Why Aston Villa star Jack Grealish decided to pick England over Republic of Ireland
THE STORY of Jack Grealish’s rise to within touching distance of England’s senior set-up is long and muddied.
Littered within the decade-long journey are a series of twists and turns and tugs-of-war few players will experience in their entire careers.
The final stretch, that surely would have seen Grealish, 24, finally become a full Three Lions international, has since been blocked by coronavirus.
But to understand the significance of the potential call-up you need to understand the sub-plot behind it.
Factor in the historically ugly player-selection rivalry between England and Ireland, the tapping-up of a player in plain sight and the impact on a teenager struggling to balance life on and off the pitch.
The arm-wrestle between the two nations began in 2010 as Birmingham-born Grealish, then aged 14, was sent home from an England Under-15 training camp after falling ill and fainting.
He was desperate to return, but Ireland pounced.
Scout Mark O’Toole had alerted them to his grandfather’s Galway heritage after spotting him playing at the Nike Premier Cup.
It paid off as Grealish went on to earn caps with the U15s in a green shirt.
But England did not budge, making contact a year later.
When you get approached at that age you don’t really know what to do. You lean on those closest to you, and he spoke with his family a lot.”
Former Three Lions U17 coach John Peacock said: “Myself and U16 head coach Kenny Swain had several discussions with him about switching back but he was undecided.”
Grealish was veering towards Ireland but doubts appeared as he was omitted from the U21 squad in October 2012.
This encouraged another English offer and Ireland U21 coach Noel King revealed in May 2013 that Grealish’s eye was wandering to England.
But the FAI refused to wilt having already lost defender Michael Keane, now a full England international, to a similar situation.
King acted three months later by making the 17-year-old one of the youngest ever caps at Irish U21 level as Grealish made his debut as a sub against the Faroe Islands.
And ahead of a match with Germany, Grealish spoke of his “pride to pull on the green jersey”.
In November he scored his first goal against the Faroe Islands in a 5-2 victory.
Millwall striker Aiden O’Brien grabbed two that day and recalled: “He was playing a few years up but all the boys loved being around him.
“He had a lot of banter and used to get the energy in the camp going. But you knew he had a big decision to make. You could see it in his eyes.
“It was the same as Declan Rice’s situation with the pressure and scrutiny.
“When you get approached at that age you don’t really know what to do. You lean on those closest to you, and he spoke with his family a lot.
“But it’s ultimately your decision, one that could change your career and life forever.”
Paul Lambert was appointed Villa boss in June 2012 but it was not until late 2014 that he saw Grealish’s international dilemma reach boiling point.
‘Fake Paddy’ references were made in matches and loaded remarks from assistant Ireland coach Roy Keane led to October and England U21 boss Gareth Southgate admitting to trying to get Grealish.
Within days, he had pulled out of an Irish U21 game against Norway to play in a friendly for Villa before distancing himself from a senior international debut.
Lambert was already in Grealish’s bad books after warning the club against giving him a bumper new contract, afraid of the trappings of fame that had already taken their grip.
The Scot described the pitfalls as ‘nightclubs, alcohol and girlfriends’, but national identity was also proving to be a tense issue.
He said: “I had Jack in the office several times for a good telling off, one in particular for not turning up to training.
“Then the Irish thing came up. He seemed pretty torn. I didn’t want him to make the wrong decision.
“You have to be comfortable playing for an international side. All I was saying was ‘watch yourself’.
“He might turn around today and say ‘Paul Lambert was a real s**t’ or may understand. I thought he had too much on his plate too soon.
“I was trying to guide him. I hope he sees that now.”
Fast forward to March 2015 and Tim Sherwood was in the Villa hot-seat.
But for Grealish there was still confusion, indecisiveness and crossed wires as he won the Ireland U21 Player of the Year award in Dublin.
He made the decision to wait, even if his performances were already befitting of an international player.”
Sherwood said: “I think that night was when it really all started for him. He realised he had a serious choice to make.”
Sherwood did his best to guide Grealish with a “follow your heart” speech.
He recalled saying: “Don’t choose Ireland just because you think you will get into the team quicker. You have a long career ahead of you to make it for England.”
Picking up the award, Grealish said he had taken a year out of internationals to concentrate on club football, but promised he would play for Ireland soon.
Yet two months later he turned down another call-up, this time for a friendly against England and a Euro qualifier against Scotland.
The reason was a chat with Three Lions boss Roy Hodgson, who would have blooded Grealish against Ireland but for fears of a huge backlash.
latest football news
On October 28, Grealish finally gave boss Martin O’Neill his verdict — one which proved another etch on an unwanted tally for Ireland. Sherwood added: “If you have a player who is head and shoulders above most of your squad, you will fight hard to recruit him.
“In the end, he chose England. He made the decision to wait, even if his performances were already befitting of an international player.”
After surviving a five-year crossfire between two nations and another five years in England U21s, it seems a global pandemic is now prolonging the inevitable.
But it never has been simple with Jack Grealish.