Arter could get boost from getting his Irish squad call up

It has been announced that Harry Arter is among Martin O'Neill's squad to face Turkey in an international friendly on 23 March 2018. The game will be played in the New Antalya stadium and will be a game that should help make the Denmark World Cup qualifier exit a bit more of a distant memory.

Arter will hope to play against Turkey to get his game back on line.

For Harry Arter it is likely to be more a case of trying to get his game back n shape and having a different manager and squad of players to listen to. Harry needs to feel wanted and to have a goal that he can concentrate on, and I think he will find it a relief to have an aim to be involved in this game following his lack of game time in AFCB colours.

The match probably comes at a good time for Arter. He will be fresh and should have plenty of running in his legs, and I still think he has much to show the Republic of Ireland fans of how good he can be. While Harry and the Republic of Ireland won't be involved in the World Cup this summer this is a valuable game for Harry to play in if he can get some time against a side that have international players. Turkey lost out to Iceland and Croatia in qualification, but England fans know how good those teams can be.

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If Arter can impress though in this game it would interest Eddie Howe. Arter has to hit top levels to get back into the Bournemouth side and he will be running out of opportunities to get back into the side with the games starting to run out. It is a good opportunity for Arter to showcase himself. Whether that means he receives interest from other clubs over the summer or not, Harry can boost his worth by playing well for the Republic of Ireland. It is a team he has been in and around for more than a year or two now and that kind of stability should be helping Arter to find his form again.

Arter helps Ireland build a Russian roadblock for the Danes

It was good to see Bournemouth's Harry Arter get the call to play against Denmark for the Republic of Ireland in the first leg of their World Cup play-off final last night. Arter was very much used as a blocker and frustrater for the Irish, who set up to make it especially hard for the Danes to break down. In an interview with SkySports after the match, Arter admitted he had some cramp but was happy with the result. 

Arter - a step closer to the World Cup finals?

It was very much like the game that Ireland had against Wales, and in such can't lose games it is hard to see how the Danes would get much joy against a well drill Irish side. Free kicks did get the Republic up the field and that is when Arter would be hovering over taking the kick. As a whole though he had a roving, marshalling role in front of the Irish defence and Tottenham's Christian Eriksen was kept on close watch.

Containment and shepherding play away from the Irish goal seemed Arter's main purpose and while he did venture up field on occasion, it was always in a supporting capacity in the first half. The times when the Danes did look like they would score was when Eriksen latched onto Cieran Clark's defensive error, and Sisto was guilty of missing a clear sight on goal. But Arter had been bypassed on that occasion and the long diagonal ball was perhaps Denmark's best hope of getting through.

Arter was playing very much on the left side of the centre-midfield in the first half and he, and WBA's McClean, outside him, have formed a good partnership for Ireland. By the second half, Arter was more over to the right and booting the ball up field most of the time. Luckily Arter was not pulled up for a possible handball when he turned his back on a shot from Eriksen just before the hour mark, in almost a repeat of the incident that Northern Ireland suffered in their play-off first leg.

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The more this game went on though it didn't look like Martin O'Neill's side wanted anything but a 0-0 result. Arter took a blow to the head on 65 minutes from Poulson, but he recovered quickly. He was caught again though on his right ankle by Bendtner on 76 minutes, which looked worse. Arter was then lucky not to be carded from bringing down Kvist, which would have ruled Harry out of the second leg. Poulson again fouled Arter in a build up, but Arter's role was to be obstructive so it was no wonder he was getting the punishment and on 88 minutes, with job done, Harry was replaced by Glenn Whelan. 

While Poulson had a late header tipped over by Randolph and a low shot from Larsen blocked, the Republic will have to do it all again on Tuesday, may be with more attacking intent.

Arter and Republic of Ireland's big opportunity

Today the Republic of Ireland play Denmark in the first leg of their two-leg play-off final and Harry Arter is hoping to be involved. Harry hasn't had a marvellous start to the season, but he has managed to get into the starting line up for the Republic of Ireland, and he may well get the nod again this weekend to try and get them to the World Cup in Russia.

Playing in a Wold Cup would be another goal achieved for Harry Arter.

The Republic of Ireland finished second in group D to Serbia in the World Cup qualifiers and that put them against Denmark in the final draw for qualification. Harry played in central midfield with Jeff Hendrick, and while he lasted 77 of the 90 minutes he had a big part in the goal that Hendrick scored against Wales to give the Republic the win they needed. The Republic set up to be very defensive which is characteristic of Martin O'Neill sides, and in this first leg against Denmark they are away, and that implies to me that Arter is probably going to play as he is a good market and does a lot of running for teams.

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Whether a defensive approach will be enough against the Danes is going to be tested. But if the Republic do not concede in the first game they will fancy getting a win on Tuesday when they are at home. Denmark finished five points behind Poland in group E and had a goal difference of 12, so they do have players that will have a go on goal if the opportunity arises. Andrews Cornelius is their main striker, but Arter will probably be most wary of Tottenham's Christian Eriksen playing just behind.

If Arter makes it to the World Cup it will be really sweet for him having missed out last summer on the European Championships. Not many AFCB players are likely to make it to the finals with Aké seeing the Netherlands go out already and Begovic not qualifying with Bosnia-Herzegovina. While we may watch England with lots of Premier League players, it will be something else to see Arter playing for the Republic in matches in Russia - let's hope he gets there.

Arter will carry Republic of Ireland fans' hopes against Austria

Harry Arter can make himself a pivotal player in the Republic Ireland's World Cup Qualifying squad with another solid performance against Austria this Sunday at 5pm, to back up his min of the match award against Uruguay last week. He managed to play well despite still having a problem with his ankle, and he may need to have injections before the match on Sunday, if the Bournemouth Echo's verdict stays true.

Arter looks to push forward his regular Republic of Ireland claims today.

The fixture on Sunday is the opposite fixture in which Harry made his debut for the Republic of Ireland last November. He was great on that night and will not be put off by coming up the same Austrian players again in Dublin.

There were as many as eight changes that Martin O'Neil made to the team for the Uruguay game, but the chances are that he'll look to play near enough the same team for this next qualifier. Glenn Whelan, Jeff Hendrick and Robbie Brady started with Arter in that match and the balance of the side was very good.

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Arter will be looking to break his goal duck if he can as an international player, and it is an area of his game that he was slightly disappointed with last season as he netted just the once against Everton away when AFCB got thumped 6-3 in February 2017. He could have course have doubled his tally had he taken a penalty a little bit better at Southampton, but it would not surprise me if Arter was one of the first to put his hand up to take a penalty for the Republic if the chance came along.

It is the industry of Arter which makes him such a must use player for O'Neil. He is a grafter and you always know you'll get 100 per cent from him if he is on the pitch, and it is good to see Arter finally on the big international stage where more football fans can admire his talent which has really blossomed at AFCB.

In other news, Brad Smith has pulled out of Australia's Confeds Cup team with a hamstring pull he sustained against Saudi Arabia. Lewis Cook will lead out England's U20's today in a World Cup final against Venezuela at 11am.

Arter must be ready to make an impact for Rep Ireland

Harry Arter was hoping to play a big part in the Republic of Ireland's match against Mexico on Friday and the following Sunday when Rep of Ireland take on Uruguay. He did not play though against the Mexicans last night, and he has only made four appearances in a senior international shirt. He is kind of having to catch up on lost time now having missed the European Championships with an injury and it doesn't seem that he is yet fit enough to make the most of the latest batch of friendly games either.

Harry has been waiting for this chance to play for Republic of Ireland.

Arter's quality has been well monitored by Roy Keane who we have seen at Bournemouth's ground many times. There was some talk last summer that Arter might hold out for an England call up, but he always wanted to play for Rep of Ireland and reassured Martin O'Neil of his commitment. Now he has to show that quality on the pitch.

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The players that have done well in Ireland's team are players that Arter has come up against in the Championship and Premier League. The likes of Roby Brady, Wes Hoolahan, Jeff Hendrick, Jonathan Walters and James McClean have all been on the end of an Arter tackle or two but it has taken the former Woking player longer than most to make it to the international squad and I was pleased that he gave himself this chance by missing out the last game of AFCB's season to give it a real good go for Republic of Ireland.

What Martin O'Neil knows is that he will get a player with a big engine who will chase down lost causes and will work hard in the centre of midfield. Arter's passing has been improving and while he has not scored many Premier League goals, he has had the players around him to do that task at AFCB. He may get more opportunity for the national team to make an impact and his shooting is usually fairly sensational when he does have a pop at goal from distance.

The Republic of Ireland didn't find it easy against Mexico and went down 3-1 last night. I'm hoping that Arter may be able to get in shape for the game against Uruguay. Uruguay are known only to well by England fans having been knocked out in the last World Cup by the Luis Suarez in the front line. Colombia ended their World Cup last time in the Round of 16. They are ranked 15th by FIFA and are probably a stronger opposition than Mexico who the Republic of Ireland lost to 3-1, but it will be good to see Harry come up against stars that have already graced football's top competition.

Schedule
Sunday 4 June
Rep Ireland v Uruguay 6pm



In other news, Yeovil Town are on AFCB's pre-season tour away at Huish Park on 2nd August.

Is Ritchie about to run the show for Scotland today?

The best laid plans sometimes go horribly wrong. I had this story all mapped out with Harry Arter to come up against Matt Ritchie  - "When Harry met Matt". It might not have been much of a film title, but it would have been tantalising to see the two Bournemouth players go head to head at the Aviva stadium in Dublin for their respective national sides. We don't know if Harry would have been selected to start of course, but as it happened, he managed to get a groin strain on Thursday which now leaves the stage open for Matt Ritchie to try and perhaps shatter both Harry's and the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2016 dreams.  

Matt will look to add to his Scottish goal scoring total. 

Pundits have been saying that it is really a must win game for the Republic as they are a couple of points behind Scotland and need to stay in contention with Poland and Germany by getting the win at home. A draw might not spell bad news for Scotland, but I don't expect them to hold anything back in this tie which is very winnable for either side on their day.

It is perhaps good for AFCB that the two players did not go at each other in this high tension game. I expect Arter will quickly be nursed back to full fitness ready for the new season. Ritchie is likely to start against the Republic having played in Scotland's last three fixtures and scoring the last time out when Scotland beat Qatar. Now he has to follow that up with another strong performance and I expect him to do exactly that.

Expect Harry to also get stuck in if he gets a chance.

How things have changed for both players though and for AFCB. The pace that football moves in is quite astounding in terms of careers. For many it is over all too quickly, but for some the rewards keep coming and you have to say this is an exceptional period for the Cherries and the players are fitting into international squads knowing that they are good enough to be there now.

While it might not be the showpiece AFCB fans had hoped for I still believe the Republic of Ireland v Scotland match in Dublin's at (5pm) will be the most competitively fought game this Saturday - it's well worth a viewing to see how Matt does. Meanwhile, Artur Boruc is also in Poland's squad against Georgia and England will be taking on Slovenia.

Finally, I suggest you all take a very detailed look at the Official AFCB website that has released information on how the point system will work for fans that want to go to home, away and cup matches - the priority points system. It will take a bit of getting used to but we should all get the hang of it when you go and see your points total next week.

Arter's debut for Ireland lifts dull international friendly

We had to wait 62 minutes before Harry Arter got the signal that all Bournemouth fans wanted to see from Martin O'Neil to enter the fray for Republic of Ireland v England at the Aviva Stadium. Glenn Whelan of Stoke City was withdrawn to make space for Harry in what looked very much like a summer training exercise rather than a full blooded international. All I wanted to see was if Harry would get a chance to swing that majestic left foot on goal.

Ireland are perhaps not the team with an abundance of creative ability and while they posed some problems for England it was a bit of a dull affair in the Dublin sunshine, as end of season friendlies often are. Arter's job was to try and find Shane Long and Jonathan Walters. Harry certainly caught the eye on 73 minutes when he plundered the ball off of Ross Barkley and let fly with his left foot. The shot was only a couple of meters wide. Harry then upset Irish fans by misplacing a pass in the box that could have set Walters in.

Arter get's his first international under his belt.

Still Harry was making things happen as he had all season for AFCB. Trying to get the ball up and near England's box was the difficulty though. Possession had swung in England's favour after numerous second half substitutions. Arter's job had turned into more of a marshaling job in front of the back four. As a whole though, the contest had been fairly even with little work for either keeper.

If O'Neil wants to add some excitement to his team he should start to pick Harry Arter more often as the Irish only managed eight attempts at goal in the 90 minutes, and one of those shots was one of Harry's when Ireland had started to do more defending. Ireland were solid enough against England and they'll need that when they take on Scotland next weekend. Whether Arter has done enough to get a start for that game is perhaps doubtful with a few of Ireland's players coming back to full fitness, but he did not look out of place. The game ended 0-0 and I guess you could have predicted that I suspect after the first 10 minutes of this game.

Arter deserves his chance to show his class

Lining up against England will surely be the biggest game in Harry Arter's career so far. While it is a friendly Harry will have a great opportunity to show that he is as good if not better than some of England's World Cup players and I expect him to be like a terrier around the park if he does get the nod to play some part in this game.

Harry has worked hard to get his chance. I hope he gets to play today.

For Harry it will be a chance to see if he can make his place more permanent on the Republic of Ireland team. He has plenty of competition for his place and while being involved in the squad call up last time he really will want to get on the pitch. Arter will have to try and displace seasoned internationals like Everton's James McCarthy, Robbie Brady, Aiden McGeady, James McClean and Glenn Whelan of Stoke, but Harry always gives his all and on enthusiasm alone it will be hard for Martin O'Neil to ignore him.

Poland's last outing was a 1-1 draw with Poland away from home. They needed real steel to get that result and they will show great determination against England. Arter had to watch from the sidelines in that game, but this must be a good chance to see how he could go against the kind of players he will come up against next season.

With Matt Ritchie also demonstrating how well he can do at international level, it will be on Arter's mind to impress and if ever there was a game when his character could be tested not to get himself booked then this is surely it. Best of luck Harry - and yes I'm an England supporter!

Arter is becoming the complete midfielder

You have got to be pleased for harry Arter. He has had a pretty brilliant couple of weeks in an AFCB shirt and he is now just about to put on a Republic of Ireland shirt. It is nice that people are talking about other things than his yellow cards as he has been scoring blindingly good goals in his stride again, and he is starting to show everyone that he is now the complete midfielder.

Left foot or right foot, the ball usually hits the back of the net at the moment for Harry.

Harry Arter doesn't score ordinary goals anymore. His latest effort was described as a "Rocket launcher" by Kris Temple on BBC Radio Solent. The journalists were in quite a hurry to get hold of him after the game to get Harry to describe his latest thunderbolt, but Harry almost seems rather shy about talking about what he can now do on the pitch which kind of makes him even more likable to fans.

Eddie Howe was not sure which is Harry's best foot anymore as he seems to be able to hit stunning goals with either foot. The Cardiff strike was pretty good as he had time to pick his spot, but his goal against Middlesbrough was simply instinctive and that is probably the only way he could have beaten Konstantopoulos from that range.

Harry Arter's first Rep of Ireland training session interview: 
from Football Association of Ireland on Vimeo.

I was less pleased with the second penalty that Harry won for AFCB against Middlesbrough as I felt it was won as opposed to awarded for a foul. Harry says it was the momentum and that he was not sure if he was touched or not but that it wasn't a dive. Still it didn't look great. He might have been sent off if another referee had been in charge and if Harry is going to grace the international scene it is going to be even more important for him to channel his concentration into not getting silly bookings when he is carrying his country's hopes in games. 

Still, well done Harry. I would say grab yourself some sun but I think Dubai is more renowned for that than Ireland - at least his AFCB team mates are in the sunlight - never mind Harry.