Irish in the Premier League: Increased involvement provides case for optimism
MORE MINUTES, MORE IMPACT: Liverpool's Irish goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher throws the ball during the English Premier League football match between Liverpool and Brighton. Pic: PAUL ELLIS, Getty Images
Portents of optimism for Irish football’s future are scarce within the present state of paralysis but at least the English Premier League presence has increased.
Sunday’s concluding series of fixtures accumulated a total minute haul of 15,566 for 17 players. Twelve months ago, one fewer featured in the top-flight and their game-time descended to record depths of 9,329.
Way back in the distance are the embryonic days of the Premier League, when the Irish accounted for 64,000 minutes in the maiden 1992/93 campaign.
Unless investment is pumped into the domestic development system, according to League of Ireland guru Will Clarke, the dwindle pattern will slow to a trickle.
This season’s stats therefore should be welcomed and provide a measure of comfort to whoever decides to accept the FAI offer of becoming the next Ireland manager.
Only for injuries to Evan Ferguson and John Egan, that tally would have been far greater but the converse of that view screams in the fact that three of the players to clock most minutes were with teams relegated to the Championship.
Here’s the breakdown of the Irish in this term’s Premier League, spanning from 2895 minutes down to a single.
O’Shea was brought back to the Premier League from West Brom to feature in all bar five of Burnley’s matches.
Goals away to Liverpool and Chelsea, as well as one at home to Newcastle United, magnified his contribution while he’ll lament a red card against Everton but the defender more than held his own in a testing season for a defender.
For the second successive summer, Collins broke the Irish transfer record when snapped up by £23m for the Bees. A commanding figure at the back, he did endure a couple of shaky days against his former club Wolves and Liverpool but overall managed to remain first-choice of Thomas Frank.
A teenage Premier League debutant with West Ham returned to the top-flight via the lower divisions and a spell in Belgium to captain Burnley’s tilt at survival. That proved beyond them and the midfielder found himself out of favour with Vincent Kompany between October and February but ended the season with a goal against Bournemouth.
The Corkman was a revelation in Luton’s brief Premier League existence. Measured as the fastest player in the division at one stage, his display in particular against Liverpool expanded his fan club. A hamstring injury sustained against Belgium in March forced him to miss club games but he returned for further exposure in the run-in.
Replicating his breakthrough season was some ask and the fact his season ended on the last day of March with an ankle injury saw to that. The striker had still racked up the same goal tally as last season of six, including a hat-trick against Newcastle United, and will have a new Brighton boss to work with.
Doc ended the season as he ended it – on the bench – but at 32 was never going to be a mainstay back at his first UK club. Still produced a few memorable moments in the mixed season overall for Wolves, foremost the goal he nabbed against Chelsea.
Finally a season for the Corkman to generate a run in Alisson’s absence. His first of the season, the December win over Fulham entailed a few hairy moments, but he looked assured in the sequence from February, six wins and two draws in the league, concluding at Old Trafford.
The defender’s big-money move to the chaos of Forest looked to have backfired when he was awaiting his debut at the turn of the year but it was eventually granted for the first of three 90-minute outings. There was another hat-trick of starts in early April but difficult to be certain about his standing.
On and on the Irish captain soldiers, dealing with the perennial relegation struggle with his calming demeanour. Last season’s injury delayed the 35-year-old gracing the pitch until December but the right-back berth was his by the season’s end.
A force of nature in the Blades’ promotion from the Championship, the centre-back started six of the seven games until he got crocked against West Ham in September by a season-ending injury. “We want to reward John and want to keep him, but we have to make sure, from a physical point of view, he is okay,” said Chris Wilder about Egan’s contract expiring. “There is no sentiment, we have to make sure we are getting value for money too."
A strange time for the Kildareman, who has reconciled himself with a loan season in the Championship for Stoke City until Bournemouth recalled him three months in as cover for goalkeeper Neto. He was made to wait until the end of April for a route to the posts, keeping clean sheets against Wolves and Brighton before he was hit for five across the games against Brentford and Arsenal. Neto was restored for the final game against Chelsea.
We’re still not convinced of Fraser’s appetite for the long haul with Ireland given the flimsy excuse cited for skipping the March U21 qualifier against San Marino but should the English-born forward stick with the green he’ll be an asset. Cups were his main showcase until introduced for his league debut against Manchester United. Two half matches followed before a start was bestowed by Gary O’Neill against Fulham.
Into Ferguson’s absence at Brighton in April came his compatriot striker, the Cork native who turned 19 in January. His introduction was a minute against Burnley, followed by 15 against champions Manchester City and then promotion to the XI for the trip to Bournemouth. Unquestionable progress.
Several top-flight clubs from across Europe were keen on recruiting the full-back after he turned 18 shortly after winning the FAI Cup with St Patrick’s Athletic. To some, joining the rock-bottom side seemed odd but he was soon vindicated. Eight unused appearances as a sub preceded his debut last week at Everton, sharing the pitch with Coleman, the man whose Ireland slot he is ultimately chasing.
Has been around the scene since Covid times but hamstrings trouble has persisted and he got a couple of cameos against Arsenal and Sheffield United before Southampton farmed him out to Millwall in the January transfer window.
Another teen who is ahead of schedule, shrugging off Newcastle’s deep resources to soar since signing from Galway United. From being first a sub in November against Bournemouth, the win over Chelsea a fortnight later was the stage for his bow. He’d a slightly longer presence against Sheffield Utd 8 mins and remained part of Eddie Howe’s squad for the final nine matches.
Like Fraser, allegiance by Cannon isn’t guaranteed amid interest from England. He spent the first three of Everton’s Premier League matches on the bench, being mobilised at the death against Wolves, before Leicester City swooped on September 1 to wrap up a £7.5m transfer.
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