Liam Lawrence has criticised wannabe Irish internationals such as Jermaine Pennant and Jamie O’Hara, whose desire to play for Ireland is wholly down to the fact that they missed out playing for England.
Considering that Lawrence was born near Nottingham and qualified to play for Ireland through his Kerry-born grandfather, it would seem like a strange stance to take, but it is the fact that they were only willing to consider Ireland once they realised they would not play for England that has peeved off Lawrence and a few other players in the Irish squad.
A change in FIFA rules in 2009 allowed players to switch allegiance from one country to another provided they had not played a competitive international, which has led to players such as Pennant declaring their interest in playing for Ireland, despite the fact that doubts surround his eligibility.
“He is a good player,” said Lawrence, when asked about Stoke winger Pennant.
“The only thing I know upsets us is when people are trying to juggle between England and Ireland. That’s the only issue really. And it is not just me saying that.
“It doesn’t look good, does it? You know, for an Irishman to say that. I think Glenn (Whelan) has given him some stick already.”
Lawrence was asked whether similar comments from Jamie O’Hara had the same effect on the squad and the Portsmouth midfielder continued: “We don’t dislike these people. It is just some of the comments they come out with when they’re saying they are juggling between Ireland and England, you just don’t do it, do you?”
Lawrence also delivered a veiled criticism of Giovanni Trapattoni’s stubborn reluctance to change Ireland’s 4-4-2 formation, citing the Russian game as an example that it may cost them in games against the bigger sides.
“You just get outnumbered,” he said.
“The Russia game was a prime example. For the first 50 minutes, we played. 4-4-2 and got the runaround. When we changed, we nearly got back in the game.
“Even at Portsmouth this year, we played 4-4-2 and every team we came up against seemed to be able to counter it. We were getting beaten by teams that weren’t as good as us, due to the formation.”
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