Trap’s too lazy to do it, so leave it to JOE to look back on the performances of the established and potential members of the Ireland squad over the weekend.
Premier League
Jonathan Walters
Walters is becoming something of a regular in Trap’s Eye of late after a series of eye-catching performances for a team that could rarely be described as eye-catching. The Potters claimed a highly commendable draw against champions Chelsea at the weekend that may just have sounded the death knell for the Blues’ title bid.
Walters got Stoke off the mark on Saturday with a quite superb individual effort. He beat a dithering David Luiz to the ball on the halfway line, raced down the left wing, cut inside Michael Essien in the area and fired an unstoppable effort past Petr Cech.
It was Walters’ fifth league goal of the season and second in consecutive games and as well as scoring, he and Kenwyne Jones ensured that Chelsea’s on song central defensive partnership endured a miserable afternoon at the Britannia Stadium.
Jones is a fair bit down the pecking order of strikers in the Irish squad at the moment, but with Robbie Keane warming the bench and Kevin Doyle absent through injury, an opportunity may well present itself for Walters against Macedonia in Skopje in June.
Marc Wilson
Had Petr Cech not pulled off a truly magnificent save from Marc Wilson’s free-kick in the second half of the 1-1 draw against Chelsea, the defender may well have been hailed as a hero and as the man who put an end to Chelsea’s Premier League title hopes.
Wilson’s strike from the edge of the area was hit with vicious ferocity, yet somehow Cech managed to tip the ball onto the crossbar, something he managed again only seconds later when Robert Huth looked to have given Stoke the lead from the resultant corner.
The 23-year old also played a major role in a resilient defensive performance by Stoke as Carlo Ancelotti’s side threw everything but the kitchen sink at their opponents in search of an equaliser.
In the last couple of months, Wilson has quietly established himself as a regular in the Stoke defence, having started the Potters’ last six games. His rivals for the central defensive slots in the Irish team, Darren O’Dea and Sean St. Ledger, can’t claim to be Premier League regulars and Wilson’s consistent exposure at this level can only help his international aspirations.
nPower Championship
Shane Long
There is arguably no Irish player anywhere that can rival Shane Long for form at the moment. The Reading striker netted both goals in the Royals’ 2-0 victory over Portsmouth at the weekend, which eased his side into the final play-off place, keeping their hopes of a return to the Premier League very much alive.
Long put Reading in front with a cracking effort from long range, before tucking away a penalty just after the break after he was taken down by Ricardo Rocha in the area. The goals were Long’s 19th and 20th in the league this season, a record that is bettered only by Watford’s Danny Graham, who has 22 for the season.
Whether or not Reading gain promotion, you’d have to think that Long will be playing in the Premier League next season. His form and state of mind have remained unaffected by talk linking him with moves to West Ham and even Liverpool in January, and the top clubs are likely to come calling once again in the summer.
Wes Hoolahan
The impish playmaker was once again to the fore as Norwich thumped Scunthorpe 6-0 in a win that sees them consolidate second place in the Championship table and move ever closer to the promised land of the Premier League.
Wes Hoolahan has been magnificent for Norwich all season
The former Shelbourne star failed to get on the scoresheet, but was involved in the hat-tricks scored by both Grant Holt and Simeon Jackson and also rattled the woodwork with a fierce effort. Unfortunately for Hoolahan, he had to leave the field late on with a hamstring injury that threatens to rule him out for the season.
Given Hoolahan’s form this season, there have been calls for him to be given a call up by Giovanni Trapattoni, but Trap tends to like his midfielders strong and industrious and doesn’t seem to mind if they possess an inability to pass a ball. Creative types like Andy Reid and Hoolahan have previously been shunned by Trapattoni, but should the Canaries make it to the top flight next season, he can’t afford to ignore Hoolahan for much longer.
Scottish Premier League
Stephen Elliott
Hearts were on their way to a defeat in a hotly contested Edinburgh derby with Hibernian on Sunday until former Sunderland and Manchester City striker Elliott popped up with a late equaliser for Stephen Elliott’s side.
It was Elliott’s seventh goal of the season and ensured that Hearts remain the best team in Scotland outside the mini-league being contested by Rangers and Celtic at the top of the table.
Manager Jim Jeffries was effusive in his praise of the 27-year old former Irish international afterwards saying: “If anyone deserved a goal, it was Stephen. He had to change positions and he was a constant threat in the opening half hour.
“He should have scored, and he knows himself he should have but when we ask him to do that shift, coming in to support as well as getting wide, he was fantastic for us.
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