Euro 2012: Grading Each Member of the Republic of Ireland Squad

Euro 2012 is only a month away now, and the Republic of Ireland have been the first out of the 16 nations competing to release their final 23-man roster.

As everyone knows by now, the big story surrounding the Ireland roster is the withdrawal from the squad of James McCarthy to be with his father who is battling cancer.

The man who replaced McCarthy in the squad is James McClean, who has been the subject of some controversy, as he has decided to play with Ireland at the senior level though he played for Northern Ireland in his youth.

The squad, named by coach Giovanni Trapattoni, is chock full of experienced veterans, most of whom practice their trade in England.

Here are the player ratings for the 23 Irishmen making the trip to Poland and Ukraine this summer.

Position: Goalkeeper

Club: Aston Villa

Grade: B

Shay Given has been the top-choice keeper for the Republic of Ireland for quite some time, even if he missed a whole season of first-team football at the club level.

Since leaving Newcastle United in 2009, Given's form has dropped, and part of that has to be blamed on the whole season he spent backing up Joe Hart at Manchester City.

Now, back as a top-choice keeper with Aston Villa, Given has had a rough season, as his club struggled during the second half of the season and only clinched survival in the second to last game of the season.

Position: Goalkeeper

Club: Sunderland

Grade: C

Keiren Westwood is in the same situation at Sunderland this season that Given faced last season at Manchester City.

Westwood has barely been able to see time in the first team at the Stadium of Light and has only made 10 total appearances since his move from Coventry City over the summer.

Part of the reason for Westwood not getting more time on the pitch was the managerial change that happened at Sunderland, as Steve Bruce was replaced by Martin O'Neill in December.

Position: Goalkeeper

Club: Millwall

Grade: C

Unless something catastrophic happens to both Given and Westwood, David Forde will not step on the pitch in Poland and Ukraine.

The 32-year-old has been a solid first-choice keeper in the lower tiers of English football with Millwall since 2008.

Last season, Forde earned 20 clean sheets for the Championship club.

This season, however, did not see as much success, as Millwall finished in 16th place in the second tier of the English game.

Position: Defender

Club: Leicester City

Grade: C

Sean St Ledger has been making a name for himself in the past few years for the Irish national team, and he earned a transfer from Preston North End to Leicester City over the summer.

St Ledger's first season at the club was a successful one as one of the consistent starters in a club that features plenty of former top-flight players.

With another solid season at Leicester, who finished ninth in the Championship this season, a possible bid for promotion with the Foxes could be in line, or a lower-level Premier League club could come calling for the 27-year-old center back.

Position: Defender

Club: Wolverhampton

Grade: C+

Although listed as a defender, Stephen Ward is a very versatile player who could be very valuable for Trapattoni during the tournament.

Ward has primarily played left-back for Wolves, who were relegated from the Premier League. He can can play on the wing this season as well if needed.

The 26-year-old is fairly new to The Boys in Green, as he has only earned 10 caps going into the Euro 2012 tournament.

Position: Defender

Club: Sunderland

Grade: B-

John O'Shea was one of two Republic of Ireland players to leave Manchester United in the summer in search of playing time ahead of Euro 2012.

O'Shea moved to Sunderland and has played in more Premier League games than he did in the past two seasons with his former club.

At 31, O'Shea is now one of the veteran players on the squad and has the fourth-most caps with 75, and he will get to participate in his first major tournament for his country.

Position: Defender

Club: Aston Villa

Grade: B-

Richard Dunne, just like fellow countryman Given, was forced out of Manchester City when the new ownership came around, but Dunne's expulsion from Manchester came in 2009 and he ended up at Aston Villa.

Since his move to Villa Park, Dunne has continued to be a true professional and a quality center back for his club and country.

Dunne is also a strong aerial threat. Look for him to play a huge part in set pieces in Poland and Ukraine.

Position: Defender

Club: Fulham

Grade: C-

Stephen Kelly has seen more time in the squad at Fulham for each of the three seasons he has been with the London club.

Kelly will be one of the options off the bench on defense for Trapattoni and is solid option if one of the four starters under-perform or get injured.

Position: Defender

Club: Celtic

Grade: C

Darren O'Dea has been what you call a footballing vagabond over the past three seasons, as he has had three different loan spells in the Championship away from Celtic.

O'Dea is one of the players on the Republic of Ireland squad that will be looking for a new club this summer, and a good performance at Euro 2012 will help the 25-year-old's cause.

O'Dea thought he was set at Leeds United after his loan spell this year with the Championship club, but they did not want to turn his loan into a permanent deal.

Position: Defender

Club: Wolverhampton

Grade: C+

Kevin Foley is one of four players who is a part of the Wolves contingent heading to Euro 2012 with the Republic of Ireland.

Foley could be one of the players leaving the newly relegated club in the summer for greener pastures. But playing time in Poland and Ukraine could be hard to find, as the right-back is one of the newer faces on the squad.

With only eight caps for his country, Foley may have to sit behind the more experienced defenders. But if the Republic of Ireland fail to perform in their first two games, the 27-year-old could feature against Italy in the final group game.

Position: Midfielder

Club: Stoke City

Grade: B-

Glenn Whelan has been a model of consistency in the center of midfield for Stoke City and the Republic of Ireland.

Whelan began garnering attention from the national team after joining Stoke in January 2008 from Sheffield Wednesday, and he has not looked back since.

Whelan has been a main feature on Trapattoni's squad since the Italian took charge of the national team. He has earned 37 caps for his country, while also appearing in an average of 30 games a season for Stoke since his arrival at the Britannia Stadium.

Position: Midfield

Club: Spartak Moscow

Grade: B-

Aiden McGeady's claim to fame is that he is the biggest export in the history of Scottish football.

McGeady moved to Spartak Moscow from Celtic in 2010 and has been playing in the Russian Premier League ever since.

The 26-year-old winger has already accumulated 47 caps for the Republic of Ireland and will surely be one of the stars from this current generation to earn 100 caps before he retires.

Position: Midfielder

Club: West Brom

Grade: C

Keith Andrews has been the true definition of a journeyman footballer, with West Brom being the latest stop on that journey,

At the beginning of the season. Andrews was out on loan at Ipswich Town from Blackburn, where he played with O'Dea, until transferring to The Hawthorns in January.

Since making the move, Andrews has appeared in 13 games for now England manager Roy Hodgson in his preparation for Euro 2012.

Position: Midfielder

Club: Fulham

Grade: B

At the age of 33, Damien Duff is still playing quality football and is also approaching his 100th cap for the Republic of Ireland.

Duff is one of the few players left who played in the 2002 FIFA World Cup for his country, the last major tournament that the Republic of Ireland qualified for. And since Korea and Japan, he has earned the fifth-most caps in Irish history with 95.

Duff has been a solid winger for Fulham since he moved to Craven Cottage in 2009. Although he has only played 15 matches this season, he will patrolling the wing for Trapattoni next month.

Position: Midfielder

Club: Wolverhampton

Grade: C+

Stephen Hunt is one of the older players on the Republic of Ireland squad at 30, but he has only been with the national team since 2007.

Hunt did not begin to be recognized until his promotion to the Premier League with Reading in 2006, and then the midfielder took notice of the national team.

However, the midfielder is one of those unlucky professionals who has been relegated yet again, this year with Wolves, as he has previously dropped down with Reading in 2008 and Hull City in 2010.

Position: Midfielder

Club: Everton

Grade: B-

It seems like Darron Gibson has been around for a long time, but the Irishman is only 24.

Gibson was with Manchester United for seven years and was used as a squad player by Sir Alex Ferguson before leaving for Everton in search of playing time in January.

Since moving to Goodison Park, Gibson has made 10 appearances for Everton under manager David Moyes

With still a long future ahead of him in football, Gibson will be looking to be a part of the Republic of Ireland picture for the foreseeable future, as he is one of the members of the younger generation breaking through into the national team picture.

Position: Midfielder

Club: Birmingham City

Grade: C

Keith Fahey has taken an unusual path to the Republic of Ireland squad, as he spent five seasons playing in the League of Ireland, the top flight in his home nation, before moving abroad to English football.

Fahey made the move to England in 2009 joining Birmingham City from St. Patrick's Athletic, and then a year later he found himself in the middle of the national team.

Although he may not start for Trapattoni in Poland and Ukraine, Fahey could come off the bench as a solid replacement for Whelan or Andrews in the group stages.

Position: Midfielder

Club: Sunderland

Grade: B

James McClean is the fresh, new face of Irish football, and fans are hoping he is here to stay after making his mark at Sunderland this year in the Premier League.

Just a year ago, McClean was playing in the League of Ireland with Derry City, and now he is taking the Premier League by storm at the Stadium of Light.

Since making his debut in December for the Wearside club, the 23-year-old has made headlines with his play on the wing.

Another thing that makes circles the attention around the young McClean is that he played for Northern Ireland at the U-21 level but chose to represent The Boys in Green at the senior level.

Position: Forward

Club: Wolverhampton

Grade: C+

Kevin Doyle has been a fixture in English football for quite some time and is a part of the four-man group from Wolves representing the Republic of Ireland.

After being the leading goal scorer for his former club, Reading, in three out of four seasons he was there, Doyle has failed to reach double digits in scoring since his move to the Molineux Stadium.

The 28-year-old may be looking to stay in the Premier League next season with a different club, so a few goals in Poland during the group stage could not hurt that cause.

Position: Forward

Club: LA Galaxy

Grade: B-

No matter what club Robbie Keane ends up playing for, there will always be one spot in a squad he will fill, and that is up front in the No. 10 shirt for the Republic of Ireland.

The captain of the Irish squad has bounced around from club to club in the past three years, as he has put on the shirt of six different clubs in three different countries since leaving Tottenham for Liverpool in 2008.

The 31-year-old will eventually eclipse Shay Given for most caps for Ireland. But this could be his last chance to make a mark on the international stage with the 2014 FIFA World Cup being no guarantee for a country that barely made the European Championships.

Position: Forward

Club: West Brom

Grade: C+

Shane Long is another Irish forward, just like Doyle, who made his mark at Reading before making a move into the Premier League.

As Doyle's replacement up front at Reading in the 2010-11 season, Long scored 23 goals, and he carried that good form into international play with three goals for the Republic of Ireland in the same time span.

His goal-scoring form has not been as prolific this season with West Brom, but he is also not the only choice up front like he was a year ago.

Long is the best option off the bench as a forward for Trapattoni, and if Doyle or Keane need a replacement during the tournament, look for Long to take their spot on the pitch.

Position: Forward

Club: Stoke City

Grade: C

Jonathan Walters has the third-fewest amount of caps out of 23 players in the Republic of Ireland squad with five.

Walters' rise to the national team has not been for goal-scoring reasons, as he only has 21 goals in all competitions in his two seasons at Stoke, but it has been for consistent play up front as a workhorse.

The one main concern about Walters going into Euro 2012 is his fatigue, as Stoke's season began in July during the Europa League, and the 28-year-old has played in over 50 matches this season.

Position: Forward

Club: West Brom

Grade: C

Simon Cox is another Irish forward who began his pro career at Reading. See a trend here?

Cox joined West Brom in 2009, and just like the other three forwards not named Keane in this squad, he is not a prolific goal scorer, but he is a player who will score in a flash every once in a while.

Just like Walters, Cox will not see much playing time in Poland and Ukraine. If he does, it will be due to an injury or in a consolation game, also known as the third group game, if Ireland are in contention to advance anymore.