MARTIN O’NEILL CLARIFIED that Robbie Brady was not necessarily his permanent choice as captain after handing him the armband for the game against Iceland during the week, but it is certainly an option that cannot be ruled out. The current senior player of the year has become an integral part of the Irish side and he was badly missed due to suspension against Wales. At 25, Brady is one of the less experienced members of the squad, but the Dubliner has made a habit of defying doubters in recent months.
2. John O’Shea
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
O’Shea had been captain for the majority of O’Neill’s reign until he was dropped for the Italy game last summer and Coleman took the reigns from there. Whether the Sunderland centre-back remains in the team when Shane Duffy and Ciaran Clark recover from injury is uncertain. Nevertheless, the Waterford native is a natural leader who wouldn’t have much difficulty in reacquainting himself with the captaincy, which he would have reluctantly given up in the first place.
Advertisement
3. James McClean
Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Would definitely be one of the more audacious choices as captain, with some people still questioning the Derry native’s temperament and tendency to get carried away at times — even the fact that it was a friendly on Tuesday did not stop him making one crunching challenge. Nevertheless, McClean has grown considerably in the past 12 months, from someone on the periphery of the team to an automatic starter. There has arguably been no player more important in Ireland’s World Cup qualifying campaign and awarding him with the captaincy would be a reward for his phenomenal commitment and improvement of late.
4. Jon Walters
Niall Carson
Niall Carson
One of the most popular members of the squad, Walters would be a solid choice as captain, having established himself as a key player since Martin O’Neill took over, particularly during the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign when he scored a number of vital goals. He will be 34 next September and is unlikely to hang around for another campaign after the World Cup, so leading the team out would represent a fitting final chapter to a stellar career at international level.
5. Glenn Whelan
Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
Whelan would be a solid if somewhat conservative choice. One of the squad’s most experienced members, of the players currently available to Martin O’Neill, only John O’Shea (118) and Aiden McGeady (88) have more caps compared with the 80 appearances the Stoke midfielder has accrued. That said, at 33, he lacks the energy of old, and is no longer a guaranteed starter as he was before.
An unassuming and quite laidback character, Randolph wouldn’t be an obvious choice of captain but then neither was Coleman. The goalkeeper has been in good form for both Ireland and West Ham, playing as well as any Irish player in the Premier League this season, and he is unlikely to surrender the number one jersey for club or country anytime soon.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
6 candidates to take over as Ireland captain while Seamus Coleman recovers
1. Robbie Brady
MARTIN O’NEILL CLARIFIED that Robbie Brady was not necessarily his permanent choice as captain after handing him the armband for the game against Iceland during the week, but it is certainly an option that cannot be ruled out. The current senior player of the year has become an integral part of the Irish side and he was badly missed due to suspension against Wales. At 25, Brady is one of the less experienced members of the squad, but the Dubliner has made a habit of defying doubters in recent months.
2. John O’Shea
O’Shea had been captain for the majority of O’Neill’s reign until he was dropped for the Italy game last summer and Coleman took the reigns from there. Whether the Sunderland centre-back remains in the team when Shane Duffy and Ciaran Clark recover from injury is uncertain. Nevertheless, the Waterford native is a natural leader who wouldn’t have much difficulty in reacquainting himself with the captaincy, which he would have reluctantly given up in the first place.
3. James McClean
Would definitely be one of the more audacious choices as captain, with some people still questioning the Derry native’s temperament and tendency to get carried away at times — even the fact that it was a friendly on Tuesday did not stop him making one crunching challenge. Nevertheless, McClean has grown considerably in the past 12 months, from someone on the periphery of the team to an automatic starter. There has arguably been no player more important in Ireland’s World Cup qualifying campaign and awarding him with the captaincy would be a reward for his phenomenal commitment and improvement of late.
4. Jon Walters
One of the most popular members of the squad, Walters would be a solid choice as captain, having established himself as a key player since Martin O’Neill took over, particularly during the Euro 2016 qualifying campaign when he scored a number of vital goals. He will be 34 next September and is unlikely to hang around for another campaign after the World Cup, so leading the team out would represent a fitting final chapter to a stellar career at international level.
5. Glenn Whelan
Whelan would be a solid if somewhat conservative choice. One of the squad’s most experienced members, of the players currently available to Martin O’Neill, only John O’Shea (118) and Aiden McGeady (88) have more caps compared with the 80 appearances the Stoke midfielder has accrued. That said, at 33, he lacks the energy of old, and is no longer a guaranteed starter as he was before.
6. Darren Randolph
An unassuming and quite laidback character, Randolph wouldn’t be an obvious choice of captain but then neither was Coleman. The goalkeeper has been in good form for both Ireland and West Ham, playing as well as any Irish player in the Premier League this season, and he is unlikely to surrender the number one jersey for club or country anytime soon.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
Referees not learning from Coleman incident and more Premier League talking points>
Bournemouth left frustrated as Harry Arter misses penalty>
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
James McClean John O'Shea Jon Walters Next in Line? Options Premier League Robbie Brady Ireland Republic