Mighty McGrath shines on the w
Paul’s brilliant performances earned player of tournament
THERE’S NO player that better encapsulates the glorious six-year period from 1988 to 1994 that saw the Republic of Ireland appear in two World Cups and a European championship than Paul McGrath.
Despite being relatively late to the international scene for a player with such obvious talent, not making his Republic of Ireland debut until the age of 25, McGrath more than made up for lost time as one of the stand-out performers of the Jack Charlton era.
The then Aston Villa defender played every minute in Ireland’s World Cup adventure in 1990, where he was utilised as a defensive midfielder, pitting his wits against the likes of Gheorghe Hagi, Paul Gascoigne and Ruud Gullit, and more than holding his own.
Thirty years on from Italia ‘90, McGrath, who now resides in Tomsallagh, between Enniscorthy and Ferns, fondly looked back on a tournament where the Boys in Green announced themselves on the world stage.
He said they proved that they deserved their place at the top table of football, although he admitted that the impact the exploits of the team had on the country astounded him.
The hundreds of thousands of people that flooded the Dublin streets for the homecoming of their heroes illustrated just what the Irish team had done for the spirit of the nation, but McGrath said he was expecting something slightly more subtle and was taken aback by the sheer size of it all.
‘We thought we’d get back and go to a pub and have a few pints and maybe the landlord might give us a couple of pints free or something. We never expected to be flying, circling around Dublin and watching the crowd and stuff like that. It was just so surreal. You just can’t imagine what it was like.
‘It was lovely and I think all the lads really appreciated it. We appreciated everything the supporters did for us during that competition.
‘I believe half of them were re-mortgaging their houses and stuff like that just so they could follow us. It was a wonderful occasion to be Irish and to celebrate our country,’ he said.
McGrath may have been flabbergasted by what awaited them on their return to the Emerald Isle after the tournament, but getting there in the first place certainly came as no surprise to him, as they finished as runners-up, just a point behind Spain, in their qualification group.
‘Mr. Mackay from Scotland helped us get through in ‘88, but for the World Cup we got there on our own merits. What a competition, it’s the World Cup, it’s the biggest thing any player can get invited to so it was brilliant to get there and be a part of it,’ he said.
Having been drawn in a difficult group with England, the Netherlands and Egypt, some could have been forgiven for thinking a less than glamorous Irish team was just there to make up the numbers, but they certainly didn’t lack faith in their own ability.
‘Ironically the Egyptian game was probably the hardest one we had. It wasn’t the best of games. When you realise that England, and one of the best teams in the world, Holland, are in your group, you think you’ve got very little chance of getting out of it, but there was such a belief in that Irish team. We all felt that if we work as a team, which we always did, we’d get out of the group,’ he said.
That said, Ireland’s World Cup debut in Cagliari couldn’t have started in much worse of a fashion. The defence uncharacteristically fell asleep when they believed the ball had drifted out for a throw-in, and Chris Waddle curled a cross into the inrushing Gary Lineker who opened the scoring after just eight minutes.
‘I remember Chris Waddle keeping a ball in and no one knew whether it was a throw-in or whatever. I think some of the defence might have stopped a little bit.
‘Gary Lineker did that all his career, he played until the whistle blew and he managed to chest it and run past Packie and put the ball in the net. It wasn’t the start we wanted but we still believed that we had the players on the pitch to come back’, said McGrath, who amassed 83 caps for the Republic of Ireland during his career.
That optimism proved well founded as they battled back, and in the 71st minute Kevin Sheedy etched his name in the history books with Ireland’s first goal at a World Cup when he pounced on an error by Steve McMahon and rifled a shot past Peter Shilton.
‘Kevin had one of the best left feet in the business and was one of the best players I’ve played with. We had a few people who could use their left foot, Steve Staunton as well, and thank God Kevin used his that night.
‘We scored a great goal I thought and we deserved the draw we got,’ said the adopted Wexford man, who has been living in the Model county for the past 16 years.
The nation may have been on a high after fighting back for a result against Bobby Robson’s side, but Ireland’s second outing against Egypt, when they drew 0-0, became shrouded in negativity.
McGrath doesn’t see it that way, however, believing the North Africans deserved plaudits for their performance, and he insisted he and his team-mates never looked on the scoreless stalemate as the end of the world.
‘I think they played well in the competition. They had a centre-half that absolutely played out of his skin. I was on the pitch that day admiring some of the stuff that he was doing. He was man of the match in my book by a long chalk.
‘We were still trying to get things into the box and they were doing what we normally do, which was defending really well and stopping everything we threw at them. They did it brilliantly and deserved a draw.
‘A lot of people didn’t give them enough credit for what they did. They had a really good competition considering they weren’t a world-renowned team either. They did to us what we’d normally do to other people.
‘I was kind of proud walking off the pitch that day with a draw, because I thought they really played well, they had one or two chances, but by and large they were defending and they defended brilliantly.
‘As a defender I’d applaud that, no matter which team it is. At the end of the day it’s sport.
‘I think people thought the games we would have difficulty with would be the Holland and England games, and they were so surprised when Egypt popped up and they actually got a draw against us. Everyone was probably thinking now we have to face Holland and it’s going to be shameful because Holland are going last 20 minutes,’ he said. a qu
That absurd ending ensued because Rom England were leading 1-0 against Egypt, Pau and Ireland and Holland knew that a squ draw suited them both, as the pair would alwa go through along with Bobby Robson’s ‘I side, so they simply ran the clock down hug by casually passing the ball about, but to b
ex I that bizarre finish didn’t sit too well with McGrath.
‘I think Mick Byrne [team physio] had Cat come on to the pitch to one of our lads and forg we knew what the situation was. I didn’t en’t really appreciate that the game went the exp way it did. I’d rather you’d try to win the well game or lose the game to do it fairly for Ir the Egyptians. aw
‘It was a bit disrespectful to the Egypeigh tians that we did what we did, but then McG again we mightn’t have ended up going pitc to the quarter-finals, so it’s a hard one to Bar quantify,’ he said. with
The Irish party then rolled on to Genoa look for the memorable last 16 meeting with ‘T Romania in the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, a the g contest that will be never be forgotten in I lov the Emerald Isle, not for the quality of the thin performance, but for the dramatic penalty the shoot-out win. they
McGrath believes goalkeeper Packie like Bonner deserves immense credit, more thei for actually getting them to spot-kicks in ‘T the first place rather than thwarting Daniel well Timofte. bec
‘That was one of the hardest games we we played because they had Hagi. I put Hagi selv in the best five players I’ve ever played hav against. He was unbelievable,’ he said. it wa to hammer us. We had other ideas. ‘He was getting the ball in front of the the
‘As a team, as a squad, we always knew goalkeeper, running past halfway and ‘F that if we just stuck together and worked having a shot and Packie, thank God, was be I hard we could beat any team,comandthat’sonformthatday.Hewaspullingsavesout the way we always were,’I explained the from everywhere, shots that were heading n former St. Patrick’s Athletic, Manchester for the corner. He was the one who saved reve United, Aston Villa, Derby County and us that day, he was just magnificent. asto Sheffield United player. ‘Even as the kid (Timofte) walked up to 1-0
Things certainly didn’t get any easier take that penalty, I don’t know anything is th for Jack Charlton’s side, needing someabout taking penalties, but he looked like It thing from that final group game against he was going to cry even before he took pos the Netherlands to have any hopes of it. You could see that he probably didn’t progressing. really even want to take it, and Packie had
Although McGrath knew the difficulty to go to his right and saved it quite easily of the task, a lack of confidence wasn’t a to be honest,’ he said. barrier, but, similar to the England game, With the country watching from behind they were again left with it all to do after sofas and between barely parted fingers Ruud Gullit gave the European champions as David O’Leary stepped up to take the an early advantage. decisive spot-kick, McGrath was confident
‘To be honest, I would have considered that the veteran defender would do the the Dutch to be the best team we were needful. playing. When we walked out there was ‘I was [confident] because I’d seen van Basten, there was Ruud Gullit and David taking penalties. In training Niall players like that. When you’re walking Quinn used to go in goal and do a few of beside Ruud Gullit you realise how small these things where he’d give you a few you are. quid if you could score three penalties in a
‘He was like a giant and then he goes row, or you’d have to pay him if you didn’t. and does what you don’t want him to do, ‘I’d seen David take a few penalties he shows what a talented player he is against Niall and to be honest Quinny’s when he scores the first goal. I was late a big lad and he was ex-Gaelic as well. trying to get in to block him,’ he said. David O’Leary could hit the ball well
Ireland were never likely to roll over, though and thank God that day he hit the however, and again showed their neverball well,’ he said. say-die attitude, getting their reward when Although McGrath was rock-solid and Niall Quinn grabbed a precious equaliser reliable for Ireland in every other aspect with 20 minutes remaining, and McGrath on the pitch, penalty-taking certainly said even when things were going against wasn’t his forte and he readily admitted them their hopes never waned. that he was at the back of the queue on
‘The Irish team had this ability to get that famous night. themselves together and battle back and ‘I took one on an away trip with Manjust start saying, “listen, we’re not out of chester United one time and I hit the this yet, let’s keep it going, let’s keep batground first, Ray Clemence was in goal, tling, keep doing what we’re doing”. And we were playing against Spurs in Swazithen Niall Quinn comes up with the goods. land, and the ball trickled up and he had
‘Himself and Packie came up with that to come out to get the ball. amazing goal. Van Breukelen mishandled ‘That haunted me ever since so I wasn’t it and Quinny keeps running, which not too going to be one to throw my hand up to many people would have done, because take a penalty. I would have been last and he was such a good goalkeeper, but it was that’s the truth. I would have been last if amazing the way we got the goal back. they could find me,’ he laughed.
Then the game turned a bit farcical for the David O’Leary holding his nerve earned