13 Mins: 810
One year on from ankle fracture against Portugal, O’Shea is wearing the armband at The Hawthorns and distributing with enough accuracy to challenge Omobamidele or Egan for a start against Scotland.
Midfielders
Alan Browne (Preston North End)
Age: 27 Caps: 23 Mins: 647
Proved his worth at right wing-back during the summer, even scoring against the Scots, so Mr Versatility should continue to fill various roles in this Ireland team.
Jason Knight (Derby County)
Age: 21 Caps: 15 Mins: 899
Oddly remained at Derby, amid a financial collapse and relegation to a level where no regular Ireland midfielder should be operating as a right back. January move can reignite club career especially with 180 all-action minutes for Ireland this month swelling the suitors.
Josh Cullen (Burnley)
Age: 26 Caps: 20 Mins: 900
Risky move to Anderlecht boomeranged back to the English second tier, on Vincent Kompany’s coattails, and now Cullen stands proud as one of the Championship’s leading midfield practitioners.
Jeff Hendrick (Reading, on loan from Newcastle United)
Age: 30 Caps: 74 Mins: 793
Yet to win over Reading fans and under pressure to gather a seventh straight cap in 2022, especially if Kenny goes with Cullen and two ‘number eights’, as Knight and Molumby bring more energy.
Conor Hourihane (Derby County)
Age: 31 Caps: 25 Mins: 752
Lucky to remain in squad after little impact in a green jersey when given a start against Lithuania, and having dropped down to League One, where at least the Irish management are guaranteed to see him so long as Knight remains a Ram.
Jayson Molumby (West Bromwich Albion)
Age: 23 Caps: 14 Mins: 733
Not merely a dog of war, but there would be no Obafemi screamer at the Aviva this summer without his aggressive high press. Form selection.
Forwards
Callum Robinson (Cardiff City)
Age: 27 Caps: 30 Mins: 346
Massive few months in the footballing life of a quality attacker who has struggled to repeat the eye popping six goals in four Ireland caps last year. Out of favour at West Brom, he has looked sharp for Cardiff, with two assists in Tuesday’s 3-2 win at Middlesbrough.
Troy Parrott (Preston North End, on loan from Tottenham Hotspur)
Age: 20 Caps: 15 Mins: 823
The evolution continues, not apace mind, as zero goals in nine league starts for Preston means the pressure is continually heaped upon a young striker striving to convince Antonio Conte that his long-term future is at Spurs. Still plenty of time on his side but there’s no avoiding the stats at the moment.
Michael Obafemi (Swansea City)
Age: 22 Caps: 4 Mins: 551
Dropped from Swansea’s match day squad, for the second time in 12 months, as manager Russell Martin openly questioned his “frame of mind” following Burnley’s failed efforts to sign him on transfer deadline day.
Chiedozie Ogbene (Rotherham United)
Age: 25 Caps: 10 Mins: 619
Has earned his way up every rung of the ladder with an insatiable attitude to drag the best from himself. Three goals in the opening four matches of the campaign, he remains a central cog for club and country.
Scott Hogan (Birmingham City)
Age: 30 Caps: 11 Mins: 763
Form really does matter. Five goals in nine Championship starts is four more than Parrott, Obafemi and Robinson combined as the management rewards Wednesday’s timely hat-trick against West Brom. Yet to break his Irish duck.
Honourable mentions:
Caoimhín Kelleher (Liverpool)
Age: 23 Caps: 8 Club minutes this season: 0
Picked up a groin injury on Ireland duty in June, which Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insisted was missed by Irish medics and contributed to his ongoing unavailability for club and country. Blame game aside, it’s a cruel blow for the Cork man who started Ireland’s last six games.
Festy Ebosele (Udinese)
Age: 20 Caps: 0 Mins: 7
Failing to command Serie A minutes, as club captain and Argentina international Roberto Pereyra is the established right wing-back, his pace and dribbling looks best served by an Ireland under-21 call-up ahead of the Euros play-offs against Israel. Same goes for Mr Venezia, Aaron Connolly.
