News

Aston Villa defender Ciaran Clark says he does not understand why he is being snubbed by Giovanni Trapattoni.

By Declan Whooley

The Italian had been keen to get the England U-19 and U-20 captain to declare for Ireland, but since his debut last year against Wales his chances have been limited.

“I have to be honest and say I have no idea what is happening for me with Ireland because the manager and his staff seemed very keen to get me on board at the start and now nothing seems to be happening for me,” he said.

In what is becoming a depressing theme from the Ireland camp, a break-down in communication is adding to the confusion.

“I have not spoken to the manager or any of his staff about what I need to do to catch their eye or anything like that” he told ESPN.

Clark  has had an eventful start to the season, sent-off against Everton before scoring against Newcastle last time out. He is highly thought of at Villa Park, making 15 appearances last season and has essntially filled the void left by the injured Richard Dunne this season.

In a statement of the obvious, Clark observes that he is a rare breed of Irish player playing regular football in the top-flight.

“There are not too many Irish centre-backs playing in the Premier League at the moment, so you would think that would stand me in good stead” he rightfully points out.

While the called-up Alex Pearce is also playing regular football at Reading, we are not exactly blessed with players playing regular football outside the Championship and the MLS. The logic in omitting Clark for the friendly game against Oman is hard to fathom for the player and supporters alike.