Wow. James McClean is NOT in the Ireland squad

We’re officially gobsmacked. James McClean has NOT been named in the Ireland squad for the friendly against the Czech Republic later this month.

It seems astonishing that Giovanni Trapattoni has opted to exclude the Sunderland winger on the back of his scintillating form in recent weeks, especially considering that he had hinted that McClean would be given a chance to shine and that such a big deal was made about sorting out his eligibility issues with FIFA.

Instead, McClean has been cast aside and left out a squad that contains not a single surprise name, which would suggest that Trap is going to stick with what he’s got from now until the Euros, regardless of the form McClean or other potential contenders such as Wes Hoolahan, Anthony Pilkington, Shane Duffy or Ciaran Clark might show between now and the summer.

It's not that the players that helped us to the Euros don't deserve credit, they do, but how Trapattoni could ignore a man with such obvious talent seems beyond us. It's only a friendly, for God's sake.

What we can almost certainly take from this is that the squad for the Euros will be the same squad as the 24-man one listed below, minus one name and that, barring a miracle between now and then, that it will not include James McClean. Sigh.

Ireland squad: Given, Westwood, Forde, O'Shea, Kelly, Ward, Dunne, St Ledger, O’Dea, Foley, Whelan, McCarthy, Coleman, Andrews, Fahey, Gibson, Duff, McGeady, Hunt, Keane, Doyle, Long, Cox, Walters.