Three weeks out from the crucial qualifier with Germany and Martin O’Neill has already named a 40-man extended squad, featuring no fewer than five goalkeepers.
Between them David Forde, Shay Given, Keiren Westwood, Darren Randolph and Rob Elliot have made 12 appearances this season, with West Ham’s Randolph accounting for half that total.
Given started the most recent qualifier victories, keeping clean sheets against Gibraltar and Georgia, but his only appearance for Stoke since swapping Villa Park for the Potteries was the Capital One Cup win over Luton Town.
Elliot has not featured for Steve McClaren’s Newcastle, while Forde lost his place at Millwall after the Lions lost their opening three matches in League One.
A run of injuries means Westwood has not featured for Sheffield Wednesday since August, which leaves Westwood – West Ham’s reserve keeper at the outset of the new season – as the regularly playing goalkeeper in the Republic of Ireland’s gigantic squad.
However the two-cap veteran is likely to return to the bench at Manchester City this weekend, with first-choice Adrian back from the three-match ban picked up after being sent off against Leicester City.
Colin Doyle (Three games for Blackpool) and Joe Murphy (five games for Huddersfield) might be getting paranoid.
Republic of Ireland Squad (for Germany and Poland: David Forde (Millwall), Shay Given (Stoke City), Keiren Westwood (Sheffield Wednesday), Darren Randolph (West Ham United), Rob Elliot (Newcastle United), Richard Keogh (Derby County), Marc Wilson (Stoke City), Seamus Coleman (Everton), Cyrus Christie (Derby County), John O’Shea (Sunderland), Alex Pearce (Derby County), Shane Duffy (Blackburn Rovers), Ciaran Clark (Aston Villa), Paul McShane (Reading), Stephen Ward (Burnley), Greg Cunningham (Preston North End), Robbie Brady (Norwich City), James McCarthy (Everton), Jeff Hendrick (Derby County), Darron Gibson (Everton), Harry Arter (Bournemouth), Eunan O’Kane (Bournemouth), Glenn Whelan (Stoke City), Paul Green (Rotherham United), Aiden McGeady (Everton), James McClean (West Bromwich Albion), Alan Judge (Brentford), Anthony Pilkington (Cardiff City), Stephen Quinn (Reading), David Meyler (Hull City), Jonathan Walters (Stoke City), Wes Hoolahan (Norwich City), Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy), Shane Long (Southampton), Daryl Murphy (Ipswich Town), Kevin Doyle (Colorado Rapids), Anthony Stokes (Celtic FC), David McGoldrick (Ipswich Town), Adam Rooney (Aberdeen), Simon Cox (Reading)
