Is a goalkeeping crisis not being discussed?

With the play-off for Euro 2020 a month away, a lot of the recent discussion on the squad Mick McCarthy is set to announce on March 13th has been on the strikers - will Troy Parrott be named, has Shane Long's recent form earned him a recall, will David McGoldrick be recovered in time, can Aaron Connolly get back into the Brighton starting XI, does Scott Hogan's recent good form count, etc.

However, we think another conversation should be happening - who is going to be in goals against Slovakia?

Since the final whistle was blown against Denmark in November, first choice Darren Randolph played once for Middlesbrough before a thigh injury sidelined him. On recovering, he earned a move to Premier League side West Ham during the January transfer window. Unfortunately the Bray native has only appeared three times for the Hammers since the move, with his last appearance coming a month ago against West Brom in the FA Cup.

Mark Travers was named on the bench against Denmark, and has had a similar player record to Randolph since November - appearing three times for Bournemouth, twice in the FA Cup and once in the Premier League. Fellow unused substitute against the Danes Kieran O'Hara has played more games than any other number 1 since then, he's named in the starting XI for loan side Burton Albion, 21 times since that night in Aviva stadium. The Brewers currently sit twelfth in League One.

Looking at the other Irish goalkeepers playing outside Ireland, only five men - James McKeown, Jack Bonham, Max O'Leary, Danny Rogers, and Conrad Logan - have ten or more appearances since November, and none of them at a higher level than mid-table in England's third tier.

Of the other players capped at, or called up to, senior international level, Joe Murphy has appeared six times for Shrewsbury Town, Kristiansund's Sean McDermott's season ended in early December, and the Norwegian 2020 season will not kick off until early April. Caoimhin Kelleher has played twice for Liverpool, but is expected to be on U21 duty, and Kieren Westwood clarified on Twitter recently why he has not appeared for Sheffield Wednesday since the end of November.

So, with all that in mind - do we have a goalkeeping crisis?
Who would you like to see named in the squad?

Round up for weekend of Friday, 24th January 2020

Friday, 24th January 2020

FA Cup

QPR 1-2 Sheffield Wednesday

Ryan Manning's start made his 80th appearance for QPR
Alex Hunt came off the bench for his first appearance August

Saturday, 25th January 2020

Championship

Stoke City 2-0 Swansea

In his 70th appearance for Stoke City, James McClean scored his fifth goal of the season, a month after his last strike

League 1

Bristol Rovers 0-0 Fleetwood

Paddy Madden was named in the Fleetwood starting XI for the 80th time
At the other other end of the scale, Glenn Whelan made his first appearance for the Fisherman after completing his move on Friday

Burton Albion 1-1 Accrington Stanley

John-Joe O'Toole was shown his first yellow card in three months

Ipswich 1-0 Lincoln City

Conor Coventry came off the bench for his tenth career appearance

Rochdale 2-2 Gillingham

Eoghan O'Connell's start was the 100th time in the defender's career that he was named in a starting XI

League 2

Crawley 3-2 Grimsby

Reece Grego Cox came off the bench at half time for his first appearance in six weeks

Macclesfield 2-1 Forest Green

Fiacre Kelleher's start was his 70th appearance in League Two
Corey O'Keeffe was sent off for the first time in his career
After completing his loan move to Forest Green on Friday, Conrad Logan made his first appearance for the Green

Mansfield Town 3-0 Bradford City

Harry Charsley was named in Mansfield Town's starting XI for the first time
Anthony O'Connor made his 80th appearance for Bradford City
Eoin Doyle made his 50th start for Bradford City
Jamie Devitt came off the bench for his first appearance since Tuesday, 3 September

Scottish Championship

Arbroath 2-1 Partick Thistle

Lee O'Connor made his first appearance for loan club Partick Thistle

FA Cup

Burnley 1-2 Norwich

Kevin Long was booked for the first time in more than a year in what was his 60th start for Burnley

Millwall 0-2 Sheffield United

Jay Molumby's start was his 30th career appearance

Sunday, 26th January 2020

Scottish Premier League

Hearts 2-1 Rangers

Aidan White's start was his first appearance in a month

Round Up for week of Tuesday, 4th December 2018

Tuesday, 4th December 2018

Premier League

Brighton and Hove Albion 3-1 Crystal Palace

Shane Duffy was sent off for the third time in his career, more than two years after his last red card in August 2016.
Duffy is the first Irish player to be sent off in the Premier League since Jeff Hendrick in February 2017

West Ham United 3-1 Cardiff

Declan Rice's start was his 50th career appearance

Football League Trophy

Portsmouth 2-1 Arsenal U21

Joe Mason came off the bench for his first appearance in two months

Cheltenham 1-1 Newport Co.

Padraig Amond scored his tenth goal of the season

Mansfield Town 0-1 Bury

In his first first appearance since September, Stephen Dawson was set off for the third time in his career. This was his first red card since April 2013
Conrad Logan was booked for the first time this season

Polish Cup

Arka Gdynia 0-2 Jagiellonia Białystok

Cillian Sheridan scored his first goal in the Polish Cup

Wednesday, 5 December 2018

Scottish Premier League

Motherwell 1-1 Celtic

Conor Sammon was named in the Motherwell starting XI for the first time since Saturday, 22 September
Jonathan Hayes' start was his first appearance since Thursday, 30 August

Round Up for week of Tuesday, 26th December 2017

Tuesday, 26th December 2017

Premier League

Chelsea 2-0 Brighton and Hove Albion

Shane Duffy made his 50th appearance for Brighton and Hove Albion, all of which have been starts

Manchester United 2-2 Burnley

Jeff Hendrick made his 50th start for Burnley
Jonathan Walters came off the bench for his first appearance since August

Championship

Millwall 2-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers

Shaun Williams started his first game for Millwall in three months, and was shown his first yellow card since Tuesday, 12th September

Barnsley 0-0 Preston North End

Daryl Horgan was named in Preston's starting XI for the first time since early August

Brentford 2-1 Aston Villa

Glenn Whelan start for Villa was the midfielder's 100th appearance in the Championship
Lining out beside Whelan, Scott Hogan had his first start since Saturday, 4th November

League 1

Gillingham 1-1 Oxford United

Conor Wilkinson's strike for Gillingham was his tenth goal in League One

Blackburn 2-0 Rochdale

Keith Keane returned for Rochdale, making his first appearance in four months
Derrick Williams was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Blackpool 2-3 Scunthorpe

Jimmy Ryan was booked for the fifth time this season and is suspended for the next game

Bury 0-3 Rotherham

Stephen Dawson was booked for the first time this season in his first start for Bury since Thursday, 10th August
Lee Frecklington's strike was his 15th goal in League One
On his 25th appearance of the season, Anthony Forde was shown his first yellow card since Tuesday, 17th October

Oldham 1-2 Fleetwood

Courtney Duffus came off the bench for Oldham for his first appearance since Tuesday, 21th November

Walsall 0-0 Bristol Rovers

Rory Gaffney made his 100th appearance in English football

League 2

Grimsby 1-1 Mansfield Town

Conrad Logan made his 100th appearance in the League Two

Carlisle United 3-1 Accrington Stanley

Jamie Devitt's opener for Carlisle was his 25th goal in League Two

Cheltenham 0-2 Yeovil

Connor Smith was booked for the first time since Saturday, 23rd September

Swindon Town 0-5 Luton

James Collins scored his 120th goal of his career

Scottish Premier League

Dundee 0-2 Celtic

Darren O'Dea came off the bench for his first appearance in a month

Report Up for Tueday, 26th September 2017

Tuesday, 26th September 2017

Championship

Brentford 1-1 Derby County

Richard Keogh was booked for the second time this season, exactly a month after his first booking on Saturday, 26 August

Bristol City 2-0 Bolton

Callum O'Dowda made his 25th start for Bristol City

Burton Albion 0-4 Aston Villa

On the same day he was called up to the Ireland national side for the first time, Scott Hogan made his 25th appearance for Aston Villa

Ipswich 5-2 Sunderland

Aiden McGeady scored his second goal of the season

League 1

Blackburn 2-0 Rotherham

Anthony Forde returned to the Rotherham starting XI for the first time in more than a month for his 25th start for the club

Portsmouth 3-0 Bristol Rovers

Ryan Sweeney made his 25th start for Bristol Rovers

League 2

Cheltenham 3-0 Mansfield Town

Kevin Dawson made his 150th career appearance
Conrad Logan was booked for the first time this season

Crawley 1-2 Newport Co.

Mark Connolly scored his first goal of the season

Swindon Town 1-2 Coventry

Michael Doyle scored his first goal of the season

Wycombe Wanderers 3-2 Crewe Alexandra

Michael Harriman scored his first goal of the season, almost 18 months after his last goal in April 2016

Round Up - Weekend of 14th January 2017

Saturday, 14 January 2017

Premier League

Hull City 3-1 Bournemouth
Harry Arter made his 200th start for Bournemouth

Sunderland 1-3 Stoke City
Glenn Whelan reached the landmark of 500 career appearances

Championship

Birmingham City 0-0 Nottingham Forest
Stephen Gleeson made his 100th start for Birmingham

Fulham 2-0 Barnsley
Aidan White was booked for the first time this season

Ipswich 3-2 Blackburn
Darragh Lenihan made his 25th appearance of the season

Preston North End 2-0 Brighton and Hove Albion
Daryl Horgan marked his first start for Preston with an assist on the Lilywhites' second goal against Brighton

Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 Aston Villa
Joe Mason scored his fourth goal of the season, having not scored before this since scoring three goals in his first five games of the season

League 1

Chesterfield 1-0 Coventry
Kevin Foley made his first start for Coventry since signing for the club on January 6th

Fleetwood 3-1 Bristol Rovers
Cian Bolger set a personal best by scoring his third goal of the season, beating his previous record of two goals in 2011-12

Oldham 1-0 Gillingham
Emmanuel Osadebe made his first appearance in two months

Southend United 2-1 Rochdale
Joe Rafferty made his 150th start for the club
Simon Cox scored his ninth goal of the season (his fifth goal in his last five games), reaching the milestone of 100 career goals

To say I'm buzzing is an understatement! To achieve 100 career goals makes every sacrifice worth it. Thanks for the messages #100 #5in5

— Simon Cox (@SCoxy31Real) January 14, 2017

Conrad Logan was booked for the first time this season, this was the goalkeeper's first booking since September 2014
Keith Keane was sent off for the first time since November 2008

Walsall 4-1 Sheffield United
After signing for Walsall on loan, Eoghan O'Connell made his first appearance for the club. This was the defender's first appearance since September 13th

League 2

Barnet 1-3 Doncaster Rovers
After signing for Doncaster Rovers during the week, Ian Lawlor made his debut for the club. This was the goalkeeper's first appearance since  last March

Cambridge United 0-0 Blackpool
Jake Carroll made his first appearance for Cambridge United

Crawley 1-0 Hartlepool
Conor Henderson came off the bench to make his first appearance since December 7th

Crewe Alexandra 1-2 Luton
Alan Sheehan was sent off for the first time since September 2014

Grimsby 0-3 Exeter
After signing for Grimsby earlier in the January transfer window, Gavin Gunning made his first appearance for the club

Sunday, 15 January 2017

Australian A-League

Newcastle Jets 2-2 Perth Glory
Andy Keogh's first goal since December 2nd was the striker's 30th goal in the A-League

Round Up - Weekend of 20th August 2016

Saturday, 20 August 2016
Championship
Fulham 2-2 Cardiff
Anthony Pilkington scored his first goal of the season

Nottingham Forest 4-3 Wigan
Stephen Henderson's booking this afternoon was his first yellow card since December 2015

Reading 2-2 Brighton and Hove Albion
Paul McShane's equaliser for Reading was his first goal since February

Derby County 0-0 Aston Villa
Richard Keogh was booked for the first time this season

League 1
Millwall 2-1 Sheffield United
Shaun Williams' strike for Millwall today was the midfielder's first goal since December 2015

Rochdale 0-1 MK Dons
Conrad Logan marked his second debut for Rochdale with a penalty save

Southend United 1-1 Bristol Rovers
Simon Cox's booking today was his first booking in more than a year. Previous to this, the striker hadn't been booked since 8th August 2015

League2
Plymouth 2-0 Mansfield Town
Connor Smith made his 25th career start
Graham Carey opened his goalscoring account for the season with the first brace of his career

Portsmouth 2-0 Colchester
Adam Barton made his 25th appearance for Portsmouth

Scottish First Division 
Dundee Utd 3-0 Ayr
Willo Flood scored his first goal since 2 April 2014

Sunday, 21 August 2016
Premier League
West Ham United 1-0 Bournemouth
Harry Arter was sent off for the third time in his career, his last red card came Saturday, 5 April 2014

Round up - Week of 17th May 2016

Tuesday, 17 May 2016
Championship Play Off Semi Final
Hull City 0-2 Derby County
Jeff Hendrick returned to the Derby County starting XI for the first time since 19th March, and was booked for the fifth time this season

Wednesday, 18 May 2016
League 2 Play Off Semi Final
Accrington Stanley 2-2 AFC Wimbledon
Seamus Conneely made his 50th start of the season

Friday, 20 May 2016
League 1 Play Off Semi Final
Millwall 1-1 Bradford City
Billy Clarke made his 25th start of the season

Saturday, 21 May 2016
English FA Cup
Crystal Palace 1-2 Manchester United
Damien Delaney was booked for the first time since 6th February

Scottish FA Cup
Rangers 2-3 Hibernian
Both braces scored by Anthony Stokes this season have come in the Scottish Cup
A summary of Conrad Logan's season:

• Released by Leicester City in the summer
• Signs a short term deal with Hibs in March
• Saves two penalties in the Scottish Cup semi final in his first game for Hibs in April
• Wins the Scottish Cup with Hibs for the first time in 114 years in May!

Round Up - Weekend of 15th April 2016

Friday, 15 April 2016
Championship
Hull City 2-1 Wolverhampton Wanderers
David Meyler returned to the Hull starting XI for the first time since 8th March

Saturday, 16 April 2016
Premier League
Everton 1-1 Southampton
Darron Gibson returned to the starting XI for his first start since 9th January, this was also his first league start of the season. Remarkably, his booking today was the first time he'd been booked since September 2013 - it's been more than 900 days since his last yellow at club level!

Championship
Blackburn 0-2 Huddersfield
Shane Duffy and Darragh Lenihan were both booked for the tenth time this season. All of Lenihan's bookings this season have come in 2016.

Sheffield Wednesday 1-1 Ipswich
David McGoldrick made his first for Ipswich start since 31st October

League 1
Coventry 2-1 Millwall
Shaun Williams was sent off for the third time for Millwall (fourth in his career), his last red card was in December 2014

Gillingham 0-2 Port Vale
John Egan made his first start since 13th February

League 2 
AFC Wimbledon 1-0 Crawley
Connor Smith was booked for the first time this season, after more than two years since his last booking in February 2014
Charles Dunne was booked for the first time this season, having not been booked since January 2015

Bristol Rovers 2-1 Yeovil
Rory Gaffney scored his tenth goal of the season, more than a month after his last goal

Portsmouth 1-2 Plymouth
Carl McHugh was booked for the tenth time this season

Stevenage 2-1 Newport Co.
Jake Mulraney scored his first goal for Stevenage, which was also the first goal of the season, and the first goal of his career! Congratulations Jake!

Scottish FA Cup
Hibernian 0-0 Dundee Utd
Conrad Logan made his first appearance since December 2014, after recently signing a short term deal with Hibs

Sunday, 17 April 2016
Premier League
Arsenal 1-1 Crystal Palace
Damien Delaney made his 150th appearance for Crystal Palace

Monday, 18 April 2016
Premier League
Stoke City 0-4 Tottenham
Shay Given made his first start since 22nd September, and his first league start since May!

Further Reading
DAVID SHONFIELD: Cesare Maldini: The Italian who turned defending into an art - Irish Examiner
Football clubs trawl social media for gaffes by transfer targets - The Guardian
"The future for the League of Ireland is to have academies" according to Ruud Dokter - Off The Ball

Irish Abroad player statistics for November 2014

Appearance data for November 2014: http://irish-abroad.appspot.com/MonthlyStats?month=11
Brentford's Alan Judge and Perth Glory's Andy Keogh started the most wins, with both players finishing on the winning side five times
Keogh also started the most games of any outfield player, starting for his club six times. Goalkeeper Conrad Logan started seven games while out on loan at Rochdale, and both players completed 90 minutes in each one.
David Forde, Keiren Westwood, John O'Shea, Shaun Williams, Shane Duffy and Harry Arter all started three draws in November
Robbie Brady, Mark Connolly and Matt Doherty finished on the losing side four times
Doherty was also the most booked player, collecting three yellow cards
Aiden McGeady, Robbie Brady, Anthony Forde, David McGoldrick, Simon Cox, Anthony Stokes and Sean Scannell were all substituted three times in the second last month of 2014
Conversely, Conor Sammon was the most introduced substitute in November, coming off the bench five times
Goalkeepers Colin Doyle and Jack Bonham were the most unused substitutes, staying on the bench five times. Daniel Devine, Joey O'Brien and Leon Best were the most unused outfield substitute players, each player remained on the bench in four games
Daryl Murphy was the top scorer in November with four goals, and Adam Rooney was the only player to score a penalty, with a single strike from 12 yards