No more niceties.
Martin O’Neill has to pick his best option and he can’t spare anyone’s feelings.
Only one man can man the goals for Ireland at Euro 2016, only three can travel and the only saving grace with Rob Elliot’s injury is that it is one less player that the manager has to break the bad news to.
It does make it really competitive though between the remaining four but, with the help of our power rankings that are measured using WhoScored.com, analysing their last three league games, and using a reducer (80%) for Championship games to account for standard, there are a few numbers that might help.
Here’s a breakdown of Ireland’s goalkeeping options.
1. Darren Randolph
Played: 15
Clean sheets: 6
Conceded: 19
Current form: 5.77
Randolph has only played 12 domestic games this season but nine of them at least have come since the turn of the year.
The Bray man started and finished six FA Cup ties for West Ham on the scenic route to the quarter-finals and he played all of their last three Premier League games that included a historic clash with United at the final ever game at Upton Park. He was also part of West Ham’s poor early run in the Europa League so, if nothing else, he has plenty of knockout experience.
2. Keiren Westwood
Played: 37
Clean sheets: 14
Conceded: 30
Current form: 5.62
Keiren Westwood has been a key player for Sheffield Wednesday this season. He’s been an automatic starter and, when they needed it most, he was superb in the playoffs, winning man of the match in the second leg against Brighton and having an absolute stormer at Wembley in the final.
WATCH: Keiren Westwood is the talk of the football world after stunning save in Championship playoff final https://t.co/Z4zeKbua6o #SWFC
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) May 28, 2016
In 12 of the Championship games that he didn’t play, Wednesday leaked 17 goals.
3. Shay Given
Played: 5
Clean sheets: 1
Conceded: 10
Current form: 5.22
Jack Butland’s injury saw Shay Given return for the last five games of the season but an injury of his own meant he missed two of those games.
Didn’t play for seven months before that and has been averaging two goals a game… conceded.
4. David Forde
Played: 10
Clean sheets: 1
Conceded: 17
Current form: N/A
Millwall made it the whole way to the League One playoff final at Wembley (and lost) but Forde hasn’t featured since January and that was a Johnstone Paint’s Trophy game.
He’d be doing well to make the squad at this stage.
Rob Elliot is no longer considered because of his unfortunate injury but the Newcastle goalie was starting in the stats-based team quite regularly according to the week-by-week rankings of the whole squad.
