With Ireland’s place now confirmed at the Uefa European Championships in Poland and Ukraine next summer, Giovanni Trapattoni’s loyalties with his present squad of players will be tested to the full in the coming months.
Already struggling to cement their position in the Italian’s plans are high profile names such as Everton’s Seamus Coleman and James McCarthy of Wigan Athletic. So being part of the 23-player squad boarding the Euro 2012 plane will not be an easy task. Genuine possibilities of finding players who could add something different to the squad are few. But one locality that may merit some interest is Carrow Road.
Norwich City, back in the top flight after a six-year absence, are not just getting results but are playing an entertaining style of soccer. Contributing largely to their success are Anthony Pilkington, Marc Tierney and Wes Hoolahan. Pilkington has scored four goals while Tierney has played every minute so far this season, but it’s Hoolahan who is the cog in the wheel at the East Anglian club.
Hoolahan started his career with Belvedere FC – a schoolboy club on the Dublin’s northside – before moving to Shelbourne FC, where the 29-year-old won three league titles and the opportunity to play in the Champions League. In 2003 he was voted PFAI Young Player of the Year.
Financial difficulties at ‘The Reds’ prompted a move to the Scottish Premiership where he joined Livingstone for a brief spell of just 16 games, after which he moved south of the border on loan to Blackpool before making the deal a permanent one. Two good seasons followed, with over 80 appearances and promotion to the Championship.
Norwich City’s then manager Glenn Roeder brought the Dubliner to Carrow Road during the summer of 2008. The early journey with ‘The Canaries’ was a bumpy one for Hoolahan, as they were struggling before he arrived and continued to do so for the next 14 months.
Roeder was sacked in January 2009 and his replacement, Bryan Gunn, could not steer them clear of relegation. Following a 7-1 hammering at home on the opening day of the new season, Gunn met with the same fate as Roeder.
In stepped former Glasgow Celtic favourite Paul Lambert and there the fairytale began for both Norwich City and Hoolahan. Lambert switched him from the wing to a supporting role behind the front two. This combination, with Grant Holt and Chris Martin up front and Hoolahan just behind, produced 67 goals from the trio, helping Norwich to finish as League One champions and return to the Championship.
Hoolahan became a prominent figure in English football’s second tier, scoring 10 goals as a creative midfielder in 41 appearances for Norwich, who finished runners-up to Queens Park Rangers thus producing back-to-back promotions and ultimately returning to the Premier League.
In recognition of Hoolahan’s excellent performances during this period, the number 14 was given a new contract that will keep him at Carrow Road until June 2014. Lambert was proud at securing the deal last January, saying: “It’s great for the club and great for Wes himself and I’m delighted with it.”
Consolidating his place in the Premier League is top priority, but Hoolahan must be keeping half an eye on that plane to Euro 2012.
The midfielder was capped three times in the green shirt at U-21 level but his solitary cap for the senior team came in a friendly against Colombia three years ago. Trapattoni and his assistant Marco Tardelli were already in charge of the Irish squad at the time so there is some familiarity between the management and the player.
Last month Tardelli travelled to Carrow Road to watch the hosts play Arsenal, and see all three Irish players in action. He told the Norwich Evening News: “We follow all players and we decide, Giovanni decides, when will be the right moment. Maybe be it is possible they could play in the friendly [in February], but I cannot say for sure. They know we follow them, if they play everything is possible.”
He added: “For us and the international team it is very good because they are young players for the future. ”
Although Hoolahan – nearing 30 – may not fall into ‘young player for the future’ category, Tardelli still seemed to be impressed with how he has progressed in the last few years.
“I know him from two or three years ago when we arrived in Ireland,” said Tardelli. “He is a good player, good quality, a skilful player and I think now more experienced than three years ago.
“He can play in midfield but he can also play as the second striker. He sometimes plays in this position for Norwich, which I think is good.”
This versatility in a small squad for a big tournament, combined with maintaining his good form and avoiding injury, could be Hoolahan’s ticket to Poland and Ukraine. From a minnow just a couple of years ago to possibly a maestro, the Dubliner’s fairytale continues.
