You have to wonder that if James McCarthy knew how much stick he'd end up getting, would he have made the same decision when he had a choice between Ireland and Scotland.
The Everton midfielder, along with teammate Seamus Coleman, has long been held up as the closest thing Ireland have to a top level player. However, with continuing questions over his commitment, McCarthy's performances in a green shirt have been regularly criticised with Liam Brady's comments in the build up to the clash with Poland being indicative of the kind of criticism that McCarthy has faced.
His performance against Poland, particularly in the first half did little to silence the critics, however, speaking following the game, McCarthy responded to Brady's comments, saying they were something he's had to get used to since choosing to play for Ireland.
It's people from the outside, if they want to say something, they say something. It's water off a duck's back. I've had it since I've turned out for Ireland, people having a go. I've always had stick, but it doesn't bother me.
Although those comments were from the aftermath of Sunday's game, they are particularly interesting given Eamon Dunphy's extremely strong criticism of McCarthy. Brady's fellow RTÉ pundit branded the Everton man "a terrible flop" during an interview with 2FM on Monday.
