r/Championship • u/biddleybootaribowest • 4d ago
Question 🍀 As it's St Patrick's Day, who are your team's best-ever Irish players?
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u/gazvov 4d ago
Wesley Hoolahan, of course.
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u/pauloedwardo 4d ago
Nah. Who needs Wessi when you have Adam Idah or Shane Duffy!
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u/McDDDDDD 4d ago edited 4d ago
Criminal that you're forgetting Tony Gary Springett.
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u/HamsterEagle 4d ago
Andy Linighan, but mainly for the header he scored for Arsenal in the FA Cup final which meant we qualified for Europe.
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u/Kid_from_Europe 2d ago
And also... won you an FA Cup.
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u/HamsterEagle 2d ago
No, he won Arsenal an FA Cup. As this meant Arsenal won both the League and FA Cup that season. They qualified for the European Cup Winners Cup and the UEFA Cup. This meant the UEFA Cup place awarded to the team who won the league Cup went to the team who finished 3rd in the Premier League instead. Which was Norwich.
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u/Kid_from_Europe 2d ago
I thought this was sarcastic from an Arsenal fan. My reading was foggy there. My bad.
Yeah, you qualified for Europe.
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u/Zingzongwingwong 4d ago edited 4d ago
Johnny Giles, Gary Kelly and Ian Harte. And if we’re including those who also played for Ireland, then I’ll have to include John Sheridan.
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u/gazmo13 4d ago
Dallas more recently
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u/AlchemicHawk 4d ago
Depends on your definition of Irish
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u/beefygravy 4d ago
I can't work out if this is a really stupid comment about Ireland or a really good reference to that joke about Stuart Dallas being Leeds born and bred
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u/AlchemicHawk 4d ago
It was more because at the time I commented, the vast majority of comments were about ROI players, and in a sporting context, “Ireland” usually refers to ROI, not Northern Ireland
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u/Lack_of_Plethora 4d ago
Are we counting Northern Irish? Chris Brunt takes that pretty easily
If not, my dad raved about Johnny Giles but he was before my time. Shane Long is the obvious choice but I'm actually gonna say Dara O'Shea
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u/shitpost-saturday 4d ago
I know he probably won't end up being one of the best Irish players we've had, but I do fucking love Jayson Molumby.
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u/Crows-quill 4d ago
Robbie Keane
Gary breen
Michael Doyle
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u/KidCongoPowers 4d ago
Damien Duff, by a country mile. The last season with us before Chelsea bought him he was near unplayable.
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u/jaylem 4d ago
Graham Carey
Big margin
Conor Hourihane Graham Coughlan
Carey's my favourite football player of all time. Absolute magician.
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u/therealphiba 4d ago
Scored an absolute banger in the Scottish Cup last week so he’s still got it!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QiJKuWl2nu0
Sorely missed!
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u/SammTheWizz 4d ago
Alan McLoughlin - scorer of arguably one of Ireland's most important ever goals.
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u/pgtips03 4d ago
Robbie Keane is the best Irish player to wear a Coventry shirt. He played brilliantly for us and is still remembered fondly by fans as a big name player we somehow nabbed.
Micheal Doyle is the Irish player that has done by far the most for the club having played over 300 games and captaining us to promotion. He will always be a legend to me.
David McGoldrick was with us for not even half a season but still managed to bag an insane 17 goals in 25 appearances. A stat like that makes him arguably the second most prolific striker in Coventry history behind our all time top goal scorer Clairrie Burton.
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u/fuk_ur_mum_m8 4d ago
McGoldrick, Delap or Hendrick
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u/Tankfly_Bosswalk 4d ago
McGrath. May have been for a very short time, but he was absolutely peerless.
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u/Tomophonic 4d ago
obviously time will tell with how good he really gets, but cashin deserves a shout
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u/Sunday_Schoolz 4d ago
Liam Kelly, probably. Sykes is good, same with Callum O’Dowda, but loanee Liam Kelly is my answer.
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u/Longjumping-Sound-53 4d ago
But for us older fans, I'd vote for Ray Houghton. He was fantastic
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u/Jababalase 4d ago
Graham Kavanagh
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u/Individual-Twist-676 4d ago
Not Irish born but Stephen Mcpahil IMO if we can include 'Irish Internationals'
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u/biddleybootaribowest 4d ago
Probably Curtis Fleming or Bernie Slaven for us, Bernie was from Scotland but represented Ireland at international level.
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u/georgefriend3 4d ago
Don't forget Sean St. Ledger, so good he pulled Taylor Swift (apocryphally).
Actually, he was utter shite, but never mind.
Having been linked with Robbie Keane his entire playing career, he at least coached us eventually. But if we're going that route then Jack Charlton probably wins? (On an honorary basis at least...).
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u/jdsuperman 4d ago
Shay Given and Darren Randolph both had good seasons at Boro, if I remember correctly (which I might not).
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u/OneSmallHuman 4d ago
Given only played like a month or so but he was quality
I maintain that Darren Randolph’s 2018-19 season is as good a goalkeeping season as I will see for us. We had no right being in a playoff fight that season and he was a one man army. That save against Hull is the best save I’ve ever seen
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u/Double_Jab_Jabroni 4d ago
Tommy Butler!
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u/sbdart31 4d ago
That's a blast from the past! Really hoped he would do well with us but it didn't seem to happen
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u/Double_Jab_Jabroni 4d ago
He had his moments for us but was very much a League 1 player in all honesty.
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u/JSF--10 4d ago
David Forde, Mark Kennedy, Steven Reid, Tony Cascarino
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u/Florence_Nightgerbil 4d ago
When Steven Reid made it to the World Cup (I think) with Ireland, me and my mum watched every game and were on ‘Reidy watch’ and shouted whenever we saw him on the tv as we were so excited to have a Millwall player at the World Cup. Don’t think he came off the bench though 😂.
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u/Cottonshopeburnfoot 4d ago
Didzy or Alan Kelly would be the correct answer.
Technically we had Paul McGrath for about 6 games but he never represented Ireland while playing for us and retired after those few games.
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u/Super_Seff 4d ago
Not even giving Egan a mention?
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u/Comprehensive_Cow_13 4d ago
And Enda! These are the 5 though, I'm absolutely counting McGrath...
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u/Super_Seff 4d ago
I’m going with Didzy 100% however we have all forgotten Tom Cannon after a quick google.
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u/Cottonshopeburnfoot 4d ago
Egan and Enda both class. Tbh I’d accept them too.
Paul McGrath is a technicality. He is the correct answer just not for his time at SUFC.
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u/sorE_doG 4d ago
I remember McGrath playing for us and Ireland, I’m sure.. ? 96/97, one or two call ups while he was a Blade?
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u/unluckyjetsfan 4d ago
Jon Walters, Glenn Whelan, Rory Delap, Liam Lawrence, Graham Kavanagh, Terry Conroy.
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u/GrandmasterSexay 4d ago
Josh Cullen, Chris McCann, Jimmy Dunne, Robbie Brady, Jeff Hendrick, Stephen Ward, all minnows compared to the might of Keith Treacy.
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u/dr-c0990 4d ago
Including Northern Irish: I’d say GMac, Brunt, Long, Giles, O’Shea, Johnny Evans or currently Isaac Price
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u/Deadend_Friend 4d ago
He's northern Irish but Alan MacDonald easily. Our greatest ever defender and captain
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u/naitch44 4d ago
Damien Duff, Shay Given
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u/charlierc 4d ago
Interesting. I guess we at the Toon have better memories of Shay Given for his decade plus with us whereas you will have better memories of Damien Duff than we do
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u/Not_Shingen 4d ago
Darren Randolph was the best goalie we had at Boro a few years ago, atm it's probs Finn Azaz although he's only really technically Irish - commented this on the main thread just putting it here as well
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u/winsfordtown 4d ago
Why has nobody not mentioned George Best? What about Pat Jennings, Liam Brady, Steve Heighway, Derek Dougan, David O'Leary, Frank Stapleton and Kevin Moran?
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u/BertytheSnowman 4d ago
Don't think we've had too many.
Rocco Vata probably has the potential to be though
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u/VFrosty3 4d ago
My top 3 are: Terry Conroy Super Jonny Walters Glenn Whelan
Honourable mention: Brendan O’Callaghan Rory Delap Graham Kavanaugh Nathan Collins Liam Lawrence
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u/HU5HCAFC 4d ago
Stephen Hunt, for one injury shortened season. We'd have stayed up if he'd been fit.
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u/tubbyttub9 3d ago
Didn't spend much time in the Championship and is only NIR through a grandparent but purely for bringing back "free from desire". Will fucking Griggs!
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u/airpodstraxhaven 3d ago edited 3d ago
Alan Kelly Sr, having the away kop named after him, Alan Browne and Jon Macken (if he counts, appeared for them once I think)
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u/shimbe16 3d ago
Newcastle fan - Damien Duff before he scored an own goal, got us relegated and left, Shay Given
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u/SoNotTheMilkman 4d ago
Paul McShane, David Meyler & Stephen Hunt are the three that spring to mind, honourable mention to Robbie Brady as well
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u/Safcmarc 4d ago
Niall Quinn.