John Fallon: Jake Clarke-Slater's plea a tired, well-worn path

Unless an x-ray machine delving into the soul of a player is invented, assessing dual-eligible talent's commitment to the cause continues to be arbitrary.

HEDGING HIS BETS: Jake Clarke-Slater in action for England in the Toulon tournament in 2018. Pic: Paul Devlin/SNS Group via Getty Images.

Familiar names like Jermaine Pennant, Jamie O'Hara or Kevin Nolan have been guilty as charged in the past at veering into Plastic Paddy territory but a hardly recognisable one in Jake Clarke-Slater has reignited the debate by proclaiming his international dilemma.

The phenomenon of English players deciding they're Irish as a flag of convenience stretches back 50 years to the famous case of Terry Mancini. He lamented the protracted song that preceded his debut against Poland, unaware that Amhrán na bhFiann was indeed the national anthem of the team he'd declared for.