THE TERM ‘come-and-get-me plea’ has long been established in football parlance.
It is usually issued by unhappy star players at club level who are keen on moving to a particular team, however it can occasionally apply to international football too.
For instance, Scott Hogan — the prolific Brentford striker perpetually linked with an Ireland call-up — appeared to issue a come-and-get plea to Ireland last May.
Ahead of Euro 2016, when asked about the possibility of a call-up, he said: “If Roy Keane rang me up, I couldn’t say no to Roy Keane. He is one of my heroes.”
Hogan has still yet to officially declare for Ireland, leading some people to suspect he might not be as keen to play for the Boys in Green as he apparently was at the time the question was asked, though many fans still hope he will choose to represent the country of his grandparents’ birth.
All of which brings us to another striker being linked with Ireland — Birmingham striker Lukas Jutkiewicz.
Last week, Jutkiewicz issued a statement that was certainly not a come-and-get-me plea. It was more a nonchalant, come-and-get-me-if-you-fancy-it shrug.
When asked about his Irish eligibility, the Championship striker said: “I would embrace anybody wanting me in their squad or team, but I don’t know if I would be wanted. So until that question is asked it is difficult for me to give an answer, but anybody would want to play international football.
“My paternal grandmother was Irish. Whether she was actually born in Ireland or moved to Ireland at an early age I am not entirely sure.”
Granted, it’s not an impassioned declaration of his love for Ireland, but at least Jutkiewicz comes across as honest.
The reaction to the comments, however, was less than favourable. There is often an unjustified sense of resentment among certain fans and pundits towards English-born players when the topic crops up. That appears to be the first obstacle Jutkiewicz will face.
Yet this issue should not be important. If a footballer is good enough and eligible to play for Ireland while being enthusiastic about the prospect of doing so, there is no reason why he should not be given a chance.
It’s been well-documented that some of the stars of the Jack Charlton era were born outside of Ireland — the likes of Andy Townsend, Ray Houghton and Tony Cascarino probably didn’t grow up dreaming of playing for the Boys in Green, but it still did not stop them trying their utmost when presented with the opportunity.
The other complaint made about the prospect of Jutkiewicz representing Ireland is that he’s supposedly not sufficiently talented enough to do so.
And granted, it’s true that the former Coventry and Middlesbrough player is certainly no world beater. In 27 Premier League appearances for Burnley, the striker got a total of 0 goals.
However, to write him off is unfair and anyone who does so is guilty of complacency with regards to the resources at Ireland’s disposal.
After all, the 27-year-old has nine goals 22 appearances for Birmingham this season. This record looks pretty favourable compared to the other obvious striking options at Ireland’s disposal.
Colorado Rapids’ Kevin Doyle managed seven goals in 27 appearances in 2016, Southampton’s Shane Long so far has one goal in 26 appearances, Ipswich’s David McGoldrick has three goals in 14 appearances, Adam Rooney has 10 goals in 29 appearances, Newcastle’s Daryl Murphy has two goals in nine appearances and Stoke’s Jon Walters — who is set for a spell on the sidelines — has two goals in 18 appearances.
So not only has ’The Duke’ scored more goals than any other Irish striker bar Rooney this season, perhaps more significantly, at 27, he is younger than any of the aforementioned names.
Jutkiewicz’s scoring record suggests he is no better than a good Championship striker, but that does not mean he cannot thrive in certain circumstances at international level, as many second-tier players have in the past for the Boys in Green.
The Southampton-born attacker may not be good enough to start for Ireland, and he may not be as prolific or talented as Hogan, but he would certainly be a decent option to spring off the bench if the team are drawing 0-0 with 10 minutes to go in Georgia.
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