Clemence won’t be joining us

Birmingham City midfielder Stephen Clemence has turned down the chance to play for Northern Ireland. He qualified to play for us through a Northern Irish grandparent but has decided against it.
“He has made his decision, which I respect” – LS.
Good job I say. And he wouldn’t have got it the first XI anyway.

Mowbray to build defence around Murdock

The Scotsman is reporting on how Hibs boss Tony Mowbray has nothing but praise for former Manchester United and Preston North End defender Colin Murdock despite the criticism the 29 year old has received from some quarters:
“People have been telling me from day one that I need to get a big, dominant centre-half but for the four or five weeks I have been involved Colin has done everything that has been asked of him.
“I can only judge on what I have seen. Colin attacks the ball in the air well, he’s defended well and been strong. He’s not got himself into positions where he has been vulnerable.
“At this moment in time I am happy with his contribution. I think that perhaps last year he was asked to play in a team that played a game that did not suit him.
“I went through similar things at Celtic ten years ago. I was asked to play a role that did not suit my qualities as a footballer and Colin’s qualities are not to turn and chase people, it is to have the game in front of him and to try and dominate people physically, to win headers and to keep the game going forward for us.
“I think that in the first three or four games he has played he has done very well.”

Update

George McCartney has lost the Sunderland captaincy to Gary Breen. The Sunderland left back, who plays in the middle of the defence for Northern Ireland, was handed the captaincy last season due to injury to Jason McAteer, and retained it even after McAteer had returned. Now however Mick McCarthy has decided to make the vastly experienced Breen his new captain, and this season George will only have his own game to worry about. McCarthy explained:
“George McCartney has done a great job as team captain but if I’m to be truthful to myself, I have to make Gary Breen captain. I could have left things as they were but that would have been the wrong way round and if I have to be honest with myself, then Breeny’s the captain.
George would have liked to have kept the captaincy but it wouldn’t have been right. And to be fair to George he agreed with all that and he said that if he was to be truthful to himself, Gary has to be the captain.
“The fact is that when I first brought Breeny in from West Ham last season it was with a view to making him club captain but he didn’t come in until later than expected, then he got injured and it was just one thing or another after that.
So the decision I’ve made now is one that I’ve been planning for a long time and I know it’s the right one.”
Paul McVeigh scored the opener for Norwich City in their 3-1 friendly win over Cambridge United yesterday. He headed in a David Bentley cross after only 3 minutes. His countryman Philip Mulryne was a 59th minute substitute.
Steve Lomas is facing a struggle to be fit for West Ham’s opening game of the season, against Leicester on the 7th of August after suffering an ankle injury in training. He should be fit for our friendly clash with Switzerland on the 18th however – if he is selected for the squad. Ex-captain Lomas has yet to play under Lawrie Sanchez due to injury but I feel he can still do a job for Northern Ireland and should feature in the Switzerland clash if he is fit.

Baird Speculation Continues

Ipswich Town manager Joe Royle revealed on Saturday that he was about to bring in a young Premiership defender on a season-long loan. Speculation was rife that this would be Northern Ireland right back Chris Baird, but today Royle denied this.
These latest doubts about Baird’s future at Southampton (still just weeks after he signed a new 2 year deal) have given his agent Gary Williams a chance to vent some of the frustration and confusion felt by himself and his player at this time:
AWS reported on Friday about the young full back’s shock exclusion from The Saints’ pre-season tour of Sweden. Commenting on this decision, Williams said his client “was very taken aback and very disappointed” to have been left behind.
“Paul Sturrock had a chat with Chris and told him that although he is very much in his thoughts for first team selection, he can only take so many players to Sweden and that Jason Dodd is his first choice right-back,” Williams added
The news quickly alerted even more First Division clubs to join those already interested in Chris. Watford, West Brom, Wigan and Norwich were all ready to sign him permanently before he signed his new contract, and now Leicester and Stoke, as well as Watford, are said to be interested in taking him on a season-long loan.
However, according to Williams, neither Sturrock or Baird would favour a season’s loan:
“Paul doesn’t want to send Chris out on a season-long loan – he wants to be able to recall him if needed. But Chris doesn’t want to go out on loan because he’s in the middle of buying a house in Southampton and his fiancee is pregnant.
“Chris was looking forward to pre-season with Southampton and trying to force his way into the manager’s plans, and that’s what he will continue to do.
“He wants to stay at Saints.”
Williams was at a loss to explain the attitude taken to Baird by successive Southampton managers:
“Last season I was getting promising pre-season reports about Chris and then Gordon Strachan left him out. Now I’m hearing the same promising pre-season reports, and he’s been left out again.
“It does seem surprising to me.”
However as regards Northern Ireland, injury will be the only thing that could prevent him lining up against Poland when we kick off our World Cup Qualifiers on the 4th of September.
AWS Coverage of the depressing saga

Elliot and Brunt on target

Northern Ireland international Stuart Elliot scored a dramatic equaliser for Hull City today with the last kick of the game in their friendly against Tottenham Hotspur. England international Jermain Defoe had given Spurs the lead before Hull pegged them back with a penalty. Defoe scored again and it looked like Spurs would take the win, but their defence failed to fully clear an injury time corner and the former Motherwell and Glentoran forward lashed home a fine goal to make it 2-2.
U23 international Chris Brunt was another Ulsterman on target, equalising for Sheffield Wednesday in their friendly with York City. Brunt then set up the winner after his shot was saved, to make it 2-1 to The Owls.

Whitley ready to fight for place

Northern Ireland midfielder Jeff Whitley has admitted he will have to fight for his place in the centre of Mick McCarthy’s midfield next season. However the Zambian born player told the Newcastle Journal that he will not surrender his first-team shirt lightly:
“There is a lot of competition, especially in the midfield, but I want to be in that team on August 7. I know it won’t be easy because the other players all want the same thing. It’s up to me to use the remainder of pre-season to prove to the manager that he should pick me.”
“It’s important to have a big squad, particularly in midfield where the majority of the tackling is done, because players will pick up injuries over the course of the season. We have good competition in that area and, while everybody is fit, there will be a fight to win a place in the team.
After losing in the play-off semi-finals last year, Sunderland are determined to achieve promotion this year, and according to Whitley, they are aiming to win the league.
“I was delighted to sign a new contract at Sunderland and I’m focused on the job ahead now and I’m determined to help the club push on for promotion”
“There were plenty of talks with the club and it was just a case of finalising it. As much as we had a good season last year, it had a disappointing end and we don’t want that to happen this season. We are looking for top spot. There are some big clubs in this league and we are one of them.
“We have to make sure we are right up there with the best of them but we have nothing to fear.”

McAuley set to sign for Stockport

Big Gareth McAuley’s trial with Stockport County appears to have been a success, and the Coleraine defender looks set to sign for the Coca Cola League One side next week. He told the Belfast Telegraph:
“There are still some things to sort out.
I am coming home for the weekend but should be going back on Monday or Tuesday and will sign as long as the contract is right for me.”
If the move goes through, the Northern Ireland B International will join up with countrymen Danny Griffin, Warren Feeney and Owen Morrison.

Steve Jones

We often forget that football is only a game. The famous statement by Bill Shankly that football is more important than life or death has often been attacked by those who know better, and in the case of Northern Ireland winger Steve Jones it looks more foolish than ever.
Jones’ premature baby has been fighting for its life for weeks, but the Londonderry man’s character has shone through, and he was singled out for praise by Crewe Alexandra manager Dario Gradi after he played and scored for the the Coca Cola Championship side in a recent friendly victory over Everton:
“He is coping very, very well,” Gradi told the club’s official website.
“At the moment he is sleeping on the floor of his wife’s room in hospital in Liverpool and eating hospital food. That is his life at the moment, so he is doing tremendously well I think.
“He is keeping himself going and whilst you could never wish this situation on anybody, it seems like it is making a man of him. I don’t mean that in a derisory way I just mean to say that he is coming through this situation with flying colours and I have been very impressed with him.”
Gradi had already told the 28 year old that he could train around his family obligations and not to feel obliged to be at training every day, but while Jones didn’t go to the recent training camp at Bisham Abbey, he felt he needed to play against The Toffees.
“I have missed quite a lot of training already and so I really wanted to come and play in this game. To play against Everton was something I needed and to score against my boyhood idols was something special.
“The last few weeks have been very traumatic to say the least, with my baby fighting for his life. But I wanted to come and play and do well for Crewe and this has helped me a lot.”
Our thoughts and prayers are with him at this traumatic time.

Baird blow, Blayney boost

Just weeks after rejecting offers from numerous other clubs and signing a new two year deal with Southampton, Northern Ireland right back Chris Baird has been left out of their pre-season tour to Sweden. Being handed the number 32 shirt when the squad numbers were released 2 days ago will hardly fill him with confidence either.
Saints manager Paul Sturrock has included Alan Blayney in his 23 man squad however, at the expense of keeper Paul Smith. Blayney’s performances when called upon at the end of last season appear to have elevated him to second choice at the club.

Update: Updated

15TH – 22ND JULY 2004
The last week saw Northern Ireland U20s defeat Brazil 2-1 in the Elite Section of the Milk Cup, but a 1-0 defeat to Russia and the blowing of a two goal lead to draw 2-2 with Israel either side of this result meant that the historic win wasn’t enough.
Aaron Hughes scored the winning penalty for Newcastle United against FC Kitchee in Hong Kong. It came almost 12 months after his miss against Partizan Belgrade sent Newcastle crashing out of the Champions League at the Qualifying stage. Also, according to the Newcastle Journal, Hughes will be given ‘every opportunity’ to make the centre half position he plays for his country, his regular Newcastle position.
Michael Hughes was bitterly disappointed only to be offered a one year contract extension rather than the two year one he was expecting, but the 32 year old Northern Ireland midfielder will sign it anyway.
Mike Duff and Warren Feeney both made impressive debuts for their new clubs. Duff put in a ‘competent’ display for Burnley against Hearts, while Warren Feeney scored with a curling shot for Stockport County in his debut against Radcliffe Borough last night.
Keith Gillespie set up a goal in a friendly with Mark Williams’ MK Dons. There’s an interview with the Dons captain here
Andy Smith and David Healy have both done well during Preston North End’s preseason campaign, with Smith providing a number of assists and Healy scoring a few and generally looking like one of their best players.
Ciaran Toner has been invited to join Lincoln City for their pre-season tour of France, and looks likely to be offered a contract there, after his surprise release by Leyton Orient at the end of last season.
Steve Lomas has come through West Ham’s pre-season tour of Sweden unscathed and says his aim is to go through the forthcoming season injury free.
In fixture news, Old Trafford has been confirmed by the English FA as the venue for Northern Ireland’s clash with England in World Cup Qualifying Group 6 on the 26th of March next year. The BBC have said they will show Northern Ireland’s away friendly with Switzerland live on tv on Wednesday 18th August. The U21 match against the Swiss at the Oval has been moved to 5pm on that day so fans can go to it and then watch the full senior match afterwards.
Oh, and Colin Murdock headed in the winner for Hibs as they beat Rangers 1-0 yesterday. That’s Berwick Rangers, like.