COLEMAN CULL WILL DIVIDE CRITICS
THE debate on Seamus Coleman’s demotion as Ireland’s right back by Stephen Kenny will continue, long after the final whistle in Sofia. It will have been whispered in the Irish dressing room and on the flight home. After all, Irish captains don’t get axed too often, especially not when rolled out for media duties and praised by the manager for their humility and ‘brilliant professionalism’. It’s not like Coleman, 32 next month, is a battlescarred veteran. Robbie Keane was 34 when dropped by Martin O’Neill before a Euro qualifier against Scotland in Glasgow, while John O’Shea, at 35, was left out after a Belgium battering in Bordeaux in the Euro 2016 finals. Brian Kerr felt Kenny’s call was the sign of a strong manager, but there will be some scratching their heads at Coleman’s cull. After 19 games with the armband, this quiet leader of men, Ireland’s Michael Jordan as Jeff Hendrick described him, has been benched. Eight years first choice for Ireland, this omission will have hurt Coleman, who completed the season as one of Everton’s better players. Yet, Kenny is entitled to pick what he feels is the best team and it is his contention that Doherty, outstanding for Wolves for so long, is a better full-back than Coleman. ‘It was a marginal decision,’ said Kenny. He stuck with Doherty as part of the back four that started the last game, at home to Denmark in the Euro qualifiers, where Doherty scored a late equaliser.