1. Anthony Stokes
Stokes appears to be coming into form at the right time, scoring a hat-trick against St Johnstone at the weekend, making it 10 goals in 20 appearances this season for Celtic.
The lack of top-class Irish strikers currently coming through the system has been well-documented, while both Kevin Doyle and Shane Long have not exactly been scoring freely of late.
A big concern for Martin O’Neill is that — Robbie Keane aside — it’s difficult to see where the goals are going to come from in this Irish side. Granted, Stokes is not plying his trade in the most prestigious league in the world, and therefore, there are legitimate concerns that he may ultimately fail to make the step up required for international level. But is the SPL much worse than the Championship or the MLS, which the likes of Doyle and Keane compete in? Hardly.
Another issue is the sense that Neil Lennon is at times unwilling to trust the ex-Arsenal man for big games. He played the full 90 minutes for just two of Celtic’s six games in the Champions League proper, and had to be content with a place on the bench for their must-win fixture at home to AC Milan.
So it’s fair to say that the 25-year-old still has much to prove if he wants to be considered a part of Martin O’Neill’s plans in the long term. Nevertheless, he is probably no less deserving of a place in the side than any other current striker bar Robbie Keane, and starting him in the friendly against Serbia would signal a significant departure from the Trap era, where Stokes was largely ostracised from the Italian’s plans.
2. Andy Reid
The best argument as to why Martin O’Neill shouldn’t necessarily prioritise Premier League stars, Reid has been one of the players of the season so far in the Championship.
Should O’Neill pick Reid, it will be interesting to see which position the Forest player takes up. Having spent the early part of his career on the left wing, Reid has played in a more central role for Forest this season.
The player’s fine form was enough to earn him a new two-and-a-half-year contract with the club in January, and he has been instrumental in helping Nottingham Forest rise to fifth in the Championship.
Moreover, with eight goals and 11 assists already this season, he patently possesses a level of creativity and attacking threat that few of his compatriots can match.
That said, finding a place for him in the team remains a big issue. Could he play alongside James McCarthy in midfield? O’Neill may consider this idea too much of a risk, given Reid’s lack of pace, preferring to opt for a more naturally defensive player alongside the Everton man.
And putting the 31-year-old behind the striker would surely mean playing with one up front — is the manager willing to accommodate him at the expense of Shane Long or Robbie Keane?
In O’Neill’s second match in charge against Poland, Ireland delivered a performance that was competent yet largely devoid of creativity. A player with Reid’s personality could help bring a level of cutting edge to the side that’s been conspicuously absent in the Irish team for a long while now.
3. Darren Randolph
With 31 starts this season, Randolph has the edge on Keiren Westwood in terms of first-team football. In addition, at 26, he is eight years younger than David Foirde.
Somewhat surprisingly, he was snubbed for the squad to face Poland and Latvia (which Noel King rather than Martin O’Neill selected), with Newcastle reserve goalkeeper Rob Elliot chosen at his expense.
It was particularly surprising given that the stopper had begun the season in fine form for Birmingham — immediately endearing himself to the fans and winning the player of the month accolade for August.
And while his side have struggled in the Championship this season, the Wicklow-born player has been consistently excellent.
Both O’Neill and goalkeeping coach Seamus McDonagh have been to watch Randolph recently, so he is clearly a player occupying the Irish management’s thoughts.
Moreover, with Westwood out of action and Forde only just back from injury, it is not inconceivable that Randolph might be given the nod to start against Serbia — that is, unless O’Neill persuades Shay Given to come out of retirement, with the goalkeeper having continually hinted that he is prepared to make a comeback at 37.
4. Marc Wilson at centre-back
Richard Dunne is now 34 and increasingly injury prone, so an effective replacement needs to be identified sooner rather than later.
Marc Wilson has played primarily as a left back for Ireland, though O’Neill did start him in the centre against both Latvia and Poland — admittedly occasions when he was not exactly blessed with alternatives.
The 26-year-old has also played as a centre-half for Stoke quite often recently with mixed results. At times, such as in the club’s surprise defeat of Chelsea, Wilson has looked immense and extremely comfortable in the position.
Yet the Antrim native also has somewhat of a reputation from switching off at times. He was woeful in Stoke’s 5-3 loss to Liverpool last month, and it was far from the first time that his ineptitude has cost the team goals.
But perhaps a more consistent spell in the position could help him realise his potential, and with no obvious successor to Dunne in waiting, O’Neill could do far worse than try him out there against Serbia.
That said, the lack of viable options at left-back could mean he is ultimately forced to revert back there.
5. David Meyler
At this point, most people would agree that James McCarthy has done enough to warrant being regarded as one of the first names on the teamsheet for Ireland, yet the identity of his midfield partner is less clear cut.
The 24-year-old has played with relative regularity for Hull this season, featuring in 19 of their 25 league matches and scoring twice — including in the impressive 3-1 defeat of Liverpool in December.
The signs did not good look good for Meyler in the close season, when Hull made two high-profile midfield signings in Tom Huddlestone and Jake Livermore (both from Tottenham). However, he deserves credit for persevering and has been rewarded with regular Premier League starts.
Although he already has 53 Ireland caps, Glenn Whelan is only 30 and therefore will hardly be content to give up his starting spot just yet. Yet Whelan was not at his best throughout the World Cup qualifying campaign, looking distinctively leggy at times, therefore Meyler deserves a chance to impress against the Serbs.
