Maybe because they have Irish parents or ancestry and identify with being Irish. Ray Houghton, John Aldridge, Andy Townsend, to name a few.
Why on earth would anyone who was born and raised in England declare for Ireland
How many Irish qualified English born players over the years chose Ireland as a second option?Maybe because they have Irish parents or ancestry and identify with being Irish. Ray Houghton, John Aldridge, Andy Townsend, to name a few.
How many Irish qualified English born players over the years chose Ireland as a second option?
It happens in many sports. CJ Stander only played for Ireland because he was told he would never get capped by the Springboks.
At the time they were approached by Ireland, Aldridge and Houghton were nowhere near the English and Scottish squads.I know. We have crossed wires here. I think your initial comment was that they 'were not good enough' for England. I think you mean, which I appear not to have understood, they were told they were not good enough for England.
Clearly Aldridge and Townsend would have been good enough for England and Scotland, in the case of Houghton.
Because players want to play for their own country. If they can't they'll play for the country of their parents or an adopted country, or maybe they'll pick the country of their parents if their own country is much lower ranked and had no hope of ever winning anything.I don't know. Why?
What he said:I know. We have crossed wires here. I think your initial comment was that they 'were not good enough' for England. I think you mean, which I appear not to have understood, they were told they were not good enough for England.
Clearly Aldridge and Townsend would have been good enough for England and Scotland, in the case of Houghton.
At the time they were approached by Ireland, Aldridge and Houghton were nowhere near the English and Scottish squads.
They were at unfashionable Oxford United.
They may have gotten caps later but no guarantees. Aldridge was
Similarly Townsend may have gotten English caps later, but got them sooner with Ireland and got to feature in a major tournament.
Did any English guys who played for Ireland at senior level play under age for their home country?Some of those players played for Ireland at under-age level. What changed their minds to swap to England? Money it seems, so they were poached for the senior squad having been ignored when under-age by England. Ireland invested in them, gave them international experience, then the English system woke up and reached for the cheque book.
Don't get me wrong, anyone with a talent and a potentially short career needs to maximise their return on that talent, but the fact is they were poached. That's my only point, the poaching, although Rice left a bad odour behind him having strung Ireland along for a long time. And Harry Kane still enjoys himself in the cousins' pub out Connemara way.
I don't see any criticism of them, other than Rice by me. And who gave any of us the authority to decide what "their own country" or "home country" is? Surely that's their decision, made for their own reasons, within the guidelines laid down by the soccer authorities.And we've the cheek to criticise some of the ones we try to poach deciding to play for their own country!
At the time they were approached by Ireland, Aldridge and Houghton were nowhere near the English and Scottish squads.
We didnt invest very much in them... considering they all came through English club schoolboy and academy systems...Some of those players played for Ireland at under-age level. What changed their minds to swap to England? Money it seems, so they were poached for the senior squad having been ignored when under-age by England. Ireland invested in them, gave them international experience, then the English system woke up and reached for the cheque book.
Don't get me wrong, anyone with a talent and a potentially short career needs to maximise their return on that talent, but the fact is they were poached. That's my only point, the poaching, although Rice left a bad odour behind him having strung Ireland along for a long time. And Harry Kane still enjoys himself in the cousins' pub out Connemara way.
That's all fair enough. What I have a problem with is Irish people calling them traitors etc. because they chose to play for their own country.The substantive point stands. Lots of English players will aspire to playing for England, it doesn't mean they don't recognise themselves as Irish also, or part Irish.
Obviously Grealish and Rice were told that they were in fact good enough to play for England one day. So they went with their national identity.
Some people complaining about how long it took them to make up their minds. I think this means they gave Ireland serious consideration. Their ambition was England, but Ireland must have been a serious option for them if it took so long to decide.
Really? I have.I don't see any criticism of them, other than Rice by me.
They have the authority; it's their choice. The choice they made shows that they are English and there's not a thing wrong with that.And who gave any of us the authority to decide what "their own country" or "home country" is? Surely that's their decision, made for their own reasons, within the guidelines laid down by the soccer authorities.
What I have a problem with is Irish people calling them traitors etc.
Wolfie you just don’t get it. Football is more important than...Yes same. I mean, a bit of banter and jibes is ok as long as it is not taken seriously. Regrettably there are simply too many idiots that go beyond this.
...anything, but only for people who have nothing more important than football in their lives.Wolfie you just don’t get it. Football is more important than...
Wolfie you just don’t get it. Football is more important than...
That's absolutely correct. We are not a soccer nation. We never will be a soccer nation. We were lucky in the 90's to just happen to have a particular team that included a fair share of also-rans who just gelled together particularly well as a team with a manager that suited them and a two superb captains.I hate to be blunt but if any budding star could chose between Ireland and England at the moment there is only be going to be one outcome , no disrespect to the Irish, in my opinion. And you couldn’t blame them.
And just a little less time spent learning how to take the knee (sorry!)The first thing young football players must learn from now is how to take peno’s .
That is of course the definition of racism, but you will get away with it.peemac said:immigrants from African nations who will bring an athletic gene into the pool
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