When Dean Kiely came back into the Irish squad last year, it was surely on the promise that he was assured of being Shay Given's understudy, especially after the outstanding season he had as West Brom stopper through their successful promotion charge back into the Premiership.
One year on and while Kiely has come full circle at club level - losing his no. 1 spot to Capello-rated Scott Carson only to reclaim it again in recent weeks - a curveball has been thrown Trapattoni's way in the guise of Kieron Westwood, who himself mirrors Kiely's vein of form this time last year (in fact Westwood has been selected on the PFA Players' Team of the Season in the Championship). This must have given Trap a selection headache going into today's Nigeria, especially with a surprisingly match-fit Shay Given back in the fray.
One suspects that Kiely had expected to slot in as Given's first-choice replacement based on assurances he must have received off Trap et al on his return to the Irish set up, and his frustration when this did not transpire is surely what led to his departure from the squad. However it is not unreasonable of Trap to select Westwood ahead of Kiely at present given the superior game-time Westwood has under this belt this season coupled with his consistent performance levels. We see at Manchester United how Fergie manages to seemingly keep 3 goalkeepers satisfied that their futures at the club are intact, although obviously club football naturally offers more opportunities to players. Perhaps it is more telling to look at a country like Poland, where there is an abundance of goalkeeping talent - Boruc, Kuszczak, Fabianski and Zaluska all have worthy claims to the no. 1 jersey yet none seem dismayed at their lack of gametime. Of course Kiely is not in the position of having time on his side as these keepers do.
Its a real pity that Kiely has walked and one wonders how Trap could have handled the situation better given the legitimacy he has in selecting Westwood. One also wonders what role Alan Kelly could have or can play in this situation or its resolution. Lord knows Shay Given is never far away from a detrimental injury so it is of utmost importance that Ireland has three top-class keepers at their disposal and although Paddy Kenny has also been a fine-performer for Sheffield United of late, the fact that Kiely has clawed his way back into the West Brom side ahead of a keeper of Carson's pedigree, it does highlight how much of an experienced and talented stopper he is (as witnessed in his man-of-the-match performance this time last year in Craven Cottage versus Colombia), and the efforts he has gone to get back in the shop window are clearly fuelling his frustration. A year is a long time in football, and with Colin Doyle, Joe Murphy and Paddy Kenny waiting eagerly on the fringes, its safe to say that Ireland has never before had a such a rich vein of goalkeeping talent. One suspects Kiely has a future as a goalkeeping coach however, so for him to walk away from the Irish camp could deter any contribution he could give to Ireland in this capacity. Heres hoping for clarification on both sides of this kerfuffle...
