As the latest round of the Euro 2012 qualifiers resume this weekend, Nigel Worthington, the Northern Ireland manager is likely pulling his admirable head of hair out. The Guardian is reporting that Shane Ferguson, the promising Newcastle left back and NI international, has made himself unavailable to be contacted by his manager prompting fears of the continued flow of talented, young players switching allegiances from the IFA to represent the FAI at senior level. As I’m sure many readers of this website have at least a passing interest in Irish football, fresh talent and competition at a position Kevin Kilbane had on lock for nearly 15 years should have you rubbing your grubby paws.

Able to perform comfortably at left back or left wing, the 20 year old Derry man unquestionably has a bright future; a status confirmed by his cool approach to replacing the injured Jose Enrique at St James Park for an extended spell last season. With Enrique now plying his trade at Anfield, one would feel regular first team opportunities should be in the not so distant future under Alan Pardew. Although Ferguson has one cap for Northern Ireland, the game in question was a friendly, thereby still allowing for a switch to the FAI until he is capped in a competitive fixture. While two recent performances for the NI under 21s abated many supporters’ fears, the timing of this incident is unquestionably suspect as Ferguson playing in this week’s fixtures against either Estonia or Italy would prevent any further switching of allegiances. It has been widely suggested that a poor personal relationship between the player and Worthington’s is the catalyst of this confusion, however, supporters could feel justifiably worried.

Six Northern Irish born players in the last three years have quit the IFA in order to represent the FAI. This is a figure which has understandably rocked their organising body, who have spent thousands of pounds developing these players at various youth levels for their entire careers. So far Darron Gibson, Shane Duffy, Marc Wilson, Daniel Kearns, Paul George and James McClean have all taken advantage of a FIFA ruling which, because of the Good Friday Agreement, allows players born in Northern Ireland to play for the Republic providing they hold an Irish passport. Preston North End youngster Adam Barton has also recently switched to the Republic’s U21 set up with an expected switch to the senior side should the Championship player fulfill his considerable potential. With an aging core and 9 points from 8 games in what has been a very dissapointing Euro 2012 qualification, Northern Irish football is not in a positon to be leaking potential, a fact not lost on the IFA.

There are numerous reasons for the raft of switches, and naturally each case is personal and entirely unique. What is not up for debate is the benefit the injection of young talent will have on the FAI. Arguably the most prominent reason is a desire to play for the country of which you consider to be your nationality. The Fifa ruling centers around this aspect and I can imagine has been a massive factor for a few of the aforementioned players, however, other motivations clearly have been a factor. The Republic of Ireland sit 21st in the Fifa World Ranking, a significant leap from the 70th position currently occupied by Northern Ireland. While this might not be the most admirable reason, the heightened chance of reaching major tournaments is surely a major draw. Another, darker reason is the bigotry that has unfortunately shaded the game in Northern Ireland. Aside from my lack of knowledge, this is a sports blog and not a political one so I won’t delve too far here, but the treatment notoriously received by Neil Lennon when he was team captain must surely figure in the minds of young footballers considering their future.

Regardless of reasoning, the prospect of a young, premiership talent entering the fold in a problem position is music to my ears. By the time you’ve read this blog you might already know that Ferguson didn’t answer Worthington’s call simply because he’d just lost his mobile, couldn’t be arsed, or was out on the session, but either way, a worrying trend for the IFA continues to put smiles on faces at the FAI headquarters in Abbotstown. An appearance at Euro 2012 would only provide further food for thought for footballers sitting on this fence, so best of luck to Trappatoni and co for their part in what is the most important week in Irish sport for quite some time.