Jordan Rhodes is allowed to play for Scotland because he went to school there for 5 years!!

The Republic was at one point looking at Jermaine Pennant, seriously! His granda must have had a pint of Guinty an a bowl of stew once. I'm sure it still means alot to people like Dunney, Given an Keane etc. but these other jokers are just there for the ride IMO

Not just the home countries they are up to it everywhere. Portugal give Brazilians nationality. Brazilians find a great lost second remove aunt came from Italy means they dont need work permits. Germany lays claim to any decent talent near there borders.

John Barnes,Terry Butcher it's been going on years.

terry Butcher is English he was just born somewhere else, Singapore in fact, well frig me

This has opened an interesting debate. To me your international team should be made up of players born in the country or who have a aprent from the country but were born elsewhere (say like soldiers, diplomats etc) I dont agree with the granny rule at all.
Look at English rugby, cricket, the GB olympic squad etc

Is success acceptable at any cost regarding make up of the team in any sport?

Not like England aren't hiring every immigrant coming into the country this year to be in our Olympic squads.

Disgusting the treatment he's been getting, he's entitled to choose and I can't blame him.

One odd thing when Mick McCarthy played was this booming english accent in a green jersey ringing around Lansdowne but I never had a problem getting behind a green jersey.An all Ireland side would be good but I see it being a long time from now and it would mean a lot of players missing out on an international career.I dont have a problem with the granny rule but would'nt have a problem with it being restricted to country of birth.

I dont know I think the rules are fine the way they are. For the lesser countries ie Ireland the talent isnt there for us to be picky about who is playing for us or not. We dont have the pool of players to choose from like the major football countries out there so we need those players. All who have played for Ireland over years gave it there all which is all we ask.

I look at the squad we have now yes we have a few players that we got on the granny rule. But there are also the players that are there that are fully Irish. I look at the under age teams and there are some promising players about will they make it to international level no one knows yet. The future is bright for Irish football. A young midfielder off Derby Jeff Henderick looks like he could make it into the Irish squad in the next season or 2. Also like any other good times for Irish football more Irish kids will take up football now because of Ireland playing the Euros and getting there. A bit like when Ireland got to Euro 88 or the World Cups a lot of this squad would of remember Euro 88 as a kid or 1 of the earlier World Cups under Big Jack.

Now we will see more of the kids today play football it seems when a sport is doing well in the country more people want to play it. A lot of kids play rugby here because of how good the Irish national team has been over the last 10 years or so.

Damn, even we on Balkan don't react like that..

half of Serbian and Croatian national teams in all sports are born in Bosnia... any good Bosnian Croat picks Croatia and any good Serb pock Serbia.

To be honest, I don't give a shit about it, they can go and f**k themselves in Zagreb and Belgrade.