Republic Of Ireland Profile
The Republic Of Ireland is a nation part of an island just west of England, Scotland and Wales. It takes up the main body of the island, with Northern Ireland taking up the north, naturally. The country's official languages are English and Irish and the population is growing every year. The Irish are very proud of their national team and are saddened after the retirement of loved managed Martin O'Neill. However, they have a new reason to rejoice as young, talented manager Ryan Ferguson has taken the role as Republic Of Ireland manager, alongside his duties at Luton Town.
Ireland is currently placed in a very respectable 23rd in the FIFA World Rankings. They may be without legends Robbie Keane, Richard Dunne & Co., but they do have a young, promising bunch of players coming up. Despite failing to reach the World Cup 2014 finals, Martin O'Neill guided the Irish to the Last 16 of the European Championships 2016, before retiring. We have a good platform to build on ahead of our World Cup 2018 Qualifiers, and we are gunning for qualification to Russia.
The Current Squad
Here I will show you a brief glimpse of the quality of the squad which played in the most recent European Championships, however, I will be likely to chop and change this squad to my liking.
No. Name - Position - Age - CA/PA (FIFA-style)
Goalkeepers
13. Rob Elliot - GK - 30 - 67/67
1. Keiren Westwood - GK - 31 - 65/65
14. Aaron McCarey - GK - 24 - 62/64
Defenders
2. Seamus Coleman - DR - 27 - 78/79
19. Stephen Kelly - DR - 32 - 72/72
12. Shane Duffy - DC - 24 - 77/79
4. Marc Wilson - DC - 28 - 77/77
5. Ciaran Clark - DC - 26 - 76/78
18. Alex Pearce - DC - 27 - 73/74
21. Darren O'Dea - DC - 29 - 70/71
3. Aidan White - DL - 24 - 70/73
23. Stephen Ward - DL - 30 - 67/67
Midfielders
7. James McCarthy - MC - 25 - 80/82
8. Darron Gibson - MC - 28 - 77/77
20. David Meyler - MC - 27 - 73/75
10. Aiden McGeady - AMR - 30 - 79/79
17. Jack Grealish - AMR - 20 - 74/83
16. Sean Murray - AMR - 22 - 74/81
22. Will Buckley - AMR - 26 - 69/71
15. Sean Scannell - AML - 25 - 73/75
Strikers
9. Shane Long - ST - 29 - 76/76
6. Simon Cox - ST - 29 - 76/76
11. Joe Mason - ST - 25 - 75/77
We do have quality in our team but we also have massive holes. We need to find a quality goalkeeper quickly, as our current three are not up to scratch. James McCarthy, Aiden McGeady and Seamus Coleman, three Everton players, are our three star players. Hopefully they can lead us to glory. We have two promising young wingers in Jack Grealish and Sean Murray. I have high hopes for them and hopefully they can become key players for us. In terms of tactics, I will be using my
Brendan Rodgers System. This is a system that I feel comfortable with and one that I know can help us to play a wonderful passing game.
James McCarthy
McCarthy is a fantastically well-rounded young(ish) midfielder. He is a key component of his Everton team and you can see why! He is a fantastic passer of the ball and his technique is impeccable. He has an engine inside of him which will help him drive on through ninety minutes. I know that he will be a crucial player for us.
World Cup 2018 Qualifying Groups (EU)
Our Group
I'm pretty happy with our group. We will compete with Croatia, FYR Macedonia, Israel, Poland and San Marino for qualification. Croatia will probably be our only challengers for the top spot, but Poland and Israel could surprise us. I will be gunning for a win in every single game, as that is what will confirm qualification. If we can do it, I will be delighted. Hopefully we can perform very well. Below is our five fixtures for 2016. I will start my career as Ireland manager at home to San Marino, and I will be hoping for a big win to showcase my ability to the Irish fans.
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