DARYL HORGAN BELIEVES his only chance of being summoned for international duty is by switching to a club in England.
The winger, who netted five goals in the league for Dundalk in May, is one of a number of players from the League of Ireland that have been touted as possible international players in the future.
However, Martin O’Neill seems reluctant to include any home-based players in his squad and Horgan knows he must move to England if he wants to play forhis country, but admits there have been no firm offers from an English club thus far.
“I think there’s a couple of rumours but that’s all they are,” he said as he collected the SSE Airtricity/SWAI Player of the Month award for May.
“I’ve heard nothing, there’s been nothing put in front of me or put to the club so right now it’s nothing.
“If something comes of it we’ll see how it gets on but at the moment it’s absolutely nothing and I’m just focused on football with Dundalk and winning games.”
The former Cork City attacker also recognises that any move across the channel would deprive him of the opportunity to play in Europe.
“If I do go over to England, I won’t be playing in Europe. I might not be challenging for titles, well definitely not the Premier League title, so that’s the difference to over here,” he said.
You probably are taking that step up if you do go over to maybe a Championship or a top-end League One club, or obviously if you’re very lucky to get to a Premier League club.”
Horgan acknowledges that while the League of Ireland may have some players that are international quality, there is still a gap between the domestic league and the English game. However, he still believes Martin O’Neill should include Irish-based players in his squad.
“Maybe the league isn’t professional enough, I think it is personally. The way we trained in Cork, we were professional, everyone did things right. The way we do it in Dundalk, it’s all done right and professional,” he said.
“I wouldn’t say physically we’d be too far away, maybe a small bit more. I don’t know really to be brutally honest with you, but it would be great to see just even if it was to come to it, to give players a chance.
Prove they can’t do it, or prove they can. It’s never come to a stage where lads have been called into the squad with the basis of being in the squad.”
Dundalk have been drawn against BATE Borisov in the Champions League second qualifying round, and although they will go in as massive underdogs against the Champions League regulars, Horgan thinks they can get a result if they play to their potential.
“If we play like we can play, I can’t see why we couldn’t get a result. It is going to be very, very difficult but if we play our normal game and play the way we can, anything could happen,” he said.
The pressure is off a small bit. You can kind of play your normal game a bit more even. We’d be used to a lot of teams coming up and sitting back and that’s difficult to break down, whereas we think we’re able to play a few different ways.
“We can break, counter at pace, and we can control the ball if we need those spells and stuff like that. So there’s going to be a lot of game management involved but I think we’ll be able to do that.”
The Galway native says his side will also take heart from their impressive showing against Hajduk Split, a Europa League qualifier which they lost 3-2 on aggregate last year.
“Everyone was saying the tie was dead and buried when we went to Split last year and we had them under the cosh for the last 15 or 20 minutes where we were well on top and we probably should have won it 3-1 to be perfectly honest,” he said.
“We had the chances to go through, it just didn’t happen. Everyone said that going to Split it would be next to impossible to get anything, whereas these boys are probably a step up again.”
As much as I want England to win the World Cup and Erasmus to lose it, I’d absolutely love if Jones walked away with a World Cup winners medal. I know he had an offer on the table from munster and he turned it down but I can’t help but feeling he’s a loss to Irish rugby and that the IRFU and munster should have done more to keep him involved, even if it wasn’t with Munster.
@Jim Demps: really. Surprised.
Dont want to bad mouth the man, he was a great player. But tbought, he was a very poor attack coach. Herd from a source in the camp, that the players were getting depressed with the lack of invention in regards to attack play.
Do wish him well tho
@Paddy Waggon: era he’s only 32 as well, if we want to be developing Irish coaches then we need to give them a chance.
@Jim Demps: It was probably the best time for him personally to get away given he’s not tied down with family yet so the world is his oyster and a change of scenery is probably needed given how much of a target he became for the keyboard warriors. He’ll have no trouble finding himself work and there’s no way that’s the last of him coaching within the IRFU.
@Eddie Hekenui: yeah I’d hope he’ll come back in alright. As it stands there aren’t a whole pile of Irish lads in front line roles, Carolan and Duffy in connacht, Leo Cullen and Jared Payne would be about it. It’d be nice to see a few lads progress a bit and have a few more Irish lads ready to take on big roles. Rog, Davidson, Kidney, McCall are all top class coaches and the IRFU should be trying to get them employed at home.
@Jim Demps: I don’t see the need to have them all employed in Ireland. That just creates a closed loop. Far better to have them start off here, earn their spurs and then head off to wherever they can get jobs to experience different ideas, experiences and cultures. Then they can take all that knowledge and bring it back to Ireland. Them moving on also clears space for another young coach or two to move up the ladder.
@Jim Demps: Hugh Hogan is doing a good job at Leinster. He gained most of his knowledge in the AIL, good to see coaches from that level stepping up. Can see him continuing to progress.
@Eddie Hekenui: yeah that’s fair enough but the Irfu haven’t seemed too interested in bringing lads back yet. Of the last few high profile jobs in the country I’d love to have seen how many of the Irish lads I mentioned were spoken to by the IRFU. Conor o Shea is another guy who would have been a huge addition.
@Jim Demps: Well I think they have had their chance a few times with O’Shea, he took up a job with the RFU now so that’s him lost for a few more years. I’d really like to see him in the IRFU Management side of things rather than coaching, he does a good job on the field but I think he’s strategically better than most people think and his role with the Olympic Team GB prior to London shouldn’t be overlooked either. Is there an Australian out of contract in two years which Conor might be good at???
@ThatLJD: I think that’s be the ideal situation, having o shea in for nucifora. Conor has shown time and time again that he’s one of the best rugby administrators out there and it’d be great to have him running the show.
@Eddie Hekenui: yep. Rog gaining massive experience
@Jim Demps: I heard from a source? Yeah right
@Chris Tobin: fellas get too excited on here when they see me comment. Don’t even have to say anything anymore to trigger lads
@Chris Tobin: yeah, I’d also question the insistsnce that players became depressed by tactics. It should have told the commenter all they needed to know about their source.
@Eddie Hekenui: married, mortgage and 2 young kids. That’s about as tied down as you can get.
@Joe O’Doherty: Not really. Much harder to move when kids are older and you’re thinking about schools etc. You never hear coaches talk about mortgages etc when it comes to jobs but you hear them talking about their kids all the time.
Delighted for Felix. Contributed so much to Munster. He will be the first Irish man to win a rugby World Cup medal. Will it be gold or silver?
@Ivan O’Riordan: Kyran Bracken in 2003
@Eoin Jaypee: Wouldn’t be calling Bracken an Irishman. Lived his whole life in England.
@Eoin Jaypee: A couple of other candidates
Stephen Moore – Silver in 2015 – has strong Irish connections
Two Irish parents. Lived in Tuam for 5 years. Not born in Australia (not here either though).
John Gallagher from the 87 NZ team was similar and won the tournament. Born to two Irish parents in London before they emigrated to NZ, but I don’t think he ever lived in Ireland
@Chris Mansfield: Gallagher played for Ireland a back in the day too
@Chris Mansfield: Father from that great rugby stronghold ….Limerick City!!
@Ardmore02: and yet the Duke of Wellington can be considered Irish too. Different countries have different rules.
All his famous attacking expertise was really on display last Sunday.
@KH: Obviously worked better than Schmidt’s !!
@KH: Not Jones gig as he’s not the attack coach.
@KH: so quick to throw in a negative comment that you forgot what his role is.
@KH: made a right fool of yourself there kid
@Timmy O’Toole:
Dont worry @KH just look at the posters that are hitting at you .
@Martin Quinn:
He is a good guy, talked to him when he was up in Leinster and him and some other coaches dropped over to our club:: Down to earth and knew his stuff !!! Very happy for him as this could be a good thing to have on your CV.
As stolen from the internet….the moment you realise Matt Damon has won more world cups than Ireland.
Sad but true.
Good luck to Felix.
@Hirrison Mirk: you understand how movies work right?
@Dave O Keeffe: and France Scotland Wales and Argentina. Not just Ireland
@Dave O Keeffe: they act as a distraction from our World Cup campaign?
Absolutely delighted for Stephen Jones. I hope he gets a winner’s medal in Japan. It is fantastic that we have so many young Irish coaches going overseas to gain experience outside of the Irish model and bodes well for the future. I would love to see a structure in place that got them spending some time working in school rugby.
@Mr. Common Sense: Stephen?
@Ivan O’Riordan:
Lad read the page for God sake
FELIX JONES
Every time you want to praise England your reminded of how much of a foul, smug, little odious man Eddie Jones is.
Was going to support England, as the Northern Hemisphere team, in Saturday’s RWC final. But this bolt-from-the-blue revelation of a young Irishman, former International, being so closely involved behind the scenes with the Springboks has left one in a serious but very short-term dilemma.
Go Felix!
Hon’ the Boks!
Great experience for him.
Well deserved, especially after the way he was treated at Munster. They could regret that.
@Tom McGirr: Explain to us how he was treated at Munster please?
It’s such a shame that Felix had to retire from playing so young. He could easily be backup up to Bob until next RWC.