O’Neill’s winners and losers

Winners

Wes Hoolahan

The midfielder’s marginalisation under Trapattoni became the key criticism of the Italian towards the end his tenure and while O’Neill certainly hasn’t made him an automatic starter he has almost always been involved when fit.

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MISSING: Reid hasn’t been seen since O’Neill’s first game

Stephen Ward

The Dubliner barely featured after a poor Euro 2012 and with his club career in trouble around the same time he must have been worried about his international future but O’Neill has brought him back and started him in all but two games.

Stephen Quinn

There are always been a couple of midfielders vying to be first in line when plans or changed or first choice starters get injured and Quinn has got himself into a good place under O’Neill, earning the managers faith with strong performances in Georgia and Germany.

Losers

Damien Delaney

The Crystal Palace must have hoped for better under the new manager given that he has been playing regularly in the Premier League but he has played just once, against Turkey, and didn’t last the 90 minutes the. More recently he has struggled to make the final squads.

Andy Reid

Before Wes Hoolahan, Reid was the poster boy for the anti Trapattoni brigade but the Nottingham Forest player has not fared much better under this manager than the last with injuries contributing hugely to his persistent exclusion. Came on 17 minutes from time in O'Neill's first game and hasn't been seen since.

Ciaran Clark

A lot was expected of the Aston Villa defender a couple of years back but like so many players whose versatility seems a big asset early on, he has failed to make any position his own for either club or country and has been passed out by a few on the international front. His start against the USA was only his second cap under O’Neill.