Republic of Ireland
EURO 2012 International Candidates

The Executive is already in place and while many, perhaps most, of the field troops are readily identifiable, we take this opportunity,with countless others, to review the situation and offer our view on how the future might unfold on the road to Kiev and Warsaw.

The Field Generals

There are eight multi capped players who are likely to form the core of our offensive at the outset of the forthcoming EURO 2012 campaign. Centurian Shay Given together with Richard Dunne and John O'Shea will continue to man the defensive barricades. They may initially be supported by the evergreen Kevin Kilbane and the injury troubled Steve Finnan, although both are likely to come under severe pressure to retain their positions. The current midfield form of Damian Duff at Fulham is another positive and the front line pairing of Kevin Doyle and skipper Robbie Keane remains, at this point in time, the optimum choice.

The Officer Core

There were a number of senior squad members who earned their officer stripes throughout the recently completed campaign and they too will form the nucleus of the squad over the coming months. Despite his recent club travails, Sean St Ledger is here to stay. The midfield quartet of Keith Andrews, Darron Gibson, Liam Lawrence and Glenn Whelan will have benefited from their inaugural campaign and look set to underpin the upcoming march. We will also keep a close watch on the progress of others such as Andy Reid, who does appear to have responded in the correct manner at club level, Stephen Hunt and Aiden McGeady, both of whom drifted somewhat towards the end of the last campaign and may come under increasing pressure from some of the emerging challengers. We will also keep fingers crossed that support strikers Leon Best and Caleb Folan find consistency and continuity at club level which enables them to develop their game to a higher degree. Goalkeeper Keiren Westwood will hope to continue his upward spiral at club level while maintaining a huge level of patience as the current custodian shows no sign of relinquising his position for the forseeable future.

The On Watch Candidates

There are a number of candidates who may feel a certain level of nervousness concerning their future international prospects and the strength of their response at club level over the coming months will set the tone of their ambitions. In defence, the lack of positive progress by both Eddie Nolan, currently unable to break into the Preston side, and Darren O'Dea who has returned to Glasgow Celtic following a disappointing three month loan spell with Reading is hugely disappointing and rather worrying. Similialy, both Andy Keogh, who is of course currently injured, and Shane Long are now at the stage where they really need to be holding down regular starting positions

The Casualty Ward?

Foremost amongst the potential casualty list is sadly Stephen Reid, whose injury problems appear to have seriously damaged his future prospects although we will keep ouir fingers crossed that he does make a positive recovery. Defenders Stephen Kelly, unable to make the breakthrough at Fulham and Paul McShane, for all his spirit and endeavour, may also be on the casualty radar. Despite finding some form at club level for Hibernian, midfielder Liam Miller may also be under pressure while goalkeeper Joe Murphy has recently been showing signs of wear and tear at Scunthorpe United.

The Next Generation?

As we cast our eyes over some of those candidates who might emerge througout the upcoming campaign, we are drawn initially to a trio of defenders. Seamus Coleman of Everton and Stephen Ward at Wolverhampton Wanderers are attacking full-backs who have caught the eye while the versatile Marc Wilson has played much of the season at centre back for Portsmouth. Kevin Foley of Wolverhampton Wanderers is another defender who has hovered around the fringes for some time, but could be superseded by the emerging Coleman or indeed by Tottenham Hotspur full back Kyle Naughton, another with dual nationality qualifications.We should also keep a look out for the emerging left back talents of Michael Liddle, who is on the fringe of the first team at Sunderland. Despite a slow start following his transfer to Wigan Athletic, midfielder James McCarthy is a very likely candidate to progress while Owen Garvan at Ipswich Town and Chris McCann of Burnley are believed to be on the radar of the managment trio. There has also been much speculation concerning the eligibility of Jamie O'Hara who thrived while on loan at Portsmouth from his parent club Tottenham Hotspur and the previously touted Kevin Nolan who has also found new impetus at Newcastle United. The recent promotion of David Meyler at Sunderland is also one that will attract our interest. Another to have recently caught the eye is West Bromwich Albion striker Simon Cox, while a complete dark horse in the goalscoring stakes could be Jonathan Walters of Ipswich Town.

The Future

While unlikely to feature in the upcoming campaign, there are a number of teenagers who, if they do maintain their current level of progress, will be candidates for the next World Cup qualification campaign. Robbie Brady at Manchester United, Conor Clifford from Chelsea and Aaron Doran with Blackburn Rovers, were all members of the Under 17 side which featured at the UEFA Finals in 2008. The left sided Manchester City duo of midfielder Donal McDermott and converted full back Greg Cunningham are both capable of progressing to the top level while sixteen year old centre back Sean McGinty, who was spirited away from Charlton Athletic by Manchester United, is also one to look out for. We may also keep an eye on and extend very best wishes to Terry Dixon, who has returned to action at West Ham United following a horrendous series of injuries.