Given not returning, Pearce called up

It looks like speculation regarding Shay Given's international return, as noted in the last post, has been quashed by Trapattoni, who echoed his previous standpoints on the likes of Carsley and Kilbane: 'I feel that I have to give experience to the likes of Forde, Westwood, (Darren) Randolph and certainly I have the utmost respect for Shay. He's made it clear that if we require him he will be there, but I have said to Shay directly that we do have an obligation to move things on and give younger players experience, it's very important that we develop that, particularly with these friendly matches.'

Alex Pearce

Elsewhere, Reading's Alex Pearce has been called up in place of Darren O'Dea, a reversal that many fans feel should have occurred in the original squad. O'Dea is to stay with Toronto FC for pre-season training. Pearce has not been called up for the Irish squad since his goalscoring debut against Oman last autumn. Although he found himself out of the Reading team for a spell, he is playing regularly in the EPL at present, and surely merits his place in the squad, particularly with such pressing concerns about Dunne and St. Ledger's fitness.