http://www.tribune.ie/sport/soccer/article/2010/may/16/market-forces/Market ForcesAs the closing bell sounds on another season, Ciaran Cronin sifts through Giovanni Trapattoni's portfolio to rate his prized assets
Outperforming The Market
» Damien Duff, right (48 club appearances/9 goals)
» Shay Given (44 apps)
» Kevin Doyle (37 apps/9 gls)
» Richard Dunne (46 apps/3 gls)
A change of surroundings can do wonders, can't it? Shay Given, in his first full season with Manchester City, and Richard Dunne, Kevin Doyle and Damien Duff at Aston Villa, Wolves and Fulham respectively, have all benefited from new surroundings this season. That applies most in the case of Duff. At Newcastle, the winger was a tight hamstring or pulled groin waiting to happen, but at his new home by the Thames he has played more club games this season than any other Irish international. And not only has he managed quantity, he's come up with quality too. As an inside-out winger, the now fashionable term for a winger playing on the wrong side, he has shown the same sleight of foot and intelligence that persuaded Chelsea to pay £17 million for him back in 2003.
Sure, some of the pace has gone but he remains as threatening a player as ever. The Duffer is back. His season may have come as something of a surprise but the quality that Given and Dunne have shown at their new clubs hasn't. The Irish keeper, before his unfortunate injury, was doing nothing different at City than he was doing at Newcastle but when you play for a club who have spent hundreds of millions and are towards the top of the table, your achievements come into the spotlight that little bit more. One of the best shot-stoppers in the game, he remains a player most clubs and countries would want in their side: if he were English, he'd be their number one. Dunne, meanwhile, appears to have stepped up a level since leaving City. There has been a freshness about the centre-half this season that seems to have sprung from the feeling that he is now at a club where he is wanted. Being voted in the PFA Team of the Year by your fellow professionals is a considerable honour, particularly when Dunne's form last season seemed to suggest that he wasn't quite the force he once was.
As for Doyle, another who relocated to the west midlands this summer, he has been a minor revelation. Wolves supporters groaned when they found out that their marquee summer signing was going to arrive from Reading but by, popular consent, the striker has produced at a level above all his teammates. He is, if you listen to some pundits, a top-four player, someone who would not be out of place in the Champions League and, while that may apply to his general play, he needs to shake off his Emile Heskey-syndrome and prove that he can get into double figures in the scoring charts. At a club other than Wolves, he might just do that.
Paying A Dividend
» Darron Gibson, left (23 club appearances/5 goals)
» Marc Wilson (35 apps)
» James McCarthy (23 apps/1 gl)
» David Meyler (11 apps)
» Anthony Stokes (41 apps/22 gls)
» Seamus Coleman (18 apps/1 gl)
» Keiren Westwood (46 apps)
» Stephen Hunt (27 apps/6 gls)
» Brian Murphy (16 apps)
It has been a positive year for the progress of young Irish talent. At the start of the season, Marc Wilson, James McCarthy, David Meyler and Seamus Coleman were all well down the pecking order at their respective clubs but over the course of the season, the foursome have gone on to make a considerable impact. Wilson's emergence at Portsmouth over the past nine months has as much to do with the club's financial situation as the player's talent but after being switched to central midfield by Avram Grant in recent months – away from the firing line at centre-half where his confidence seemed to be taking a battering – he has produced a series of mature performances, not least in the FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham.
McCarthy, meanwhile, eventually won Roberto Martinez's faith after Christmas having played mostly reserve football before that and his contribution has been noteworthy, not just for his ability on the ball, but for his maturity in so often doing the simple thing when most youngsters would try the extravagant. It is a sentiment that can also be applied to Meyler and Coleman. The Sunderland player's knee ligament injury may have him on the sidelines for the guts of next season but he has ensured that, when he does recover, Steve Bruce won't be afraid to pitch him into big games. Meyler is a player who works his backside off when his side are chasing the ball and uses it effectively when he has it, qualities that would endear him to any manager. Coleman, who has made his mark this season on-loan at Blackpool rather than at Everton, is a similarly honest player with an eye for attack from right-back.
Away from the new arrivals, Darron Gibson has been trusted by Alex Ferguson to play in a number of important games this season and he has shown an ability to play further up the pitch in midfield. He looks a more confident player than last season, while Anthony Stokes and Stephen Hunt look like different players entirely. The 21-year-old striker has been in scorching form for Hibernian this season and, even though his 22 goals have come in Scotland, it still represents a return to form. As for Hunt, he was voted Player of the Year at relegated Hull for his energetic and skilful performances before injury ruled him out for the run-in. A final word on two goalkeepers, Kieren Westwood and Brian Murphy, who have both performed brilliantly in the Championship this term. With Given on the sidelines, at least Ireland have solid options to fall back on.
Solid Investment
» Shane Long, right (36 club appearances/9 goals)
» Sean St Ledger (48 apps/4 gls) » Andy Reid (24 apps/2 gls)
» Stephen Kelly (20 apps)
» Steven Reid (22 apps/2 gls)
» Keith Fahey (42 apps)
» Kevin Foley (29 apps)
» Stephen Ward (24 apps)
» Glenn Whelan (38 apps/2 gls)
» Liam Lawrence (31 apps/1 gl)
» John O'Shea (18 apps, 1 gl)
» Leon Best (42 apps/10 gls)
For some Irish players across the water, standing still is good enough. For example, Glenn Whelan and Liam Lawrence did enough during Stoke's first Premier League season last year to suggest that they were capable of having an influence in English football's top tier; this season, with 30-plus appearances each, they've reiterated the point. It's a fine achievement, as it is of Keith Fahey, Kevin Foley and Stephen Ward, three players whose clubs earned promotion last season and who've each gone on to prove – with 42, 29, 24 appearances respectively – that the Premier League is not a step too far for them.
Then there are players like Stephen Kelly and Andy Reid. The pair were faced with crucial seasons at Fulham and Sunderland respectively, and both have shown that their careers are not on a downward slide. In fact, if injury hadn't hampered both over the latter months of the season, particularly Reid who was enjoying an influential season on Sunderland's left flank, they'd probably have done enough to be in a higher category. As it is, they have a base to build from next year.
A quartet of players in the Championship have also managed to avoid their football stock falling. With the departure of Kevin Doyle from Reading, Shane Long was expected to kick on and show his true potential as a first-choice striker but, while he struggled to get game-time during Brendan Rodgers's reign, he was a more regular presence under Brian McDermott. Leon Best, another Championship striker, secured a move to Newcastle in the January transfer window and despite not scoring for his new club, he will have opportunities next season to prove his worth on a higher stage. Sean St Ledger was another who had a topsy-turvy season. He moved to Middlesbrough on loan at the end of September but didn't see eye-to-eye with Gordon Strachan and found himself back at Preston. Thankfully for the centre-half, there appeared to be no grudges on the part of his former club and he slipped back into the starting line-up. He is, without doubt, a player good enough to play in the Premier League. Meanwhile, Steven Reid has gone about proving over the last two months of the season at West Brom that he is capable of stringing consecutive games together. The 29-year-old played at right back at the Hawthorns but the very fact that he played games without breaking down, no matter what position, is a promising sign. He is out of contract at Blackburn in June, but he should have plenty of potential suitors. As for John O'Shea, a season on the treatment table leaves his stock untouched.
Negative Equity
» Robbie Keane, left (44 club appearances /25 goals)
» Stephen Ireland (30 apps/3 gls)
» Aiden McGeady (49 apps/7 gls)
Stephen Ireland needs to get a "new head". So says Roberto Mancini, who either doesn't like his midfielder's bald look or feels that the player needs to get in the right frame of mind for next season. But Ireland's problem, as we've seen this season, is not necessarily his attitude – for once – but more the way he plays the game. He is designed to play in a floating role, in the hole behind a front two or perhaps as one of three in central midfield. He doesn't, however, seem to have the necessary tenacity or positional sense to play in a two-man central midfield and that doesn't look like an issue that's going to be sorted out anytime soon. His inability to adapt has seen his stock fall this season, plain and simple.
For Robbie Keane, it's a different issue. The striker has shown an impatient streak this season that doesn't exactly make him an enticing prospect for other clubs. In January, Keane had the option of fighting for his place at Tottenham or playing out the rest of the season at Celtic and he chose the latter. Sure, you can understand the guy's desire to play for a club he has a strong attachment to – and he did score 16 goals in 19 games in Scotland – but if Keane had any ambition, he would have tried his hardest to break into a Tottenham side who at that stage were hovering around the top four. With his loan spell at Celtic now up, the Ireland captain is, effectively, in limbo. He remains a Tottenham player but will Harry Redknapp want a player in his ranks who's likely to want to leave if he isn't getting a regular start? Will any serious Premier League club want such a player?
As for Aiden McGeady, he has suffered a lot this season. This time last year you could have seen the winger making a move to a club like Everton, Aston Villa or Tottenham but his relative struggles this term may make clubs like that think again. His stock has fallen to the extent that a move to somewhere like Birmingham or Wolves is now more likely.
Heading For A Crash
» Caleb Folan, below (9 club appearances/2 goals)
» Liam Miller (36 apps/2 gls)
» Kevin Kilbane (24 apps/1 gl)
Poor Caleb Folan. He moved to Middlesbrough on loan in September, pulled a hamstring early on during his time there and was then unwanted by Gordon Strachan. In the meantime, he had publicly criticised Phil Brown so when he arrived back at the KC Stadium he knew his days were numbered. He did make one or two appearances once Iain Dowie took charge but his career as a top-level footballer looks in serious jeopardy. It's a similar story for Kevin Kilbane. He still has one year left on his Hull contract but the 33-year-old looks set to become an increasingly peripheral figure.
Liam Miller, meanwhile, has enjoyed a decent season at Hibs but for a player once believed to be Roy Keane's successor, the 29-year-old has fallen a long way.
Note: Only players close to Giovanni Trapattoni's Ireland squad are considered for evaluation
