David McGoldrick announces his retirement from international football

The Football Association of Ireland would like to thank David for his fantastic service and wish him all the best for the future

https://t.co/ynNrU76RpS#COYBIG pic.twitter.com/0rDQ4OjN2I

— FAIreland (@FAIreland) November 4, 2020

Where will the goals come from?

Although McGoldrick will be missed, Ireland have continued to struggle to find the net, even with him in the team. Sean Maguire and Shane Long have been omitted from the squad, casting further doubt over their Ireland futures. Aaron Connolly has not started a game for his club Brighton since the last international break. Stephen Kenny hinted at Connolly’s prospects of filling the void left by McGoldrick by moving more centrally.

Adam Idah, like Connolly, has struggled to find game time at Norwich City this season. There was hope that the Cork man would push on as his team dropped down from the Premier League. But this hasn’t been the case. Callum Robinson enjoyed a bright start to the campaign for West Brom, scoring a brace against Chelsea. Since then he has only started one game, left standing in the shadows of new recruit Karlan Grant.

That leaves James Collins. The striker has four Ireland caps to his name, scoring on his debut against Bulgaria last year. Until now, Kenny has opted for youth when selecting his strikers, drafting in Idah and Troy Parrott whilst overlooking Collins in his last two squads.

Ireland 3-1 Bulgaria – What a goal by James Collins on his senior international debut. #rtesoccer #irlbul pic.twitter.com/NDc9JMD5YC

— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) September 10, 2019

Since the former Dundalk manager took over, his team have scored one goal in five games. In spite of the obvious scoring drought, Ireland have taken more shots and crafted bigger chances than their opponents in four out of Kenny’s first five games in charge. The game against Slovakia typifies these statistics. The chances have been there, but the goals haven’t.

How does James Collins compare to the rest?

This season, James Collins has scored five goals in all competitions, including a hat-trick against Norwich City in the Carabao Cup. Adam Idah and Aaron Connolly are both on one for the season, whilst Callum Robinson has scored three.

Focusing on last season alone, according to sofascore.com James Collins averaged a goal every 282 minutes, netting 14 times in 46 appearances. These numbers may not look impressive considering Collins is playing in the Championship. However it must be remembered that Luton Town had only been promoted last season, and finished in 19^th place. Not a bad return for a struggling side.

In contrast, Connolly managed three goals last season in the league, averaging one every 422 minutes. Idah didn’t feature as much for Norwich, starting only one game with his remaining eleven appearances coming from the bench. He failed to find the net. A hat-trick in the FA Cup against Preston North End was the highlight of his season. Robinson made the switch to West Brom at the beginning of the year, going on to score three goals for the Baggies (goal every 287 minutes).

Ignoring the fact that Collins is playing at a lower level, it is clear to see that his goal-scoring record is superior in comparison to his attacking counterparts in the current squad. Furthermore, Collins’ current form must also be taken into consideration, particularly with Connolly, Robinson and Idah all limited to substitute appearances in recent weeks.

Collins offers an alternative option for Stephen Kenny, who needs to start seeing his side convert chances into goals. Many would view McGoldrick’s retirement as the perfect opportunity for the younger players like Connolly and Idah to step up. Yet domestic football hasn’t been kind to them thus far. Ireland need goals and they need them now, so maybe it is time for Collins to steal the limelight.

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It was a quiet weekend for the Irish internationals on their return to domestic action. The likes of Matt Doherty, Conor Hourihane, Callum Robinson and Aaron Connolly had to settle for a place on the bench. However, the latter did have an impact when he came on. Brighton snatched a late equalizer against Crystal Palace as Connolly teed up Alexis Mac Allister.

A 𝘽𝙄𝙂 goal for #BHAFC!

Alexis Mac Allister has pulled one out of the bag!

Watch on Sky Sports PL
Follow #CRYBHA here: https://t.co/bo6hCDHBJx
Download the @SkySports app! pic.twitter.com/wjBG4ax3aj

— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) October 18, 2020

Sheffield United’s Irish contingent of John Egan, Enda Stevens and David McGoldrick all started as the Blades got off the mark with a one all draw against bottom side Fulham. Likewise, Kevin Long started for Burnley as their clash with West Brom ended in a goalless draw.

There was also tightly contested draw at Goodison Park as Liverpool and Everton went head to head. The derby game wasn’t short of talking points with controversial VAR decisions, red cards and injuries. Seamus Coleman, on his return to the side, suffered a recurrence of his hamstring injury. The Donegal man was forced off after half an hour.

Championship

Cyrus Christie was drafted into the national squad after Coleman pulled out through injury. After featuring against Wales, he followed this with a start for new club Nottingham Forrest this weekend. An impressive performance in their win over Blackburn Rovers warranted his place in the Championship team of the week.

It's that time again!

Presenting your #SkyBetChampionship Team of the Week, powered by @WhoScored ratings #EFL | #TOTW pic.twitter.com/a2mk6lw7GK

— Sky Bet Championship (@SkyBetChamp) October 19, 2020

Adam Idah picked up his first start of the season as Norwich City overcame Rotherham United with a late penalty. Fellow Irish youngster and U-21’s centre-back Nathan Collins, who started in the loss against Italy, set up Stoke’s second goal in a 2-0 victory. Meanwhile, Swansea City’s game against Huddersfield Town came too soon for Ryan Manning after his deadline day switch to the Welsh club.

Rest of Europe

Elsewhere, Josh Cullen started his first game for Vincent Kompany’s Anderlecht. Cullen completed 90 minutes with the game finishing all square.

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It’s not been an easy ride for Stephen Kenny so far. Still to manage a win, Kenny’s Ireland record as it stands includes three draws and one loss. Injuries, suspensions and other factors haven’t done any favours for the Ireland manager in what has been a substandard start to his managerial reign. He has shown signs of promise, with impressive performances – despite the results – against both Slovakia and Wales.

Kenny will be hoping he can turn those performances into results by ending his winless run with a win against Finland in Helsinki today. However, it will be no easy challenge as Kenny’s side suffered a 1-0 loss against Finland in what was his first game in charge. Finland also won their previous Nations League match against Bulgaria so their camp will be full of confidence going into today’s game.

Finland find themselves in 2^nd on six points while Ireland are 3^rd with just two points to their name. Promotion from league B to league A looks unlikely at this stage for the Republic of Ireland, but good results in their final three group games would mean not getting dragged into a relegation battle. Finland are still very much in the promotion picture. A win against the Finns could be the catalyst Ireland need to finish off the Nations League campaign early.

Tomorrow | #COYBIG | #FINIRL pic.twitter.com/UbXLNiS9v4

— FAIreland (@FAIreland) OCTOBER 13, 2020 

Both teams play a similar style of football, pressing high up the pitch and playing high tempo passing football so it should be an entertaining watch, for the neutral at least.

Here is all the information you need to know about today’s fixture:

Team News

Ireland

Ireland are going into this match with an entirely different squad than what was announced initially. Between injuries and illness, Ireland can count themselves unlucky to be in the position they currently find themselves in. Several key players are missing from the squad – including Seamus Coleman, David McGoldrick and John Egan. Kenny was however handed a significant boost earlier this week as Adam Idah and Aaron Connolly were both passed fit to play, having been previously unavailable due to coronavirus concerns.

Ireland may need to rely on some of their young talent, something which Kenny’s predecessors have often failed to do. The average age of the Ireland squad available for selection is 25.5 years. This is much younger than it has been in the past. Irish fans will be hoping youth trumps experience as just four players in the squad have upwards of twenty caps.

Suspensions: James McClean

Injuries: James McCarthy + another unnamed player (covid-19)

Predicted line-up:

Finland

Finland, unlike Ireland, should have a full squad available. There are no significant injuries or suspensions within the Finland camp, meaning they’ll be at full strength come this evening.

Daniel O’Shaughnessy will be hoping to start against his ancestral homeland for the second time, having previously played Ireland earlier in the Nations League campaign. His father hails from Galway given his Irish sounding name but he’s a proud Finn, having represented his country from u15 level onwards. Another player Ireland will have to keep an eye on is Teemu Pukki, who will likely start up top for Finland.

Suspensions: None

Injuries: None

Predicated line-up:

Finland vs. Ireland Prediction

Like the first encounter between the two nations, this will likely be a hard-fought affair. Finland will probably fancy their chances given the outcome of the previous game but Ireland will be no pushovers, they’ll be desperate to turn their fortunes around after a miserable campaign so far.

Finland are in better form than Ireland having won four of their last six competitive game – including a 1-0 victory over the aforementioned opponents – but Kenny appears to be finding his feet with performances improving game by game. There have been considerable improvements made since the first meeting between the two sides and Irish fans will be hoping for a much better performance than last time.

Our prediction for the game is:

Ireland 1 – 0 Finland

For those looking for further information:

Where is the match being played?

The match is being played in Finland’s home ground, the Helsinki Olympic stadium. This will be the Republic of Ireland’s third time visiting the stadium, having previously played there in 1949 and 2002.

When is the match being played?

It is being played on the 14^th of October. The match will kick off at 5 p.m. Irish standard time.

Is it being televised?

Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports Football will have coverage of the event. The match will not be free to air on Irish television. Virgin Media Two will have highlights of the match at 10 p.m. with full coverage of the match to follow at 11 p.m.

Viewers in the United States can also catch the game on ESPN+.

Where can the match be streamed?

Viewers can also stream the match through NOW TV’s Sky Sports Pass. The service can be purchased for one day for €11 or customers can purchase a month pass for €37.

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Brighton striker Aaron Connolly has rejoined the Irish squad ahead of their Nations League game against Finland on Wednesday.

The 20 year old along with Adam Idah was left out of the squad for the play off against Slovakia due to Covid 19 protocols. The two players were deemed to be close contacts of a non playing member of staff who tested positive in Bratislava.

The case was subsequently found to be a false positive so after consultation with the HSE, Connolly has been granted permission to rejoin the squad as they search for Stephen Kenny’s first win in charge of the senior men’s team.

Idah had already rejoined the squad in the wake of the 0-0 stalemate with Wales on Sunday, while Dara O’ Shea, Jason Knight, Ryan Manning and Ronan Curtis have also been added to the squad for the game in Helsinki on Wednesday.

Updated Rep of Ireland squad vs Finland

Goalkeepers: Darren Randolph (West Ham United), Caoimhin Kelleher (Liverpool), Mark Travers (Bournemouth).

Defenders: Matt Doherty (Tottenham Hotspur), Enda Stevens (Sheffield United), Shane Duffy (Celtic, on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion), Kevin Long (Burnley), Cyrus Christie (Nottingham Forest, on loan from Fulham), Dara O’Shea (West Bromwich Albion).

Midfielders: Conor Hourihane (Aston Villa), James McCarthy (Crystal Palace), Jeff Hendrick (Newcastle United), Jayson Molumby (Brighton & Hove Albion), Jack Byrne (Shamrock Rovers), Robbie Brady (Burnley), Josh Cullen (Anderlecht), Jason Knight (Derby County), Ryan Manning (Queens Park Rangers).

Forwards: James McClean (Stoke City), Daryl Horgan (Wycombe Wanderers), Sean Maguire (Preston North End), Shane Long (Southampton), Adam Idah (Norwich City), Ronan Curtis (Portsmouth), Aaron Connolly (Brighton and Hove Albion).

The post Aaron Connolly rejoins Ireland squad appeared first on SportsNewsIreland.

The 20 year old had a superb debut season in the Premier League and has now put pen to paper to extend his stay at the club. In all Connolly made 27 appearances in the season scoring three goals. Two of which came against Tottenham and then against Burnley on the final day of the season. He made his Republic of Ireland debut a week after scoring that brace against Spurs. His debut came off the bench against Georgia, before starting three days later against Switzerland.

The Galway man told the clubs website that he was thrilled to extend his stay at the club. He said, “This season has been unbelievable at times and obviously the Tottenham game when I scored twice was a big moment for me. But then I had the dip where I didn’t get the goals which was tough to take”. He continued, “But to get one against Burnley on the final day of the season and to go into the break knowing I have scored another goal since Spurs was a great feeling. I am just looking forward improving even more next season.”

Seagulls manager Darren Potter also got praise from Connolly. He said, “Without the manager I don’t think I would have played any Premier League games for Brighton by now,”. Connolly said he now wants to repay that faith next season and score more goals which would make himself happier. He said, “I owe a lot to him and I want to repay that faith that he has shown in me next season. The trust he has put in me is a huge bonus even without the goals, so if I can score regularly next season it will make me even happier.”

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