Sammie Szmodics Republic of Ireland career, Digi Mart USA News: When Heimir Hallgrímsson named his Ireland squad last week for the Nations League games against Austria and Kosovo, he did not have to field a single question about the Derby County forward’s non-selection as he spoke to the media in Abbotstown. These days, it would probably be more of a surprise if Szmodics were called up.
When he opened his season with three goals in his first four games for Derby, Szmodics still did not earn a recall. Now that he is playing for a side second from bottom in the Championship, and has managed just one goal in his last 10 appearances, it seemed unlikely that Hallgrímsson would bring him back into the fold.
But who knows? The Icelandic manager may have had advance notice of Derby’s announcement that Szmodics will be out for at least six weeks with a knee injury that required surgery.
It is the latest in a string of injuries that have blighted him in recent times.
Some of his problems, however, have been self-inflicted. There is a spikiness about the player that has not always endeared him to managers or teammates.
When he was first called up by Ireland, Szmodics admitted he could be “annoying” around the place, something then-Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna evidently discovered when he sent him on loan to Derby 18 months after signing him for €13 million from Blackburn.
It was not, he said, “a football decision”, adding: “It was a decision that was made in the best interests of our dressing room culture, of the values of our dressing room and of our team.” That was somewhat vague, but there was an implication that Szmodics was not an easy presence to have around.
Now at Derby, questions are being asked about manager John Eustace continuing to pick him. Szmodics had previously played for Eustace at Blackburn, when he was the top scorer in the Championship.
“You’re John Eustace’s boy?” a BBC Radio Derby reporter asked him last week. “I am NOT John Eustace’s boy,” Szmodics replied.
Many players over the years have seen their Republic of Ireland careers fail to take off despite considerable enthusiasm about their arrival. At 31, it may be safe to say Szmodics now fits into that category.
He is unlikely to remember much about his last appearance in an Irish shirt. It ended with him being stretchered off the pitch and taken to hospital after being knocked unconscious in a collision with a Czech defender.
As penalties loomed in the World Cup playoff semi-final in Prague in March, Hallgrímsson had brought him on near the end of extra time with the intention of him taking a penalty in the shootout, but it did not work out.
Stephen Kenny appeared to tire of Szmodics withdrawing from squads, for injury or personal reasons, after selecting him. John O’Shea gave him his debut, and Hallgrímsson brought his total to 12 caps.
Throughout this period, there was a perception that he was not entirely committed to the cause, especially when he appeared for his club days after withdrawing from Irish squads due to injury. He described the “hate messages me and my family have received over the recent international football concerns” as “nothing shy of ridiculous”, adding that they “question my ability and performance, but never question my professionalism”.
Still, some have argued that Hallgrímsson should cut him loose. Former Shamrock Rovers goalkeeper Barry Murphy said on an RTÉ podcast: “I think he’s shown a real contempt for the jersey.
I think the manager should be cutting ties with him.”
He was meant to be Ireland’s version of Craig Bellamy in his prime, without the golf clubs, but that may never happen. Then again, he was once loaned to Braintree Town and survived that experience to build a very decent career.
Maybe he will be Heimir Hallgrímsson’s boy yet.
