The Scout's Report

Be honest, we know you've been waiting for this day for weeks. Without further ado, let us present the JOE Scout's Report Irish Team of the Year.

GOALKEEPER: Shay Given (Manchester City)

Ireland has a history for producing quality netminders and this year has seen a number of keepers make names for themselves.

Keiren Westwood has made the Coventry City number one slot his own making over 40 appearances. Darren Randolph has finished the season as Charlton’s first choice goalkeeper. Brian Murphy has traded League of Ireland football for the Championship making enough of an impression on Roy Keane to ensure an Ipswich starting spot. Colin Doyle didn’t enjoy the same luck but has been deemed too valuable for Birmingham City boss, Alex McLeish, to allow him to go on loan.

But the young pretenders have played second fiddle to the Shay Given once again this term. Given is still regarded as one of the best keepers in the Premier League. In fact only for Given a poor Man City defence could have been a lot worse last season. The Donegal netminder produced another quality term at the highest level and earns a spot on JOE’s team of the year.

RIGHT BACK: Seamus Coleman (Everton – on loan to Blackpool)

The Irish right back old guard came back to prominence this year as Steve Finnan and Stephen Carr returned to the top flight. Both former Ireland internationals were first-choice and first-class in the 2009-2010 season. However the right back slot on JOE.ie Team of the Year was a toss-up between Irish internationals of the future not the past.

Kevin Foley, Mark Wilson and Seamus Coleman all battled it out for the number 2 jersey. Wilson and Foley have impressed enough to earn international call-ups at Coleman’s expense. But Coleman can take consolation in the fact JOE has chosen him to play on the right side of our back four ahead of Wolves and Portsmouth pair.

Coleman not only has a man of the match performance for Everton this term but has played a vital part in his loan club Blackpool’s promotion play off charge. The Seasiders have been the surprise package of the Championship season and are now just one win away from the Premier League, having got the better of Nottingham Forest in a play-off semi-final cracker last week. The attack-minded right back’s contribution to that success should not be underestimated.

LEFT BACK: Ian Harte (Carlisle United)

JOE was as surprised as anyone that Ian Harte made it into our first choice eleven. But in our search of Irish left backs plying their trade abroad the former international regular proved the most impressive candidate.

Due to his stand-out performances for Championship side Cardiff Mark Kennedy was unlucky to miss out, as was Wolves’ former Bohemians striker Stephen Ward. Damien Delaney also performed with credit for Ipswich this season.

But Harte has been the most consistent Irish left back across the water in 2009/2010. The former Leeds and Levante player is amazingly this season’s highest scoring Irish man in the English league, with the Drogheda native hitting 16 league goals and was also being named in the League Two PFA Team of the Year.

CENTRAL DEFENCE: Richard Dunne (Aston Villa) and Gary Doherty (Norwich City)

Richard Dunne was the first name on JOE’s Irish Team of the Year sheet. The Aston Villa centre half has been the stand-out Irish player in the 2009/2010 term despite suffering a setback early in the year. Having been deemed surplus to Man City requirements the Tallaght native went on to play a key role in the stingiest defence in the Premier League. In fact so impressive was Dunne he was rewarded with a place on the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.

Picking a centre half partner for Dunne wasn’t as straightforward. His regular partners in the Irish international set up have had disappointing season. John O’Shea’s campaign has been hampered by injuries, while Sean St Ledger tackled as many issues off the field as players on it after a brief but disastrous stint at Middlesbrough.

Two players who have stood out in a central defensive role are Norwich’s Gary Doherty and Notts County’s John Thompson. Both have been crucial in their teams’ league-winning campaigns. The impressive duo’s performances have also been rewarded with places on the League One and League Two PFA Team of the Years respectfully.

And although Thompson was captain for Notts County JOE has decided to give Doherty the nod. The former Spurs player recovered from a nightmare opening day, when he as part of a Norwich defence which leaked seven goals at home to Colchester, to be voted the third best player in League One for the 2009/2010 season.

RIGHT WING: Damien Duff (Fulham)

Damien Duff has been raiding the Irish team’s left flank with style for over 10 years but he has been selected to play on the right for Team JOE. The former Chelsea star has been moved by Fulham boss Roy Hodgson to the right flank . As a result he has rediscovered his best form and his goal scoring touch. He was one short of double figures in a season that also saw him play a central role in the Cottagers’ Europa League assault.

Aiden McGeady was the only Irish winger to threaten Duff’s starting berth but considering the season Celtic have had the tricky winger will have to wait until next year to get the nod.

CENTRAL MIDFIELD: James McCarthy (Wigan Athletic) and Jonathan Douglas (Swindon Town)

The central midfield pairing gave us the biggest selection dilemma. A number of Irish midfielders played central roles in their clubs’ seasons. Stephen McPhail has been key to Cardiff City’s charge towards the top-flight. Keith Fahey has made a comfortable transition from League of Ireland to Premier League, while Glenn Whelan was a regular in another solid Stoke City campaign. Andy Reid showed his class on occasion but his overall contribution was greatly hampered by injury. Stephen Ireland, who was last year’s most outstanding Irish player, on the other hand struggled due to his manager’s aversion to him. Michael Doyle and Sean Thornton also impressed in the lower leagues.

Youngsters Darron Gibson and David Meyler had breakthrough campaigns and proved that Ireland has a bright middle of the park future but after much thought JOE eventually went with James McCarthy and Jonathan Douglas as our central midfield partnership.

The graft and hard work of former Blackburn Rovers and Leeds man Douglas is one of the main reasons Swindon Town are competing in the League One play-offs. The combative midfielder, who has played over 50 games this term, was named Town player of the year and could join his old club Leeds in the Championship next year.

McCarthy has been equally impressive for Wigan this season. The Scottish-born Irish under-21 international came to the Premier League targeting a place in the match-day squad but forced his way into the first eleven. The 20 year old, who was allegedly courted by Manchester United, Liverpool and Real Madrid while at Hamilton Academical, has been an impressive regular making 20 starts in the second half of the season.

LEFT WING: Wes Hoolahan (Norwich City)

We picked Dubliner Wes Hoolahan to play on our left flank even though he has been sparkling for League One champions Norwich in a diamond formation. The former Shelbourne and Livingston star is another who was selected on the League One PFA Team of the Year. He registered a season high 13 goals and was catalyst behind striker Grant Holt’s 30-goal haul. The Irish cap was pushed by Sheffield United’s Mark Yeates and Hull’s Stephen Hunt but such an impressive goal and assist ratio couldn’t be over looked.

STRIKERS: Kevin Doyle (Wolves) and Anthony Stokes (Hibernian)

It hasn’t been the best of seasons for Irish strikers. Indeed they have been upstaged by a left back most believed to be past it, Ian Harte (see above)!

The one Irish front runner who stood out in England was Wolves’ Kevin Doyle. The Wexford man’s form has been so impressive he has reportedly attracted admiring glances from Manchester United and Arsenal amongst others.

The former Cork City striker hasn’t enjoyed his most prolific campaign registering just nine goals. But he was voted players play of the year. Doyle ran the equivalent of a marathon each game as a lone striker. The former Reading player’s apparent lack of goals – his tally of nine still represented almost 30 per cent of Wolves’ Premier League total – can also be attributed to a lack of quality service. Wayne Rooney would struggle to make double figures in a team were fight is more valued than flair.

Irish striker Robbie Keane would be the natural choice to partner Doyle. However, despite scoring regularly for Celtic since his much hyped January move, the country’s all time top scorer has had a poor year by his standards. Caleb Folan has also had a season to forget while Leon Best move to Newcastle has been less than successful and the likes of Ben Burgess, Clinton Morrison and Sean Scanlon have had stop-start campaigns.

John O’Flynn and one-time Ireland cap Jon Macken both broke double figures while Alan Lee played an important role in Crystal Palace’s Championship survival bid and Shane Long enjoyed a decent spring.

But Anthony Stokes has been chosen to don the number 10 jersey in the JOE XI. Stokes , who Arsene Wenger once compared to the great Dennis Bergkamp, returned to Scotland after a troubled time with Sunderland and the young striker has enjoyed a new lease of life north of the border. The former Arsenal trainee has finally began to fulfil his potential hitting 21 goals in just 37 games. Stokes is the highest scoring Irishman in the UK this year and has been recalled to the international set-up for the coming week’s end-of-season friendlies against Paraguay and Algeria.

By Jonny Stapleton

C'mon, we know you have an opinion. Gary "Ginger Pele" Doherty? Ian "Shoot-out King" Harte? Have your say on the JOE Scout's Report Irish Team of the Year by posting your comment below, or discuss this and other vitally important matters over at the JOE Football Forum.