Steven Reid
For those of you worried that this is another blurb to ask aimless questions about why Giovanni Trapattoni continues to not call up Andy Reid, fear not. Instead, this is about the other Reid......the good one.......Steven.
After causing quite a stir recently by suggesting that the Blackburn Rovers player would struggle to regain full fitness, it was not that surprising that the Republic of Ireland manager opted not to include the player in his squad for next month's World Cup qualifying play-off with France.
The hope amongst many fans was that Reid had done enough in a goal-scoring 70 minute display in the Carling Cup against Peterborough United to convince Mr. Trapattoni that he was ready for an international return.
But this wily 70-year-old is not that easy to please. He knows when a player is lacking in games and isn't prepared to drop someone like Liam Miller, who has been impressive for Hibernian, for a player that has yet to complete 90 minutes of first-team football this season.
Is that good management by Trapattoni? Or has he taken a big gamble by leaving Reid out?
Fit enough = Good enough
Reid's exclusion from the 25-man panel is sure to raise a fresh debate over the Irish manager's selection policy. Arguments will be made about his insistence to cling to cautioness and his unwillingness to take more of a risk with certain players.
They (the doubters) will say that Blackburn would not have picked Reid to start earlier in the week if he was not fit enough to play. Well, that is debatable considering several of his team-mates have been hit with swine flu and it was a league cup match against a lower league side.
While he did score a penalty - just about - that isn't really enough. He simply needs more games. Playing reserve football, where he has scored twice recently, is fine, but performing in the Premier League is where it matters most.
However, I do think that he should have been included in the squad ahead of Darron Gibson, who is also only returning from injury. Yes, Reid's absence was much longer, but he can contribute much more than the Manchester United youngster if he is fit enough to play.
If Trapattoni had included Reid then he would have been able to assess his fitness in training. Perhaps he wanted to sidestep the pressure of having such a player in the squad at a time when he needs Glenn Whelan and Keith Andrews to be as focused as they have ever been wearing green jerseys.
A squad good enough to win
The other players that missed the cut for the play-off squad are Kevin Foley, Steve Finnan, Caleb Folan, and Noel Hunt. Each has an able replacement already called up, so their absence should not be felt.
A scan through the Irish squad does not lead one's eyes to many star names, but it does hint at solidity in a big way. By now, the team really picks itself with just the wing positions proving difficult to predict.
Damien Duff is back in contention, so Liam Lawrence may miss out on starting against the French in Dublin. But the positive thing to note is that Ireland now have four wingers (Duff, Lawrence, Stephen Hunt, Aiden McGeady) who all provide good attacking options.
Overall it is a squad good enough to win the two play-off games. Whether lessons have been learnt about conceding late goals, taking shots from open play, and marking tighter at set-pieces remains to be seen. At least, Trapattoni knows he has the players capable of addressing those issues and pushing his team towards World Cup qualification.