Blues quintet involved in snoozer in Dublin

, 7 June, 44comments  |  Jump to most recent
A record five Everton players took part in an international friendly between England and the Republic of Ireland but they couldn't enliven a dour 0-0 draw.

Aiden McGeady, James McCarthy and Seamus Coleman started for the Irish but McCarthy was substituted at half time in favour of James McLean after picking up a booking in the first period.

Ross Barkley made a belated entrance mid-way through the second half and Phil Jagielka played the last quarter of an hour after coming on for Gary Cahill.

Elsewhere, Romelu Lukaku played the last half hour of Belgium's 4-3 victory over France in their friendly at the Stade de France.  



Reader Comments (44)

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Colin Glassar
1 Posted 07/06/2015 at 13:41:07
What a difference a day makes. From sublime skill and tricks in Berlin yesterday to watching two so-called international teams playing what can only be called Sunday league style football. We are eons behind the top teams in the world.
Seamus McCrudden
2 Posted 07/06/2015 at 13:48:17
At least McGeady is playing well.
James Marshall
3 Posted 07/06/2015 at 13:47:37
Roy Hodgson’s dinosaur football. Martin O’Neill’s limited team.

There’s a website with drying paint on it if you’re interested, Colin.

Colin Glassar
4 Posted 07/06/2015 at 13:48:26
Watching the Ireland – England game, the Irish have a decent looking winger called McGeady. I wonder who he plays for?
Colin Glassar
5 Posted 07/06/2015 at 13:50:36
I posted on the wrong thread. Who needs Del boy when we’ve got McGeady?
Phil Walling
6 Posted 07/06/2015 at 13:48:26
Colin, as a respected observer of the game, can you please tell me why McGeady looks a half-decent player for Ireland but is always so crap for Everton?
Colin Glassar
7 Posted 07/06/2015 at 14:00:12
Maybe green suits him better Phil. Not everyone likes blue.
I honestly don’t know what’s up with this fella. He’s talented, he can go past people and he’s got a good delivery. I just think he’s got a shitty attitude towards the game that’s all.
Ray Said
8 Posted 07/06/2015 at 14:01:59
McGeady plays well when he is given a simple instruction – ’Stay wide son, try and beat a man and then cross.’ He doesn't always get the ball in but he is 100% better when just doing the simple stuff.
James Marshall
9 Posted 07/06/2015 at 14:18:59
I’d agree with that, Colin. There are plenty of players in the world with talent and ability, but they’re set apart by the ones with the right attitude – the top top players want to work hard, want to win at everything they do and are single minded in their approach.

Players like McGeady and Deulofeu (since he’s being debated) do appear to lack the intensity and attitude needed to really make it.

Eugene Ruane
10 Posted 07/06/2015 at 14:13:43
How about the kid McGeady was paired with when the teams came out - cocky’s hut on him like Stan Ogden, possibly to distract the viewer from McGeady’s lumpy ’it’s holiday time’ physique.
Andrew Ellams
11 Posted 07/06/2015 at 14:27:50
Because Phil, he is allowed to play as a proper winger. He gets the ball, takes on the full back and crosses the ball.
Colin Glassar
12 Posted 07/06/2015 at 14:41:03
Good to see half a dozen Everton lads play in the same game for their national teams.
Jamie Crowley
13 Posted 07/06/2015 at 15:44:11
Does MON hate McCarthy or is McCarthy nursing an injury??

Thought all the Everton players did well (enough in a friendly).

Jamie Crowley
14 Posted 07/06/2015 at 15:47:07
My son said, "McGeady’s awesome!"

I had to break his bubble and say most Evertonians don’t like him as a player.

He didn’t understand why...

I see his shortcomings but I think he comes in for way too much vitriol on TW. Two million and good squad player but many vent their spleen at the kid.

Colin Glassar
15 Posted 07/06/2015 at 15:52:56
I think it’s Roy Keane, Jamie. He’s had a go at Macca and Gibbo in the past.
Paul Tran
16 Posted 07/06/2015 at 15:53:32
Like McFadden in a Scotland shirt, McGeady is tailor made for looking interesting every so often in an international game. Like McFadden, when he comes under the scrutiny of regular, intense league games, his shortcomings smack you in the face.
Jamie Crowley
17 Posted 07/06/2015 at 15:54:31
Now that you mention it Colin that does ring a bell.

That kills me because I do follow the ROI loosely (family lineage...us Americans cling to it for some unknown reason) and I so rate James. And my alter-ego loves Keano, Irish-Manc or not. And that’s not a wind-up because I know a ton of folks hate the man, I just for whatever reason like his steely attitude.

Dons your proverbial tin hat...

McCarthy should start every game in that side. Every one of them.

Jamie Crowley
18 Posted 07/06/2015 at 16:04:35
I thought Ross played very well. Played some fantastic cutting through balls that just didn’t quite come off. Put himself in position to get some shots off too.

When he shoots, he looks like a 16-year-old ready to bury the sausage for the first time – so excited and no composure.

Someone needs to tell him before he shoots, relax... Look up... Pick a target... He just gets so excited and whahamps the frickin ball.

Composure Ross. Relax young man and the world is your oyster.

Colin Glassar
19 Posted 07/06/2015 at 16:08:56
First time ever that five Everton players have played in the same international game.
Phil Roberts
20 Posted 07/06/2015 at 16:29:35
I think we should keep quiet about it: First time ever that five Everton players have played in the same international game.

In the same thread as: two so-called international teams playing what can only be called Sunday league style football. We are eons behind the top teams in the world – or, as headlined in the, Echo "It may go down in history as one of international football's dullest spectacles"xc I am sure there is no correlation and I would not want anyone else to draw that conclusion.

Keith Young
21 Posted 07/06/2015 at 18:05:10
Colin (#18), I think you’ll find Everton had NINE players in the Republic of Ireland team in early 50s.
Colin Glassar
22 Posted 07/06/2015 at 18:12:45
Really Keith? Where did you find that? I’m just going by what I saw in the Liverpool Echo.
Liam Reilly
23 Posted 07/06/2015 at 18:34:09
I enjoyed the game. Thought our lads equipped themselves we’ll, especially McGeady. Ross did well when he came on except for one losing the ball moment. McCarthy taken off at half time cause of next weeks Scotland game.

If we lose Garbutt; Brady might be an option.

Allan Board
24 Posted 07/06/2015 at 19:21:52
Came in out of the garden and saw it on telly. 5mins later, I went back to garden to watch the fence I’d painted dry.

If that was an advert for "looking after the ball" or "being patient" you can shove it!! Fucking useless pair of teams run by dinosaurs!!!!! Any team at the Euros will beat us.

Des Farren
25 Posted 07/06/2015 at 19:25:28
Mc Geady has footballing skills that no other Everton player has.
He uses them not too wisely at times. I don’t know why except that he often tries the more difficult tricks in preference to the norm.

Keith #18 I know Everton had 7 Irish Internationals in their squad during 1950s but 9 in the Ireland team? Don’t think so.
Jamie #14 Keano abu..

Keith Young
26 Posted 07/06/2015 at 20:04:04
Colin #19 The Everton sides of the the late 1940s and the early 1950s had the following RoI players:

(1) Alex Stevenson,
(2) Peter Farrell,
(3) Tommy Eglington,
(4) Don Donovan,
(5) Peter Corr,
(6) Tommy Clinton,
(7) Jimmy O’Neill,
(8) George Cummins and I think
(9) Mick Meagan.

I remember being at the 1949 Goodison Park game when RoI was the first foreign side to beat England on home soil (followed by Hungary in 1953).

To be fair to you Colin I can’t remember the exact RoI international game (Finland, Norway...) when more than 5 Everton players participated. So I need your help to get the exact game.

Ant Dwyer
27 Posted 07/06/2015 at 20:35:29
Phil 6.

I think McGeady looks half-decent for Ireland because most of his team mates are Championship level. McGeady shines for Ireland like Naismith shines for Scotland, they are surrounded by bog standard bang average players.

He’s got quick feet and can beat a man but his final ball is piss-poor.

James Marshall
28 Posted 07/06/2015 at 20:38:10
I’m not sure anyone could genuinely say Barkley played well - he did OK, but only OK. Sure it was an improvement on his performances for us but he played 2 through-balls that were both intercepted, and didn’t manage a shot on target. That’s not exactly doing well in my opinion.

As someone above says, he lacks composure and seems to be trying way too hard all the time. He’s yet another player with bags of ability but a rubbish temperament.

Dave Abrahams
29 Posted 07/06/2015 at 20:58:11
Keith (#23), they also had a right back John Sutherland who played with O’Neill, Donavon, Cummins etc.
Oliver Molloy
30 Posted 07/06/2015 at 20:54:13
Jamie @ 14, You and your family have family lineage that you cling to loosely – whatever that means. Maybe because Ireland is great country!

Colin @ 12. Martin O'Neill is the manager NOT Roy Keane. The players on both sides are hardly going to give it 100% with a big match coming up! Especially Ireland.

Keith Young
31 Posted 07/06/2015 at 20:24:27
My nine figure sticks in my mind because I was at a game at Goodison when Everton played nine RoI players. I can only remember Ted Sagar as being non-Irish but who was the other non-Eire guy? Des and Colin I only need 6 of the nine I mentioned to show the Echo is wrong; however, my claim of nine is looking optimistic.
Nicholas Ryan
32 Posted 07/06/2015 at 21:12:00
It REALLY, truly, actually, was; more interesting watching Bradley Wiggins go around the same piece of track 219 times at exactly the same speed!

At least we knew what to expect ..... and at least, Wiggins actually achieved something!

Dave Abrahams
33 Posted 07/06/2015 at 21:29:54
Keith (31) I’d say you were wrong there, Ted Sagar finished round about 1952-53 so I doubt if Everton had nine players from Eire at one time never mind playing in one team at the same time.
Steavey Buckley
34 Posted 07/06/2015 at 22:53:23
It does appear that managers like Hodgson don’t realise their limitations with an England team that has no Iniesta or Lionel Messi, so really can’t play through the middle against packed defences.

But play down the wings instead on both sides to catch out deep seated and compact defences with crosses coming in from both sides into the box, that’s the way to compensate for not having world class players.

Laurie Hartley
37 Posted 07/06/2015 at 23:59:59
Ant @ 26,

I can’t agree with you about McGeady’s final ball. If I am not mistaken Lukaku’s last goal for us last season was from an inch perfect cross from McGeady.

If you sent him out with one simple instruction, "make a yard and put it in the 6 yard box" he would do it nine times out of ten.

He has not been forgiven for his howler against Newcastle. He can be frustrating but there is a player in there somewhere.

Frank Wade
38 Posted 08/06/2015 at 00:41:24
Keith,

I have been trawling the web trying to verify your 9 and the best I can find is 1952 and 1953 when Everton had seven players on their books who played at some stage for the Republic of Ireland. They could have all played in the same game plus a couple from Northern Ireland or a couple who were never capped.

The seven were: Peter Farrell, Tommy Eglington, Jimmy O’Neill, Don Donovan, Mick Meagan, George Cummins and Tommy Clinton. Alex Stevenson and Peter Corr left the club in 1949.

Jamie Crowley
39 Posted 08/06/2015 at 02:00:57
Liam @23,

A big thank you as I only caught the game from the 50th minute on. Had no idea whatsoever McCarthy started. The kick off was at 8 am over here... Glad to know James got some time.

Oliver @ 30,

Yes, it is a great country. Ancestral home of the Crowley Clan. Not that I’d know first hand mind you. Closest I’ve been to Ireland is Southie (South Boston). Dad was born there. Visit as much as I can. Full of lovely Irish-Americans who aren’t "watered down" with other nationalities. About as close as you can get to Ireland this side of the pond, in a yank kinda way.

When I do finally get to the Emerald Island, you’ll know it. They’ll be stories in the press about some crazy American running riot, drunk in a plastic paddy kind of way on Guinness causing havoc and jailed for a plethora of misdemeanors... Hide your women and children – I’ll give you fair warning.

Laurie Hartley
40 Posted 08/06/2015 at 03:19:15
Ray@ 8 - apologies for saying @ 37 what you had already said in you post. Must be a memory thing. Anyway I obviously agree with your opinion.

I wonder if McGeady could play on the left wing? he is two footed.

Jim Bennings
41 Posted 08/06/2015 at 07:54:21
Primarily McGeady looks decent at International level because the pace is considerably slower than the regular humdrum of Premier League football.

Barkley still plays football without a brain, head down run and looks all off balance and out of shape when it comes to eventually striking the bloody thing!

At least the way he’s played this last 10 months reduces the chances of a Chelsea or Man City coming in for him, I’d like one more season to have a look at him and if he still looks like a headless chicken in 12 months time, then I’d welcome offers over £25 million.

Andy Meighan
42 Posted 08/06/2015 at 15:17:46
Am I the only person in this country that thinks Sterling is shite? A more overrated player I've yet to see. Judging by that, you’d have thought McGeady was worthy of the £50 million price tag not that little imposter.

Oh and Eugene's classic. Had a cocky's hut like Stan Ogden. Superb. Younger readers, ask your parents

Keith Young
43 Posted 08/06/2015 at 17:29:36
Dear Frank,

Thanks for taking the trouble to dig out the facts (or me out of a hole!). I think that my reaction to the Echo was because I still thinks it's wrong stating only 5 but worse it missed the opportunity to remind their readers of Goodison’s place in football history with the first England foreign defeat viewed by more than 51,000 spectators.

Jim Hardin
44 Posted 08/06/2015 at 19:05:35
Wonder what the sideways and back passes numbers were? Did the winner of the possession game get the victory?
Jim Bennings
45 Posted 09/06/2015 at 07:40:48
Andy

Sterling is living off the back of that one great season he has when theyaalmost won the league, he’s mainly all pace.

We are far too quick in this country to label young players as "world class" and Evertonians themselves are amongst that group.

I see the bigger picture, just because someone is under 20 doesn’t necessarily mean they "have great potential" or a the answer to their team’s woes and are ready to carry a nations expectations on their own.

Patrick Murphy
46 Posted 10/06/2015 at 22:06:46
Can we have some of what the current USA team are using as they follow up a remarkable result in Holland with an even more impressive victory against Germany.

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