In the last number of days, the eligibility and commitment of two English-born players - Jack Grealish and Mark Noble - has come under scrutiny. Despite representing Ireland all the way through the youth ranks, Grealish - a promising young Aston Villa midfielder - has opened up the possibility of defection in the future by asking not to be included in the senior squad. Such a move by Ireland would, admittedly, be slightly cynical - capping him for five minutes against Georgia would tie him to Ireland for life. As an eighteen-year-old dual-national, he is entitled to take his time, and will continue to represent Ireland at U-21 level for the foreseeable future. If he eventually switches (players can only switch associations once), it will be a loss - but it's a personal choice, and good luck to him in whatever he decides. He could - as England's interest suggests - turn out to be another Ross Barkley; a young star with a big future. He could, alternatively, follow the likes of Conor Henderson and Conor Clifford into the well-trodden Irish quagmire of lower-league mediocrity. Only time will tell.
Mark Noble comes at the other end of the dual-nationality scale - a player who had expressed no interest in playing for Ireland, but is seemingly now keen on declaring, at twenty-seven. This revelation has (rather conveniently) come after his omission from England's latest competitive squad. The West Ham midfielder would have been confident of breaking into Hodgson's panel, given the retirements of Gerrard, Lampard and Carrick - however, it was not to be, and according to some sources, he could be eligible in time for the Germany game. It's a curious development, and one which will polarise opinion. Our shameless exploitation of the Granny Rule has benefited Ireland before, given the wide reach of our diaspora - where would we be without the goals and influence of Houghton, Aldridge, Townsend, Cascarino, Holland and, of course, McAteer? Happy memories notwithstanding, it has often left the Irish team with a confused melange of accents, identities and backgrounds, and an ambiguous relationship between the already-vague concept of 'Irishness' and the soccer team that represents this nation. The FAI - Find An Irishman barbs from the Charlton era are still tiresome. Even in the modern day, it is naive to think that the likes of McCarthy, McGeady, Pilkington and Westwood would have declared for Ireland had they been approached first by their native associations.
From a footballing point of view, Noble would be an asset - but only if he worked his way into the team on merit, brought his 'A' game, bought into the spirit of the Irish team, and truly embraced the privilege of playing international football, as the likes of Houghton, Aldridge et al have done. He's a good player, and has more experience and top-flight pedigree than any of our other midfielders. He would provide a much-needed goal-threat and a bit of physicality - which would be ideal alongside McCarthy. All of our other central midfield options have question-marks hanging over them. Gibson has a history of being a bit lazy/overwhelmed at this level, and is not likely to nail down a starting place with Everton. Reid isn't getting any younger. Hendrick is still unproven. Meyler is a very mixed bag - he's very physical and abrasive, but his passing can vary between impeccable and wayward. Then, of course, there's Whelan... All of them bar the latter have possible upsides (Gibson and Hendrick being potentially more talented than our mooted Anglo recruit), but Noble would be the neutral's choice, on ability, age profile, and top-level experience.So, in theory, taking emotion out of the equation, Noble would seem to fit the bill perfectly.
However, I think we all want to see this new Irish team, under O'Neill, not just getting results, but playing with a character that Irish fans and public can get behind and identify with - a team of players who truly value playing football for their country. We want to see a team that plays with the kind of intensity, pace and aggression that we saw from O'Neill's Celtic team in the big European nights. Having a 'Saaarf Laaandan' mercenary at the heart of it, someone who has rejected and dismissed us before, who was nowhere to be found when we actually needed a player like him five years ago after Steven Reid broke down... it just does not fit in with any desirable vision for this Irish team.
However, such visions may just be utopian. Irish football is in the doldrums, and qualification for Euro 2016 is vital, in terms of maintaining interest and enthusiasm for the national team, and soccer in general in this country. The FAI's coffers are also in need of the sponsorship and TV money that qualification would bring. To qualify, we need the best possible players available, and unlike other Granny-Rule hopefuls like Richard Stearman and David McGoldrick, Noble would potentially improve the Irish team. It may well, in time, prove to be a necessary evil.
