Brian Kerr has named his 23-man squad for the European Championship qualifying games against Albania and Georgia next month, with the three most recent senior Republic of Ireland debutants, Alan Lee (Rotherham), Alan Quinn (Sheffield Wednesday) and Glen Crowe (Bohemians), all retaining their places. Mary Hanningan reports
Steve Finnan and Andy O'Brien are the two most notable absentees from the panel, with a pelvic complaint ruling out the Fulham defender and O'Brien still recovering from surgery on his broken nose. Leeds United's Gary Kelly had already made himself unavailable for selection earlier this month, claiming that he needed time to recover from injuries picked up during the season, while Jason McAteer, although fully recovered from a hamstring injury, is not match fit.
Clinton Morrison and Rory Delap, too, were ruled out with a dislocated shoulder and an ankle ligament injury, respectively, but there is no call-up for Mark Kennedy who helped Wolves to promotion to the English Premiership on Monday when they beat Sheffield United in a play-off.
Hibernian goalkeeper Nick Colgan and Colin Healy of Celtic return to the squad having completed their seasons in Scotland - club duty meant neither player was able to attend the squad training sessions in Dublin last week. The return of Colgan and the inclusion of Joe Murphy (West Bromwich Albion) sees Port Vale goalkeeper Dean Delaney drop out after being called up to the training panel.
Murphy, first called up for last month's game against Norway following the international retirement of Dean Kiely, had been a doubt after damaging his ankle ligaments earlier this month but has been declared fit after receiving treatment in Dublin.
"It's been great to make the step up from the under-21s, I didn't think it would come so soon," he said. "Hopefully, I can take my chance. I'm desperate to be involved in this squad. I probably won't play but it's good for me to be rubbing shoulders with the senior players and training with top quality keepers. I'll get the experience I need from it." Also returning to the squad is Millwall's Steven Reid who started Kerr's first game against Scotland but has been missing through injury since.
The midfielder remains at the centre of transfer speculation over a move to Blackburn Rovers, speculation that has hardly been dampened by his own club. "I am sure Graeme Souness will be making a realistic bid for Reid in the not-too-distant future," said Millwall chairman Theo Paphitis. "We are very realistic - Reid has been fantastic for us, but if he really wants to go we would be unlikely to stand in his way."
Whether or not Damien Duff will still be at Ewood Park when/if Reid arrives remains to be seen, but the 24-year-old, evidently, has tired of the speculation, particularly that which has spawned headlines of the 'Want-away Duff blasts 'ridiculous' price tag' variety.
"Anything I say now there is an angle on it. I made one small comment and it was twisted out of all proportion, blown all over the papers and television. I just have to laugh it off, there is nothing else I can do," he said.
"My only preference as a club is Blackburn Rovers, and that's all there is to say on the matter," the club's official website quoted him as saying yesterday. "I am truly in the dark about what might be happening and I think the player is always the last to know. At the moment, I just consider it paper talk and I haven't even talked to the gaffer about it. I am happy where I am at the minute, and that's as a Blackburn Rovers player." Meanwhile, Albania coach Hans-Peter Briegel has included Paris St-Germain teenager Lorik Cana for the first time in his 23-man squad for the June 7th game at Lansdowne Road and the trip away to Switzerland four days later. Cana and Regina striker Erjon Bogdani are the only players selected who did not feature in the squad for April's draw with Ireland in Tirana.
Stephen Capper, recently released by Sunderland, and Sheffield United's Colin Cryan have been called up by Don Givens to the Republic of Ireland under-21 squad following the withdrawals through injury of Stephen Grey (Drogheda United), Jon Daly (Stockport County) and Noel Hunt (Dunfermline). The under-21s meet Germany in a friendly on Monday at Turner's Cross, before playing Albania (Flancare Park, Longford) and Georgia (Buckley Park, Kilkenny) in their European qualifiers on June 6th and 10th respectively.
Ireland meet Albania on Saturday, June 7th, with a 3.0 kick-off and then play Georgia the following Wednesday, June 11th, with a 7.30 start.
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND SQUAD: Given (Newcastle Utd), Colgan (Hibernian), Murphy (West Bromwich Albion), Carr (Tottenham Hotspur), Breen (West Ham Utd), Dunne (Manchester City), Harte (Leeds Utd), O'Shea (Manchester Utd), Cunningham (Birmingham City), Healy (Celtic), Carsley (Everton), Holland (Ipswich Town), Kinsella (Aston Villa), Kilbane (Sunderland), McPhail (Leeds Utd), Quinn (Sheffield Wednesday), Reid (Millwall), Duff (Blackburn Rovers), Connolly (Wimbledon), Lee (Rotherham), Keane (Tottenham), Crowe (Bohemians), Doherty (Tottenham).
