Top 10 Irish Players

Irish players have been on our shores pretty much ever since football was invented just like Welsh players. But very few of them have gone to the very top.

This could be because very few players have been given the chance to play for one of the big clubs no matter how good they've been for their current club. Also, they may not be the calibre of player that that specific club is looking for.

There have still been some good Irish players to play in the Premier League with the majority of them being players who just do a job for their team without getting the credit they deserve. Most of the players on the list are those kind of players.

There have however been a few who have got the credit they deserved and when I look back at the list, two of those players didn't make the list in Denis Irwin and Niall Quinn. Had they been on the list, they would've been quite high up and especially Irwin as he won multiple Premier League titles at Man United.

Now here is the list:

Robbie Keane

Shay Given

Roy Keane

Damien Duff

Seamus Coleman

Shane Long

John O'Shea

Jon Walters

Glenn Whelan

Richard Dunne

10. Glenn Whelan

Whelan had to be 10th as he wasn't the most gifted of players. But he was someone who could do a job for your team in sitting in front of the defence and making crucial tackles.

He did that throughout his time at Stoke where he was an ever present player for them for the majority of their Premier League years.

His solid performances in midfield helped Stoke become an established Premier League side over a number of years.

9. Jon Walters

Walters scored a number of important goals during his time at Stoke and the majority of them played a key role in establishing Stoke further as a Premier League club.

He wasn't one of the top strikers in the Premier League, but he was a good centre forward in that he could hold the ball up, was strong, and could score goals.

He could play in other positions as well as centre forward including out wide and as a no.10.

8. Shane Long

Long wasn't always a striker who would guarantee you 10+ goals a season, but he was a striker who was a proven goal scorer at Premier League level and he showed that at most of the clubs he was at.

He scored a good number of goals at West Brom where he proved himself to be a Premier League goal scorer before having a short spell at Hull followed by a five season stint at Southampton, where he proved himself further as a Premier League goal scorer despite not always being first choice.

When he was on it, he could be a handful for Premier League defenders as he was quick, agile, could run in behind and also stretch defences with his work rate.

7. Richard Dunne

Dunne was a good solid defender on his day in that he was good in the air, strong, and could make many crucial last ditch interventions.

He did that throughout his time at Man City and also when he was at Villa. He was a leader on the pitch as well as a good defender and his leadership helped the younger players he played with.

Despite being a good defender, he did however score a lot of own goals and pick up a lot of red cards. He's top of both on the all-time charts and had he not, he might've been higher up the list.

6. Shay Given

Goalkeepers wouldn't be this high up on any list, but Shay Given is on this one as he made just over 450 appearances and was a good solid keeper in the Premier League.

He was a great shot stopper who had great reflexes and could make a number of crucial saves whenever his team needed him to.

He was very consistent throughout his time at Newcastle and although he may not be right up there among the greatest Premier League goalkeepers, he was still a very good keeper.

5. Damien Duff

Duff won two Premier League titles at Chelsea where he formed a good wing partnership with Arjen Robben and played a key role in both titles wins with his energy down the wing and goal contributions.

He was a winger who was quick, direct, could cut inside, and could get crosses into the box. His pace used to cause full backs all kinds of problems when he was playing because of how quick he was.

But if there was one thing his game was lacking it was goals. He did score good amount of goals in his final two seasons at Blackburn and when he was at Chelsea, but I felt he could've scored more as he had the ability to do so.

4. Seamus Coleman

Coleman has been a good and loyal servant to Everton over the years and since he's been there, he has grown into a leader and one of the best full backs in the Premier League.

He started out as a wide midfield player when he broke in the Everton first team as a youngster before being pushed back to right back, a position he later made his own.

In his prime he was a full back who loved to get forward as he loved to nick the odd goal on every opportunity and get crosses in the box. He's ran up and down that touchline throughout his time as an Everton player.

3. John O'Shea

O'Shea won everything on offer at Man United including five Premier League titles and played an important role in all of them despite not being a regular starter.

He was mostly a back up during his time at United due Ferdinand and Vidic being the two preferred central defenders. But whenever he was given the opportunity, he always stepped up and put in a solid performance for his team.

He was used at both centre back and at full back during his time at United and did a solid job whenever he played in either position.

He was a defender who was strong, good in the air and a good reader of the game. He was also a leader and especially during his time at Sunderland.

2. Robbie Keane

Easily the greatest striker and goal scorer that Ireland have ever produced.

Keane is currently Ireland's all-time leading goal scorer and was a striker who scored all kinds of goals right throughout his career for both club and country.

He played for several clubs during his career with six of them being in the Premier League in Coventry, Leeds, Spurs, Liverpool, West Ham and Aston Villa.

It was at Spurs where he had the best years of his career ands especially in his first spell as he scored a bucket load of goals and was one of the best strikers in the Premier League.

He's proved to be tough act to replace for the national team as they've lacked a goal scorer ever since he retired. But I do hope young Evan Ferguson can be that player as he has the potential to be a top player.

1. Roy Keane

There was only one winner of this list and it had to be Roy Keane because of what he won and the player he was.

He wasn't the most technically gifted of players, but he was still top a player as he was driven, competitive, and determined for his team to win games of football. This was because he was a great character and leader on the pitch.

His leadership on the pitch played a massive part in the success he achieved at United as he was a born winner and desperate for his team to win games of football.

He was the kind of leader that United are desperately lacking at the moment and have been for many years.

MY TOP 10:

1. Roy Keane

2. Robbie Keane

3. John O'Shea

4. Seamus Coleman

5. Damien Duff

6. Shay Given

7. Richard Dunne

8. Shane Long

9. Jon Walters

10. Glenn Whelan