Jim Crawford hopeful Ireland U21s learn from Norway mistakes for Italy clash in Cork
The bigger picture surrounding selection for the Republic of Ireland Under-21s is like the Mona Lisa. It has two faces to it and Jim Crawford sees both of them.
Didi Hamann slammed Stephen Kenny’s “inexcusable” decision to call up rising star Andy Moran only to leave him sat on the bench for the dead-rubber defeat to the Netherlands on Saturday.
The night before, Crawford’s under-21s lost a Euro qualifier to Norway without their vice-captain.
“That's Didi's perspective on things,” said Crawford. “A player of Andy Moran's ability, he's always going to be there or thereabouts with the senior team.
“In one way, you're hoping that he stays but for the player himself, I broke the news to him, he was certainly overjoyed.
“To lose anybody of Andy's quality, any team would feel it, but the bigger picture is it gives players at under-21s level an opportunity to show that they can play at this stage.
“It also gives Andy a chance to bed himself into the senior team and I've no doubt he'll play against New Zealand.
“I'm not picking the team, that's Stephen’s job, but I certainly think he'll gain his first international cap.
“He's been excellent but as soon as Andy was gone, as ruthless as it sounds, he's gone from us. We need to concentrate, we got Adam Murphy in, and we need to get our heads down.”
On the other hand, Crawford identifies a greater good in what a first-ever qualification for the European Under-21 Championship would do for his players and football in Ireland.
“It'd be huge for them. It’d be a springboard to other things,” he said.
“I'm not going to name names but if there's players who are running out of contracts or in between clubs when the finals are on, this would certainly put a spotlight on that particular
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