WE NEED SOME SELF-RESPECT
THANKFULLY, the Declan Rice affair is at an end. And, what’s more, a good measure of the Irish public found nothing wrong with the young man siding with the country of his birth after weighing up his future in international football. In his statement, he professed loyalty to the Three Lions and, naturally, that was a little hard to swallow considering he was disposed to kissing the Irish crest in the past. But the majority have already forgiven him. He’s young and could well have older men in his ear telling him he’s going to increase his career earnings 10-fold by becoming an English international. Good for Rice — he made the correct decision. He was born an Englishman, and I personally wish him only the best as an English footballer. So, what have we learned? Not a lot, unless you listen to those who say Rice should have been named in a competitive fixture some time ago. Such a request would have ensured that this wearying affair was restricted to a couple of months, and not the year it took to reach a conclusion. Of course, we need second and third generation Irish footballers in the national team. Our history shows the value that can be found in scouring Britain for potential Irishmen. In fact, it would be crazy not to pursue players with Irish roots — but we do not need to put the whole nation on notice while we await the decision of one, admittedly talented, kid. Of course we need good players, but we also need to hold on to the respect we won not all that long ago for being a more than decent football nation.