West Ham midfielder Andy Irving made his full international debut for Scotland last night in a 4-0 friendly win over Liechtenstein.
“Swerving Irving” or the “Irn-Bru Iniesta” as he’s referred to by some fans, the 25-year-old replaced Aston Villa’s John McGinn just after the hour mark with the Scots already cruising.
It wasn’t Irving’s first Scotland call-up under former Hammers coach Steve Clarke, but it was the first time he’d made it onto the pitch—finally earning that long-awaited senior cap.
Despite a frustrating season at West Ham, where he struggled for game-time despite the midfield department performing poorly, this appearance will come as a huge personal milestone and a proud moment for the former Klagenfurt man.
Well done, Andy—hopefully the first of many!
Definitely would have liked to see him on the pitch – always did well when he came on, always available for quick 1-2s, makes forward passes and we know he likes to have a shot at goal. Either use him or loan him out, but let him get on with his footballing career one way or the other, instead of blighting it. Some players want/need to play, not hang around on the whim of sometimes questionable football managers.
I’m pleased for Andy. He’s probably not in Potter’s plans for the coming season, so I hope he gets a good move to a level where he can operate successfully. Maybe the Scottish Premier League or the Championship is more his level than the Premier League. But I wish him all the best.
Well done Andy. 👏 Personally I’d like to see us keep him and use him, I think he would be a more solid option than Soucek, maybe scoring fewer goals, but certainly a player who could add something to our midfield if given half a chance, which he’s not been given so far.
I too like Andy Irving and think he could still do a job for us. However I reckon Tomas Soucek is well worth keeping because of his never say die attitude in both his scoring ability and his defending. He has a hammer in his heart!
I like Irving but not a patch on Souchek. Come on be serious.