THE PAST few days have really showcased how badly Ireland miss Wes Hoolahan.
Stephen Kenny's Ireland side just lost two games on the bounce, one against Serbia and the other versus Luxembourg.
Against Serbia we looked okay at times. We created the odd chance, and even scored two (yes, TWO) goals.
But our lack of creativity was never more apparent than it was in our shocking defeat to Luxembourg on Saturday.
We carved out one or two chances against a side that we really should have been beating, even with the injuries throughout the squad.
To put it bluntly, we needed a spark. We needed someone to make things happen. We needed a Wes Hoolahan.
A late winner that @CambridgeUtdFC fans will want to watch again and again! #EFL | #SkyBetLeagueTwo pic.twitter.com/dKZxAdlxoC
— Sky Bet League Two (@SkyBetLeagueTwo) March 28, 2021
Journalist Paul Dollery has shared a stat that shows just how incredible Wes Hoolahan is, even at 38 years of age.
At his age, Wessi only plays at the weekend, as playing two games a week is not an option. Since Saint Stephen's Day, on Saturdays, his team Cambridge have played 14 times. The results? 11 wins, three draws.
In the midweek games, in which Wes has not played, they have won one, and lost five.
At 38, Wes Hoolahan doesn't play midweek games for Cambridge United as he needs the time to recover. Here's their record since St Stephen's Day:
Saturday games
Won 11 – Drawn 3 – Lost 0
Midweek games
Won 1 – Drawn 0 - Lost 5— Paul Dollery (@PaulDollery) March 29, 2021
Incredible.
In 27 league games this season, Hoolahan has scored give goals, and seven assists for Cambridge, who are currently sitting top of League 2.
While we're sure his body couldn't take international games on top of his club schedule, it is such a shame that we don't have anyone similar to him in our current ranks.
Thanks for that goal against Sweden, Wes. One of a kind.