Irish squad for Sweden/Austria

As the perils of social media have come under increased scrutiny at home, a footballer has added one more contribution to the litany of Irish online faux-pas. Andy Keogh may not be guilty of fellating multiple men in public, or being spit-roasted by rugby players, but he may still come to regret his petulant outburst on Twitter, bemoaning his absence from the Irish squad to play Sweden and Austria.

Keogh's grievance will surely bring the issue of 'communication' back to the fore among the mainstream sports media, even when it is acknowledged that standard practice is for players to be alerted of selection by the FAI through the clubs. Since Keogh was initially left out of the squad to play Wales, he could not have been too surprised about his omission for the bigger games ahead, especially with McGeady and Keane fit again. Furthermore, Trapattoni has been staunchly loyal to the Millwall striker since his appointment - thirty caps is a mighty haul when compared to Irish players of similar club status, such as Daryl Murphy, Keith Treacy, Leon Best and Anthony Stokes. It seems puerile to throw 'loyalty' back in the manager's face - especially when the Dubliner's performances for club and country have been generally below-par. This is not Keogh's first offence on Twitter - he let one go last June about his dissatisfaction with being deployed for Ireland on the wing. However, his goalscoring record for Millwall last season - seven goals in forty-nine appearances - will not convince anyone of his striking abilities either.

On the other hand, these incidents have continued to plague Trapattoni for most of his reign, from the initial discussions with Stephen Ireland, through the Andy and Steven Reid sagas, and various spats with James McCarthy, Marc Wilson, Darron Gibson, Stephen Kelly and Shane Long. Trapattoni certainly does not mollycoddle his players, which is somewhat refreshing in a footballing era littered with inflated egos - however, an international manager must know when to be compassionate as well as tough. Alienating your players is foolhardy when they cannot be readily replaced. If a regular squad member is being dropped, a brief explanation on the phone wouldn't be too much to ask.

To more important matters, and Joey O'Brien is back in the Irish squad after a long absence to provide cover across the back four. The West Ham defender made his début in Ireland's last home win over Sweden in 2006, and is one of only four Irish 'survivors' from that game, along with Dunne, O'Shea and Keane. That fact is a great testimony to his persistence, after a succession of knee injuries threatened to cut short his promising career, when he was told he may never play again. Despite playing regular EPL football, O'Brien has been overlooked by Trapattoni since his last appearance against Oman last September, and it is good to see him back.

Richard Dunne and Robbie Keane also return, along with Sean St. Ledger, who was not expected to make it after sustaining a knee injury two weeks ago. David Forde is also back, but faces a race against time to be match-fit. Trapattoni has an interesting call to make on the centre-back position, with an in-form O'Shea being the only genuinely assured option. Dunne has only started three games at club level after a year's absence, while St. Ledger will not be anywhere near full fitness. Clark is also an option, and may well get the nod if Dunne is not risked, but his gaffe against Austria - and recent demotion at Aston Villa - are not reassuring.

The Pilkster.

The uncapped Anthony Pilkington also gets a chance to prove his fitness and commitment, and could actually get some game-time, given Ireland's paucity of wing options after McGeady. Trapattoni has questioned Brady's suitability for the defensive aspect of his gameplan, and McClean continued to look one-dimensional against Wales. A few minutes on the pitch would be enough to tie the Norwich man to Ireland in perpetuity, putting any lingering rumours about his allegiance to bed. His recent Twitter pictures should go some way to alleviating our fears about what could happen if Roy Hodgson gave him a call.

Ireland squad to play Sweden and Austria:

Goalkeepers: Forde, Westwood, Randolph.
Defenders: O’Shea, O’Brien, St Ledger, Wilson, Coleman, Kelly, O’Dea, Clark, Dunne, McShane.
Midfielders: Whelan, McCarthy, Green, Hendrick, McGeady, Pilkington, McClean, Brady, Meyler, Hoolahan.
Strikers: Long, Keane, Sammon, Walters, Madden, Cox.