When Mick McCarthy was in charge of Wolverhampton Wanderers he naturally signed many Irish players, due to his contacts and affinity with the country.

But since he was sacked last season, the Irish contingent has remained at Molineux. However they have been part of a team that has been in free fall since Wolves got relegated to the Championship in May 2012.

There is a real danger that the midlands club could suffer two relegations in two years. They currently sit 23rd in the Championship table on 42 points.

It is especially important after Kevin Doyle was dropped from the final Ireland squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.

But what role has Doyle, Kevin Foley, Stephen Hunt and Stephen Ward played in the rapid decline?

Kevin Doyle

Yesterday was both a good day and a bad day for Kevin Doyle. Having scored the winner against relegation rivals Bristol City, hours later he learned that he was out of the 23 man Ireland squad.

Apart from a couple of seasons in the Championship for Reading five or six years ago, the striker has not been a prolific goalscorer at club level. But even so six goals in over 30 starts is poor fare especially when you consider that only one other Wolves player has taken more shots than him this season.

Doyle who was linked with Arsenal and Aston Villa just a few years ago has taken almost 60 shots as well as hitting the woodwork twice, while he has provided four assists.

The 29-year-old did admit that a proposed loan move to Celtic broke down in January which suggests all is not well at Molineux but his form should be concern for himself and the Irish management team. Additionally he does not feature at all on the Actim Index which ranks the Top 100 players in England’s second tier.

But despite his poor form, the fact that he finds himself behind Conor Sammon and Andy Keogh in the pecking order is a strange decision, especially considering his experience.

Kevin Foley

The right back will not be on Trap’s radar after vowing to never play under the Italian over his exclusion from the Euro 2012 squad.

Capped eight times for Ireland, Foley was a regular for his club side earlier this season. He publically called for greater effort from his team-mates back in December amidst Wolves’ struggles under the short-lived tenure of Stale Solbakken. But Foley has been part of a defence that has conceded 53 goals in 37 league games.

He has been dropped recently by new boss Dean Saunders, last playing as a second half substitute against Championship high-flyers Cardiff City on February 24^th.

Even withstanding his issues with Trap, he would be well down the pecking order for Ireland.

Stephen Hunt

Hunt is another one who may have an axe to grind – with good reason – after failing to get on the pitch in Poland. But his 2012/13 season has been marred by a serious hip injury, which has resulted in him making just two starts in all competitions. The energetic winger made his first league start of the season against Watford at the start of this month and has been working his way back to fitness with substitute appearances.

Regardless, his international career appears to be over with younger names like James McClean and Robbie Brady moving ahead of him.

Stephen Ward

Ward remained part of Trapattoni’s plans in recent months despite a poor Euros and he has put in a good shift for his club side.

He is only one of three Wolves players to make the Actim Index this season. The left-back has made 33 league starts and has kept his place in the starting XI under Saunders but crucially he was one of the players cut from Trap's original 29 man squad for Sweden and Austria.