SOCCER REPUBLIC HAVE this evening selected their Team of the Year and it shows a total of six Cork City players.
John Caulfieldโs side sealed an historic double for the club with their FAI Cup win over Dundalk at the Aviva Stadium yesterday.
Mark McNulty proved his sideโs penalty shootout hero on the evening, and has tonight been named between the posts in Soccer Republicโs best XI of 2017.
Alan Bennett, Ryan Delaney, Karl Sheppard, Conor McCormack of the champions were also rewarded with spots on the team, while Sean Maguireโs goalscoring returns before his move across the water earned him a spot up top.
The Ireland striker hit 20 goals in 21 games before he left for Preston North End during the summer.
The Leesiders were crowned SSE Airtricity League Premier Division champions for the first time in 12 years last month.
Stephen Kennyโs Dundalk side, beaten to both titles, have three representatives โ Patrick McEleney, Michael Duffy and David McMillan while Bohemian FC and Shamrock Rovers have one player a-piece in the team.
Derek Pender and Trevor Clarke both got the nod in the back four.
And the 2017 Airtricity League Premier Division team of the season is... #RTEsoccer pic.twitter.com/39yVNE1yEt
โ Soccer Republic (@SoccRepublic) November 6, 2017
Conan Byrneโs audacious strike from way back in March when St Patโs and Bohemians went head-to-head was named Goal of the Season.
The results are in. The 2017 goal of the season goes to... pic.twitter.com/iavZmnmlyk
โ Soccer Republic (@SoccRepublic) November 6, 2017
Soccer Republicโs 2017 Airtricity League Premier Division Team of the Season
Mark McNulty (Cork City); Derek Pender (Bohemian FC), Alan Bennett (Cork City), Ryan Delaney (Cork City), Trevor Clarke (Shamrock Rovers); Karl Sheppard (Cork City), Patrick McEleney (Dundalk), Conor McCormack (Cork City), Michael Duffy (Dundalk); David McMillan (Dundalk), Sean Maguire (Cork City).
Subscribe to The42 podcasts here:
Full confidence in the team to perform very well for the rest of the tournament!
@Jasper Conroy: Really???
2007 comparisons are lazy. We hammered Scotland in our first match. People seem to have completely forgotten that.
11 points from a possible 15 after 3 games. Not a bad return at all. Time to get behind the team and stop the moaning. #COYBIG
Some load of negative tosspots in the media. Same goons who downplayed the grand slams, dismissed wins over NZ/SA and cheered for Racing over Leinster are now delighted. Itโs like they are in competition to be the new Tom Humphries.
The social media campaigns from the sponsors are grating, but they always are no matter the sport or team.
It never ceases to amaze me how the commentators/pundits swing, we beat a poor Scotland and we are set for a quater final against SA no account taken of Japan who should be tier one nation and who accounted for SA in 2015, who are also hosting. We then put 35 points on Russia get the bonus point and Eddie is not satisfied, the same Eddie who presided over the debacle of 2007 in FRANCE. Give this squad a break and get behind then nothing is to be gained from negativity. Bestie and the Boys Abรบ
Just 22 points and one try conceded in 3 games is a very healthy stat .
@Limรณn Madrugada:
โJust 22 points and one try conceded in 3 gamesโ
And we scored 11 tries to 1 conceded :: if we stated that before the WC we would have been happy :: but in that, there was 1 loss !!!!!!
Yeah the negativity is getting to me also. Can we do a bit of analysis on the positives? Also aside from Samoa game we probably wonโt go into another game as favourites no matter how far we go in the tournament and that is just fine by me. Thatโs where the Irish pysche is more comfortable and more dangerous. I hope we play well against Samoa and get the result needed to put pressure on Japan and then we put the fear of God into our opponents in the quarters!
@Brian OโDriscoll: have to agree, finally watched the Russia game. There was a lot of good variation in attack which ended with a poor handling error or a Russian infringement (often not penalised โ for Hendersonโs knock on over the line, it was actually good Russian D but the 7 knocked on in the preceding ruck). The evidence is there that Ireland are about to kick on. Everyone would take a loss in the group if it meant peaking at QF stage and you can see Ireland are starting to ramp it up.
Hugh Cahillโs and Donal Lenihanโs rugby commentary is also very poor and schizophrenic. The keyboard warriors and Ed O Sullivanโs of this world will be the biggest fans when we put Samoa to the sword by at least 30 points. COYBIG
@Brian OโDriscoll:
@Brian OโDriscoll: have to agree. I finally watched the Russia game and the evidence is there that they are beginning to vary their attacking play which often ended with an error or Russian infringement. They played good ball. Russia was not the game to correct the Japan loss. What good would it be to go out and put 70 on Russia. Itโs better they tried to evolve the game. No one wants 4 pool wins if it means a QF loss. I can see Ireland ramping up their game plan ahead of a QF showdown and surprised others who are professionals in the game donโt see it.
People like Ed O Sullivan and the keyboard warriors who think the Russian game was the game to correct the woes of the Japan loss are fools. The time to do it is at the QF.
Weโll put 30 on Samoa.
Iโm sick to the back teeth of all the negativity. The final straw for me was Sean Farrell on the42โฒs rugby podcast yesterday moaning that Irelandโs first try against Russia was an old Joe Schmidt strike move. Some people will always find something negative to say.
Completely down to the players themselves, their mind set, body language, which to date hasnโt been great.
Theyโve done it before so they can up it again.
Ah Martin you should know more than anyone that negativity does nothing for any teak.
Team that is