It was a case of the return of the walking wounded when Eileen Gleeson named her Republic of Ireland squad on Thursday, her first since she was appointed permanent successor to Vera Pauw in December. Niamh Fahey, Leanne Kiernan, Aoife Mannion and Jess Ziu are all back in the set-up after overcoming injuries, another notable inclusion that of Amber Barrett, who was omitted from the last panel in November.
And a newish face features too. Three years after Pauw invited her to train with the squad, former England underage international Emily Murphy has been officially called up ahead of the friendlies away to Italy (February 23rd) and at home to Wales (February 27th).
Murphy, a Berkshire-born 20-year-old striker who plays college football for Wake Forest University in North Carolina, made her debut as a 16-year-old for Chelsea in late 2019. She was offered a professional contract by the club, but chose to move to the United States to combine her football with her education.
When Pauw called her up, she was still undecided about her international future, having captained England at under-17 level. “Emily has not made a choice yet,” said Pauw at the time. “She’s a huge talent, and she expresses to us that she’s really hesitating. Her whole family is from Ireland, her whole family wants her also to play for Ireland.”
It would now appear that Murphy, whose father Jonathan is from Rathfarnham in Dublin, has made her choice, although until she plays three games for Ireland, one of them competitive, her options will remain open.
There are no home-based players in the squad, unlike last time around when Peamount United’s Erin McLaughlin and Ellen Dolan were included, but with the new league season not kicking off for another three weeks, that might have been anticipated.
It’s off-season too in the United States’ NWSL, but Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage) and Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave) are both in the squad, unlike Gotham’s Sinéad Farrelly.
Usually when squads – male or female – are announced, the manager holds a press conference to answer questions about issues such as Farrelly’s absence, which could be as simple as a fitness or injury matter. This time, though, no such media briefing was held, the FAI simply sending out a brief enough email with no information at all about, for example, Farrelly’s status or whether Murphy has now nailed her colours to the Irish mast.
Or how much has Gleeson seen of Murphy playing for Wake Forest University to justify a call-up, when the likes of Saoirse Noonan (Durham) and Emily Whelan (Glasgow City) have been left out?
Or why has Louise Quinn, who suffered a dislocated shoulder last month, and Mannion, who has played around three minutes of football since last May, been called up, when fellow centre backs Hayley Nolan and Claire O’Riordan, in flying form for Crystal Palace and Standard Liege respectively, have been left out?
Simple questions, with, very possibly, simple answers. Gleeson may not enjoy these back and forths, but they’re part of the job. You can only imagine how much Stephen Kenny would have wished for such limited media duties.
When members of the media suggested to the FAI that this was a pretty miserable effort at promoting the women’s side of their operation, more akin to the effort they put in 20 years ago (or less), and a missed opportunity for well-earned coverage in light of the senior team’s recent achievements, the response was a bit of a shrug. There’ll be a Zoom call on Monday from Italy, so that’ll do.
And after Mark Tighe’s reporting in the Irish Independent on the vacant FAI head of women’s and girls’ football position, which Gleeson left on being made permanent manager of the senior team, there are many questions to be asked.
Several international and Irish-based candidates for the job were put off from applying because it has changed from being permanent to fixed-term. They would “only be keeping the seat warm for Eileen”, sources told Tighe, their suspicion being that she will return to the role once her time as manager ends.
As our columnist Karen Duggan has argued, “the appointment of Gleeson’s successor to her former role will be just as important – maybe more – than the FAI making her the Irish manager”.
So many questions, so few opportunities to ask them.
Ireland squad
Goalkeepers: Courtney Brosnan (Everton), Grace Moloney (London City Lionesses), Sophie Whitehouse (Lewes).
Defenders: Jessie Stapleton (Reading – on loan from West Ham), Diane Caldwell (FC Zurich), Niamh Fahey (Liverpool), Caitlin Hayes (Celtic), Louise Quinn (Birmingham City), Aoife Mannion (Manchester United), Megan Campbell (London City Lionesses)
Midfielders: Katie McCabe (Arsenal), Denise O’Sullivan (North Carolina Courage), Lily Agg (Birmingham City), Tyler Toland (Blackburn Rovers), Megan Connolly (Bristol City), Ruesha Littlejohn (London City Lionesses), Jamie Finn (Birmingham City), Heather Payne (Everton), Jess Ziu (West Ham), Lucy Quinn (Birmingham City), Izzy Atkinson (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Kyra Carusa (San Diego Wave), Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace), Amber Barrett (Standard Liege), Leanne Kiernan (Liverpool), Emily Murphy (Wake Forest University).
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