Republic of Ireland manager Noel King is hoping to get a look at all of the players in his squad for today’s lunchtime friendly international against the Netherlands in Tallaght, with the former Shamrock Rovers boss admitting he knows little enough at this stage about a group he will try to guide to the European Championships in 2015.
“If I could give everybody a game,” he said, “I’d be delighted to do that. We want to try and win the game, but it’s a priority to see the players – so that’s what we will try and do.
“The difficulty is not in not seeing them,” he added, however, “it is in trying to evaluate a player in League Two, in League One, the Championship, the Premier League, on the fringes, in the U21 squads, in the League of Ireland – they are all playing at different levels.
“To be able to say, if one does well in League Two, is he better than the fella that does okay in League One, that’s the challenge. That’s the most difficult part of the job, I find.”
Holders of tickets for tonight’s senior international can gain free admittance to this game by showing their ticket at the ground.
Ireland’s Under-19 side last night defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 in Flancare Park, with Ryan Coombes and Kenny McEvoy scoring.
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