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NOWHERE MAN
By Robert Brennan
The dreaded utility man tag hinders O’Shea’s progess.
The clichÉd response from managers and players when questioned
on upcoming fixtures is “there are no easy games in the Premiership”.
What a load of rubbish.
The so-called Best League In The World may be full of effort and passion
but this season I have witnessed some very one-sided matches and I am
afraid, Fulham fans, most of those have involved your side.
I was at Craven Cottage to see Manchester United comfortably beat Fulham
and reduce Arsenal’s lead at the top of the table to only one point.
As a spectacle it was dire.
When Manchester United are in town there is a sense of expectancy. With
players like Ronaldo and Rooney fans expect to be entertained so it was
a shame from a neutral perspective that Fergie started with the pair on
the bench.
With one eye on the big European Cup match with Lyon John O’Shea
was handed a rare start. The big Waterford man eased through the 90 minutes
and put in a solid if unspectacular performance that we have become accustomed
to during his fleeting performances this season.
O’Shea is forever having words like “versatile”, “utility
man” and “solid professional” bestowed upon him. Essentially
such descriptions imply a player who rarely excels in any position —
an honest competitor who seldom disappoints and the man every manager
turns to for help in the event of a crisis in personnel. Well that is
exactly how O’Shea is going to be remembered if he is to remain
in his bit part role at United.
In November 2007 he extended his contract with the Red Devils until 2012.
It sounds great; big club, challenging for domestic and European honours
every year but from an Irish perspective it is a major concern.
In recent seasons O’Shea has been deployed in various positions
for both club and country including left and right-back, centre-half and
centre midfield. He has even been called on to perform heroics between
the sticks for his club.
If O’Shea is to cement a place in either team it is essential that
he discovers his true calling in football terms. He has spent most of
his career in defence but doubts continue to linger over his ability to
defend at the highest level.
Although O’Shea is a gifted player he needs to be playing regular
first-team football in a fixed position. The time has come for him to
drop the jack-of-all-trades tag and become a major player for Ireland.
The Fulham fans have already consigned their side to relegation and many
feel it may be a while before they return to the top flight.
John Horgan from Co. Kerry, a Fulham fan since the 1960s, said to me at
the game: “We are as good as down. Lawrie Sanchez has a lot to answer
for, his signings are clearly not Premiership quality. The idea of bringing
in the Northern Ireland players like Chris Baird and David Healy backfired
and we have paid a hefty price.”
With relegation almost a foregone conclusion Fulham’s owner Mohamed
Al Fayed may well consider his position. His dream of transforming the
club into the “Manchester United of the South” is well and
truly shattered and fans of The Cottagers will have to console themselves
with thoughts of a cheaper season ticket, a local derby with QPR and the
possibility of getting first choice on tickets for the Ireland v Columbia
match to be played in May.
Miller time is nearly up
Liam Miller’s recent fall out with Roy Keane is the latest in a
long line of disappointments for the Cork man who has seen his career
nosedive since leaving Celtic in 2004.
His departure from the Glasgow giants — after only 26 appearances
for the Bhoys — led to outrage among the club’s supporters
who perceived Miller to be showing a distinct lack of loyalty considering
the Celts’ support of him through long-term injury.
His transfer to Manchester United led to obvious comparisons with Roy
Keane and he was seen as a possible successor to his fellow Corkman for
both United and Ireland.
Having failed to make the grade at Old Trafford Miller was shipped out
on loan to Leeds United before Keane stepped in and gave the midfielder
the opportunity to fulfill his potential with Sunderland.
Miller played a vital role in Sunderland’s promotion to the Premiership
and has been one of the Black Cats’ more consistent performers this
season. His impressive performances led to a recall to the Irish set-up,
something Keane had initially called for, believing his exclusion was
due to a Dublin bias within the FAI.
Keane stated that it was tardy time-keeping that led to Miller being placed
on the transfer list and his patience snapped after the player was late
for training for the “sixth or seventh” time this season.
“If you’re driving to work then don’t get in a car with
Liam Miller,” the Sunderland manager said. “He gets involved
in more car crashes than anyone I know.
“We can’t wait for anyone. Liam’s a Corkman like me
and I’ve defended him on many occasions. I can tolerate a lot of
things and I’ve been more than fair but there comes a point when
you have to say enough is enough.”
Several Championship sides are said to be interested in taking the midfielder
on loan but at 27 the likelihood that he will ever become the player we
had hoped is dwindling by the minute. Aiden McGeady should take note of
Miller’s fall to mediocrity when the big clubs come calling in the
summer.
Sunderland star emerges as Ireland target
It would appear that the influx of Irish players at the Stadium of Light
has prompted some of the British-born players to take a closer look at
their family trees.
Right-back Phil Bardsley has emerged as a possible target for the Boys
in Green — although Scotland are also in the hunt for the former
Manchester United defender.
Bardsley looked likely to gain international recognition with his country
of birth but was forced to pull out of the England under-21 squad due
to injury.
He qualifies for Scotland and Ireland through the parentage law and has
yet to make a decision on his senior international future. Personally,
I hope that Giovanni Trapattoni will not go looking for players who have
not made clear where their allegiance lies.
Palace Youngster wins Irish Award
One youngster whose heart is with the land of his forefathers is Crystal
Palace striker Sean Scannell.
Scannell has earned rave reviews this season and his promising start
as a professional was recognised in Dublin when he was recently awarded
the Irish Examiner National Junior sports stars trophy for football.
The 17-year-old forward whose father hails from Castleblayney, Co. Monaghan
has recently signed a two-and-a-half-year contract at Selhurst Park. I
hope he can go on to emulate the successes of previous winners who include
Robbie Keane, Roy Keane and Damien Duff.
Nightmare 2008 for O’Halloran
And we should spare a thought for Cobh youngster Stephen O’Halloran.
Aston Villa boss Martin O’Neill was furious with the treatment O’Halloran
received during a torrid loan spell at Southampton in January.
The defender then put the ball in his own net in the under-21 match against
England and had hoped that a loan move to Leeds United would allow him
the opportunity to play regular first-team football.
O’Halloran was named in the Leeds side for the match against Swindon
Town, but limped out of the warm-up 20 minutes before kick-off leaving
Gary McAllister with a late dilemma.
Fellow Irish left-back Alan Sheehan, who wasn’t named in the squad,
emerged from the tunnel to join the warm-up in his place. That prompted
a late change to the Leeds team and left O’Halloran wondering if
2008 can get any worse.
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