One way to gauge the uptick in the popularity of the League of Ireland is to look at the importance placed on the pronouncements of its central characters. It is often argued that the charisma of Damien Duff and Stephen Bradley has helped to drive the league to new heights.
Both hold Galway United manager John Caulfield in high reverence. He has won it all as a player and manager. His opinions on the domestic game should be taken as seriously as any other.
Over the international break, he shared an interesting and important take on the bridge between the domestic league and the international team. His idea is that there should be a rule that means four or more League of Ireland players should be called up to an extended Irish squad every time the team meets up.
Caulfield explained his idea, arguing: “There’s always been a disconnect between the national team and the League of Ireland. Managers over the last 20 years have always claimed that the quality hasn’t been there. To be fair, a lot of it was part-time and there were times when players in England were playing at a higher level, particularly the Premier League.
“Over the last six or seven years, the standard of the league has grown immensely. All the teams are now full-time. The quality of the coaching is comparable with many of the divisions in England. We all know the Premier League is a much higher level, but we have very few players playing in it, certainly not at the top clubs.
“Our squad is full of Championship, League One and League Two players. A lot of our players are playing in Europe.
“Because there is so much vibrancy in our league, now is the time to bridge the gap. There is no better time for Heimir [Halgrimsson] to call in four or five players every camp, it gives him a chance to see the players up close. It gives the players the opportunity to show their stuff.
“Players will then be able to see that they don’t need to be on the first plane to England to get into the international team which has been the case in the past. We have seen that several times in the past where a player has been signed by a team in England and two months later, they are in the international squad. I experienced that with Sean Maguire when he went to Preston.
“It’s a win-win for Heimir. If the panel is 24 and he calls 28 in and he deems the four League of Ireland players aren’t good enough for his matchday squad, that’s his choice. I think a few players might surprise him.
“If we get our top players getting a chance to get into the international squad, it enhances the game here. There’s a lot of talk around Josh Honohan now, and rightly so, but I feel there are other players that might surprise.
“If a League of Ireland player is given the opportunity, I would say he would run through a wall and do everything in his power for the green jersey. Sometimes we give caps to players with little connection to Ireland. I wonder with some of them, are they as committed to the Ireland cause? We have had some brilliant players who have qualified through the 'Granny Rule', but we have had much more who, in hindsight, should never have gotten a cap.
“I think Heimir got bad advice early from someone who doesn’t understand the league. I think Heimir got that on the corridors of the FAI who had that arrogance to say the domestic game isn’t good."
