Just where have all the goals gone?
Irish set for worst PL haul yet
HISTORY could yet be made by Republic of Ireland players this season, but not in a good way. Of the eight uncapped names included by Martin O’Neill for the training camp and friendly in Turkey later this month only one has played in the Premier League.
West Ham United’s Declan Rice has been the breakthrough Irish performer in a season which has only served to underscore the challenge the international manager now faces.
There have been 946 goals scored by Irish players in the English top flight since the Premier League’s conception, but only nine have come this term.
With nine games remaining, it is a campaign on course to be the worst for Ireland internationals in more than a quarter of a century. The current crop are on course for the lowest number of goals scored (nine), fewest scorers (seven) and, naturally, a top scorer with the weakest record (two, so far).
Allied with that, just 17 Irishmen (excluding those from the north of the island who have chosen to represent Northern Ireland) have made an appearance in the top division. While 13 of them played a part in the last World Cup qualifying campaign under O’Neill, it is the fewest since the Premier League began in 1992. And it is less than half the highest number (36) which took part in 2002/03, 09/10 and 11/12.
In the five full seasons since that most recent peak, the number of players has steadily declined — 29, 25, 25, 21 and 19 — and while the inclusion of Manchester United goalkeeper Kieran O’Hara is a hopeful sign of the future, the 21year-old is not yet part of the first-team picture under Jose Mourinho.
He will not be involved in today’s clash with Liverpool at Old Trafford — there isn’t a Republic of Ireland player in either squad — and it is a trend among the top six as none have one of our internationals registered for this season.
They have also hit the nadir in the goal scoring stakes. With more than two thirds of the campaign gone, the highest scoring Republic of Ireland stars are Newcastle United defender Ciaran Clark and Burnley midfielder Jeff Hendrick. The pair are neck and neck on a paltry two — but neither have found the net since the turn of the year. Clark’s last strike came on November 28 against West Bromwich Albion while Hendrick hit the winner against Rafael Benitez’s men on October 30, and also found the net away to Everton at the start of that month. To put it in perspective, during the 2004/05 season, six Irish players netted twice and they were all defenders; Rory Delap, Gary Doherty, Richard Dunne (not including own goals, of course), Stephen Kelly, Andy O’Brien and John O’Shea. Last year’s stats make for grim reading too as there were only 19 goals scored by 10 different players, and the top scorer honour was shared by Everton defender Seamus Coleman and Stoke City’s Jonathan Walters (four). Now with Burnley, the Liverpudlian has played just three times because of injury while Coleman has been restricted to three appearances following his double leg break on Ireland duty against Wales almost a year ago. In their absence, Clark and Hendrick lead the way so far this season but the chasing pack are hardly bearing down on them. Harry Arter, who scored his solitary goal in a 4-0 home win over Huddersfield Town for Bournemouth on November 18, has fallen out of favour with Eddie Howe to such an extent that has not kicked a ball in anger in the Premier League since New Year’s Day. The Ireland midfielder seems to be in the bad books after a dalliance with West Ham during the January transfer window, and he has spoken of his wish to discuss a move away from the south coast of England should the situation remain the same between now and May. Robbie Brady struck the winner in a 2-1 win over Bournemouth on November 29 but a knee injury has curtailed his season with Burnley, while teammate Stephen Ward made his first start of 2018 in the 1-1 draw with Southampton having been out of action because of his own knee complaint since December 12.
Ward’s opening-day stunner away to champions Chelsea remains a rare highlight in a season of toil for Irish players, with bit-part West Brom winger James McClean managing to get on the score sheet against West Ham on January 2 but doing little else since then.
The one great hope, and only Irish striker to break his duck this term, scored on the same night as the Derryman in January as Southampton lost 2-1 to Crystal Palace, but the flood gates didn’t open for Shane Long after ending that particular 325-day barren spell in front of goal.
While the Tipperary native’s struggles have been well documented, it was just two seasons ago, during the 2015/16 campaign, that he struck double figures (10) for the only time in his Premier League career.
He was the first Irish player to reach such a milestone since Robbie Keane seven years previously and it is when you examine the former Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool (among others) hitman’s record that you get a true sense of the level he operated on compared to his compatriots.
In the seven seasons between 2002 to ’09, the Dubliner hit double figures consistently. 16 was his highest (05/06) and it was only the following season that he did not end as top Irish per-former as Kevin Doyle’s 13 pipped him by a brace.
Indeed, that was only the second campaign in the 26-year history of the Premier League that two Ireland internationals both managed to get into double digits — Niall Quinn (14 goals) and Keane (12) ending the first season of the 21st century well clear of the rest.
With Brady injured, Arter out of form, Long and McClean having to make do with regular appearances from the bench and not much in the way of reinforcements, the prospect of a late surge is not promising.
Curiously, considering his ability in the air and the fact he has played in 28 of Brighton’s 29 games, Shane Duffy (left) is yet to get off the mark, although the trip to a vulnerable Everton side today could well change that.
Other than him, the only Irish players to make an appearance but not score are Stephen Ireland and Damien Delaney (both well out of international reckoning), James McCarthy (facing a lengthy recovery from a broken leg), his clubmate Coleman and fellow defenders Rice and Kevin Long (Burnley).
Ireland Under-19 international Michael Obafemi made a fleeting appearance for Southampton off the bench at the start of the year but it looks like being a most ignominious end to this Premier League season for Irish players.