WHAT A CIRCUS
Time’s up for O’Neill if we lose our next two, says Andrews
KEITH ANDREWS has labelled the recent events surrounding the Republic of Ireland, both on and off the pitch as a ‘shambles’.
‘It’s been a circus,’ said the former Ireland midfielder, who believes time will be up for Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane if the Nations League doubleheader in Dublin next month goes belly-up.
Andrews said: ‘If we see anything like Denmark in the Aviva and Wales in Cardiff, then I think that’s the end of the era, there’s no doubt about it.
‘Even more alarming than the last two competitive performances, is what’s creeping out about what’s happening off the pitch and the differences [rows].’
Andrews felt O’Neill’s reputation with the Irish ranks was damaged by his association with the Stoke City job earlier in the year. O’Neill failed to agree terms to replace Mark Hughes after protracted talks with the club.
‘There’s a lot of talk about this third campaign syndrome. I think it stems from the Denmark performance but then added on to that what happened in January with Stoke hasn’t sat well with media, fans and players certainly,’ he said.
NEVER kid a kidder. Anyone who suggests the Republic of Ireland’s ills have been any more than papered over by a draw with Poland’s reserves in Wroclaw isn’t thinking straight.
For this is a team in flux and with several ongoing issues behind the scenes.
A quick rewind to Wroclaw. Have another look at how easily the Ireland midfield was prised open for the Poland equaliser. It was shocking.
The old one-two was something learned as a child in the playground yet Ireland were powerless to defend against it.
As former midfielders who won English Championships medals, Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane knew what their jobs were under Brian Clough and Alex Ferguson.
Could the Ireland manager and his assistant not impress upon their midfield to close down, to track the runner? Not on this occasion, clearly.
Christian Eriksen must be licking his lips at the prospect of running rings around the Ireland midfield again when the Danes return for the Nations League clash on October 13. Certainly, the likes of Conor Hourihane and David Meyler won’t hold any fears for the Spurs playmaker.
Meyler was involved in a curious pre-match sub-plot. Rolled out by O’Neill for the pre-match press conference, the two men acknowledged they had a disagreement in training on Friday in Wales but sorted it out.
We can have a row and we move on, he implied. But it’s doubtful that Meyler had to endure the verbal barrage Harry Arter is reported to have received from Keane.
Meyler’s reward for backing up the manager was another splinter in his backside from the bench. Over two games, with a cluster of central midfielders missing, he was given 35 minutes. He can’t have been pleased. But then Ireland footballers (well, most of them) are conditioned not to speak out of turn, to keep things in-house, as O’Neill likes put it.
He was more annoyed that details of Keane’s altercation with Arter in the summer made its way into the public domian via Stephen Ward than he was about the alleged tone and language involved. Arter may not be the greatest midfielder to put on a green jersey but the lack of respect shown to him in this instance was appalling. And yet if Ward hadn’t given his insider’s take on what actually happened between Keane, Jon Walters (Ward’s clubmate) and Arter, O’Neill wouldn’t have acted. As it is, his hand has been forced and Keane will offer apologies to Arter. It will irk the former Manchester United and Ireland captain but it is the right thing to do and he should be grateful he still has his reported €600,000-a-year job.
Imagine if Gareth Southgate’s right-hand man Steve Holland had mouthed off in a similar fashion at, say, Eric Dier or Jordan Henderson and it was splashed all over the British tabloids? He’d have been sent on his bike by the image-conscious English FA before he’d have had time to open a paper. But, then, no one knows who Holland is, for most assistant managers are invisible and are aware of their place.
In contrast, the FAI’s silence on the Keane revelations is damning. Instead of distancing themselves from the reported bad language and attitude, they left it to O’Neill to iron out the creases. No one has contradicted a word of what Ward said; the full-back has actually done his team a service and has nothing to be ashamed about.
As for Keane, he remains an enigma wrapped in a riddle. For all of Callum O’Dowda’s support, the Cork man is an unpredictable presence in the squad, capable of flicking from sweet to sour in an instant.
The manager is adamant there was no row between Keane and Declan Rice but if he asked Rice what he thought of Keane’s behaviour involving Walters and Arter, he might get another inkling as to the player’s absence from the squad in Wales and Poland.
Rice probably wouldn’t have halted the red tide in Cardiff but he’d be a huge asset for the games against Denmark and Wales next month, on which so much is riding.
Should Ireland stumble in both games, the scrutiny of O’Neill and Keane will intensify. And it will be audible from the stands, more so if the ‘Singing Section’ is vocal in its protests.
The FAI believe it will be alright on the night but they’re not exactly encouraging fans to fill out the 51,000 capacity Aviva Stadium. Adult ticket prices for the Nations League visit of Denmark (and Wales too) are €70, €50 and €30, compared to €60, €40 and €20 for the World Cup play-off last November.
To hike up the cost of admission for an inferior competition is something that could hit them where they remain most vulnerable... in their pockets.
From empty seats in the stands, to empty places in the dressing room, Irish football is not where it needs to be.
Don’t let anyone kid you that it is.