ON THE DAY that England lost the Euro 2024 final to Spain, Jack Grealish was at Wimbledon.
His exclusion from Gareth Southgate’s tournament squad had not also led to a dramatic fall from grace at Manchester City.
The 29-year-old didn’t suddenly find himself scratching around with the League Two club.
Instead, Grealish was in the VIP seats at Centre Court in SW16 for the men’s final between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic.
Sitting beside him was Republic of Ireland forward Callum Robinson.
The pair have been friends since they were 13 years old, coming through Aston Villa’s academy and starting on the path in professional football.
That their relationship has endured close to two decades is testament to its strength.
Both have faced challenges.
To begin with, Robinson looked more likely to emerge through England’s international system, representing his country of birth from U16 to U20 level.
Grealish, of course, was a key figure for Ireland from U17 to U21, before switching allegiance in 2016 when he had a decision to make: become a regular with Ireland under Martin O’Neill or drop into England’s U21s with a pathway to the senior side under Southgate there should hic club career progress as expected.
By 2021, Pep Guardiola brought him from Villa to City for a British record £100 million transfer.
Three years previously, Robinson made his senior debut for the Boys in Green while a Preston North End player. Six years on, he is now the top Irish scorer with nine goals among the current forwards in the squad. At 29, he is also the oldest.
“The years go quick,” he says.
And if the years, or their careers, played out differently than Robinson and Grealish could have been teammates when England come to Dublin for the Nations League clash on Saturday.
“We’ve made a career in the game and he’s gone on to do really really good stuff, and I’ve made a career for myself as well. It’s good, and it does feel probably good between us both that we’re playing at this level against each other in international football. It will be nice,” Robinson says.
“I’ve played for Ireland now since 2018, I know why I wanted to and the reasons why. I’m really looking forward to Saturday, for all the boys as well, the new gaffer coming in, it’s an exciting time, what better feeling that if we can get a result at the Aviva against England?”
Provided they are picked in the starting XI by interim boss Lee Carsley, Declan Rice and Grealish are likely to feel the ire of home supporters for obvious reasons.
“I don’t know what abuse he might get but I think he’ll be expecting it, I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t because I think he gets booed anywhere he goes, even in England, so I think he’ll be getting ready for a bit of abuse,” Robinson said.
“But listen, that’s part of it, that’s part of the game, and I think he’s old enough and being a senior player, that stuff is going to come. I don’t think there will be any change on Saturday, I think he’ll be getting it.”
Robinson missed the four friendly games earlier this year when John O’Shea was in interim charge. A combination of injury and a lack of form meant there was no place for the attacker now at Cardiff City.
For the first time in almost a year – his last appearance was the November 2023 defeat to the Netherlands – he is back in the mix with Ireland.
Stephen Kenny has been replaced by Heimir Hallgrímsson and Robinson reckons the new manager will reap the rewards of his predecessor’s policy of blooding youth.
“He left and that is part of football, it is about results, but for Irish football he has done the hard bit,” Robinson says.
Hallgrímsson had his first training session with the players on Monday and has carried out three team meetings to go through his plans before an on-pitch session yesterday morning. There was also another team meeting in the hotel last night.
“Bringing it back a little more solid defensively and being hard to beat,” Robinson said, when asked the general theme of the week.
“A lot of information has to be crammed in but, to be fair, that is normal with international football… We’re slowly getting to know what he wants from us.
“I don’t think the gaffer now is trying to run away from playing football because that is the way football is going at the moment. Everyone tries to play and we won’t be no different. But as I said earlier about being solid and hard to beat, and sometimes if it means going deeper and being solid defensively, but I still think playing wise we still have the ability,” Robinson said.
“When you’re playing teams like England and the top nations, let’s say, we don’t want to be naive. We want to go with a solid base and hope we can get a result on Saturday. I don’t think it’s far off, he’s just wanting us to be a bit more solid and hard to beat maybe.
“If you are trying to play expansive football you are obviously more spread out across the pitch. Yeah, I wouldn’t say that is the right way or the wrong way. We just have to try to have a blend when you’re playing teams like England and he’s been saying that in the meetings about having a solid base, but that when we get it try and play as well.
“It’s just getting that balance right because these nations like England, if you don’t they have a lot of quality and they can hurt you.”
Given that Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer are not available, Grealish will now likely be centre stage for England having spent the summer at Centre Court with Robinson.
Are they for real… He scored possibly the best header you will see at Wembley for a long time AGAINST England a few months ago!!!! Idiots
Our English brethren are a bit thick it seems.
Good on Shane for pulling the pi(s out of them,
Paul sling your hook. What a t#sser. What started off as a lighted hearted piece has turned into a bile laden rant. If you have nothing constructive to say Shane Long is coming into a bit of form and fair play to him. Did well with West Brom last year and is showing signs that he has that bit of drive needed if he is given the chance, a chance that sadly was never afforded to him by Trap and his cohorts with Mr Liam Brady included. Hopefully he can continue to score some goals as it will be of immense benefit to the Irish set up.
The best way is to flat out ignore these people, so no replies and no thumbs down or up. No reaction and they’ll go away. I wish everyone would learn that.
And to think there was a time when these guys practically took over the world….scary….
Eh….. I think the vast majority of them were on a wind up. No doubt 1 or 2 were serious but a lot of fishing involved i suspect
Ah Paul got caught out, we know he is Irish, though he proclaims he is from Chelski and English.
Paul is Mitch, Steo, John, the same troll from Finglas who supports a league of IReland team and Liverpool.
Lads just don’t answer her, spends her time trolling on all the soccer topics with no knowledge and no discussion. As has been proved by her posts above.
BLANK THE TROLL.
How does he remember all them passwords? Gotta be a commitment or the gobsheens accounts will be easy hacked.
Ah sure give Shay Given a shout while you’re at it. He can give Hart a hand :-)
hEART IS SHIT ENGLAND B OUT AFTER2GAMES MUST CHECK D ODDS ON TA
This is a regular twitter fish and reel gag. It’s been done with Ramsey(England) & Lewandowski(Germany) recently, can’t believe Long bit the bait.
Can’t understand how you’re not allowed to use every day words like ‘sh!t’ on the comments pages, yet imbeciles like pauljohnson are able to spread their own trolling sh!t across them!
Don’t reply anyway, he/she will go away eventually.
There must have been 60 or 70 Englishmen at least by now who have played for Ireland, about time England got 1 Irishman in return. And doesn’t the typical soccer ‘fan’ in this country only care about English teams anyway and couldn’t give a fiddlers about any Irish clubs, so one would think they would have no problem with any Irish fella playing for England.
“accounts”… so you accept that you have more than one account on here. Good to know.
If you haven’t been in this country in a month, so where are you now? You are in a country or are you hovering above a country?
You have commented on GAA stories, Dublin related ones, in the past and were passionate about Dublin then… so fail there.
You only said last week that your Chelsea through and through, but you support Liverpool as well… any real Chelsea fans I know wouldn’t give 2 fks who else was playing and only concerned with their own team. So you think United fans support Chelsea against Liverpool!!!!
Your found out, everyone on here knows it.
Steo is gone, the other 3 plums will be too. At least the Journal will be troll free then and we can have right discussions on here.
Agree hes in great form and its great to see and great for irish football. My only issue is R Keane. As long as he is there he will countinue to take th spot of an possible younger contender. Dont get me wrong keane has done more than enough for his country obiviously wit his record but its time to hang up th boots. Just my personal opinion. !
Good comment Katrina, I wouldn’t yet like Robbie to see hang up the shoes because I think he can help the like of Long with his experience.
Jrbmc. Your just a Clown bandwagoner.
@David. Is the article about Long coming into form? No it isn’t, it’s about people on twitter thinking he is English and saying he should get a call up to the English national team. I merely stated England have several better options.
TBH, Shane Longs record for West Brom hasn’t been that good since he joined them and made the step up the premier league from Reading. The fact that we’re more reliant on a 33yo Robbie Keane over a 26yo Shane Long is very telling for Ireland. Maybe Conor Sammon can step up under the new Manager IDK.
I don’t care about it. Doesn’t mean I don’t watch it. I watch all football nearly. Even when that foreign supported kip is playing (MANCHESTER) I will watch them. And to answer other questions, Crouch and Defoe don’t get into England as there is better options there, but if Shane Long was English he be behind them in pecking order. And Danny Welbeck is world class??? Haha, I never even suggested that, he is just like Long. Hard working headless chicken. And in answer to that other bloke, Berbatov scored most goals in premerleague one season, Rob Keane scored all them goals against the likes of the Faroe Islands.
Does Long play for Shitski ? NO ! Does he play for Engerrrrrrland ? NO ! So go away you FOOL !!!!
62 goals against Faroe Island.
D overrated shower of English players play d same teams and don’t exactly tot up d goals against them.
We see how well berbatov does without keane…
Saying crouch is better than long then your just another cocky English follower who doesn’t understand why they do shit at every major competition. It’s not rocket science it’s cos your shit
Yes in a friendly if I remember correctly. What he do to get you all to the world cup.?????
Trap rarely started him
English striker’s in a different league of talent to Shane long. 1, Wanye Rooney.2, Defoe.3, Sturridge. 4, Lambert.5, Peter crouch. If he was English he wouldn’t stand a chance getting into the England squad. He can’t get a start for Ireland when poor mans Berbatov is playing (Rob Keane).
Long scored against England at Wembley in a 1-1 draw that England was lucky to get!!!
Defoe? Peter Crouch? Two men that have rarely played in the PL this season for their teams. Pull your head out of your behind there Paul!!!
Crouch? When is the last time he lined up for England? Give your head a wobble there Paul, next you’ll be telling us Wellbeck is world class
Berbatov 48 international goals
“Poor mans” berbetov 62 international goals
I know who did rather have.
Need any help finding the plot there Paul?
Welbeck is world class!!!
Go home your drunk
Like the knowledgble England ‘fans’ in that tweet thread, we’re dealing with a clown here.
Talking about Roy Keane!
Excuse yourself old Lady. I have only Paul Johnson accounts. I haven’t being in this country in over a month. When I came back yesterday you all were talking about me more than the story. And why would I support a l.o.i team. Im from England, I am not like you, I wont support foreign citys football teams. It makes no sense to me, my family and my friends. And Liverpool is also a kip. The only time I ever support Liverpool is when there playing against that trash heap out of MANCHESTER.
You poor mixed up, misguided, mysoginist child. As Maris always says, “A good liar needs a good memory”. It appears your different “aliases” are overlapping and you have lost all sense of time and perspective. I can help you out son with some excellent Freudian based therapy, all you have to do is ask…..
Can somebody please send Paul for spelling and grammar lessons, whilst also performing his brain transplant, thanks
I forgot to mention I love men. I would love Shane long to touch me inappropriately . All he has to is ask…..
And last week I wasn’t in the country. I haven’t being in Ireland since middle of October. This is my work phone. I leave it in Ireland when I go home. Don’t come onto your site when not in your country. Clown!!!
I don’t care about Steo/Tom/Jack, any of your mates you keep talking about. Are you slow? Can you not read. I have other Paul Johnson accounts you clown. I had a Kerry jersey as my avatar commenting on g.a.a. I was pretending to be Kerry supporter, not Dublin, as there Irelands most successful team. I was jumping on the bandwagon and supporting a team of a city that has nothing to do with me. Kinda like every single MANCHESTER fan. And the only Chelsea fans you know are ones that have never being to the bridge, not from England and only start supporting Chelsea around 2006. Jump on the wagon there fast, its getting away. And you seem to think real fans don’t look at other team’s snd don’t care about other team’s? ??????? Clown!!! Stop watching football because you know little about it.
Quick Quick Paul the most interesting Chelsea story in months has been out up and it’s about,’Mourinho’s Hair cut’
Quick here’s your chance to post more fraud Moyes rubbish nonsense that Steo and his ‘buddies’ can respond to
LOL, thinkk Paul Johnson is getting frazzled,
It is interesting the fact I didn’t mention “jack” yet he is one of the accounts linked to Paul Johnson, so again it proves that he is.
Why would you have 2 accounts? Because you were shut down is it?
ANYWAY, as I have said to others, time to ignore the trolls like Paul, Steo, John and Jack. These stories would be about 1/2 the size less all the trolling.
Yes Y.A.L. he seems to be having a nervous breakdown, it is common among people with multiple personality syndrome. I have offered on numerous occasions to help him, all he has to do is ask….
Trap rarely started him because even Ireland has better options. Last night was one of the only times I seen him score in a competitive fixture. Hes not a striker. Other than last night he rarely finishes.
Paul you’ve said many times you don’t care about international football so why now ??? Did you forget ??? Or just get caught out again ???
How many times has crouch scored in past 2 years? Defoe?? Do you even watch football.
Did you forget he scored against Chelsea? Idiot
You mean you don’t remember his goal against Chelsea a few weeks ago?
Don’t want to enter the football debate, no real knowledge.
Also, the troll accusations, can’t be entirely sure.
But Paul, for a self proclaimed English man, you’re not very good at english.