Darron Gibson is amongst the 40 players included in Martin O’Neill’s preliminary squad for the key European Championship qualifiers against Germany and Poland next month but the ability of the midfielder’s Everton team mate to stay fit over the next few weeks looks set to be of more significance to Ireland’s qualification hopes.
“With Seamus it’s day by day but we’ll see how it goes,” said the manager. “We have a couple of weeks and a lot of things can happen in this time. He is a fine performer for us and has done well at club level. He has a great attitude and he’s sure to do everything in his power to be ready for Germany.”
Asked about the player’s slightly less attacking style when playing for his country, O’Neill said that it was, in his opinion, merely a case of players not being quite as at home when playing in an international side.
“If you’re playing, in a 38 game season, 30 games at club level, you fall into a pattern of football, playing with same players and having a system that you play in. Our system is not that far removed from Everton, it’s not a million miles away at all to be honest and I think he attempts to do the same for us, to get forward but it’s not quite the same as playing for your club and once or twice he will get back or lay it back.”
O’Neill says that Darren Randolph continues to impress and that he will again be firmly in the reckoning to start the games in October although he ultimately described the West Ham’s form as suggesting he would “not be such a big risk,” if selected ahead of Shay Given.
“It’s great to see him doing very well. Seamus (McDonagh) went to see him in all his games and he has done very well, as he did again on Monday night.
“I know it’s the old question about players playing regularly. Shay is not in the first team and eventually, of course, that can cause a bit of a problem. I’d like as many playing first team football as possible but Darren has an easy manner, he is taking things in his stride and giving food for thought.”
The manager said there is no news on where Jack Grealish feels his international future lies but he suggested that things are progressing in relation to Daniel Crowley, the young midfielder who is currently on loan from Arsenal to Barnsley.
“I spoke to his father; it was a very civil conversation, he is a very pleasant man and we would have a real genuine interest in that. He has decent ability; he certainly looks like he possesses the ability to go on and become a really decent player and we would like to try and progress things if at all possible. I think there is a goodwill with the situation.”
Ireland squad: Forde (Millwall), Given (Stoke), Westwood (Sheffield Wednesday), Randolph (West Ham Utd), Elliot (Newcastle Utd); Keogh (Derby), Wilson (Stoke), Coleman (Everton), Christie (Derby County), O'Shea (Sunderland), Pearce (Derby), Duffy (Blackburn), Clark (Aston Villa), McShane (Reading), Ward (Burnley), Cunningham (Preston NE); Brady (Norwich City), McCarthy (Everton), Hendrick (Derby), Gibson (Everton), Arter, O'Kane (both Bournemouth), Whelan (Stoke City), Green (Rotherham), McGeady (Everton), McClean (West Brom), Judge (Brentford), Pilkington (Cardiff City), Quinn (Reading), Meyler (Hull City); Walters (Stoke City), Hoolahan (Norwich City), Keane (LA Galaxy), Long (Southampton), Murphy (Ipswich Town), Doyle (Colorado Rapids), Stokes (Celtic), McGoldrick (Ipswich Town), Rooney (Aberdeen), Cox (Reading).
