IRELAND MUST UNSETTLE VISITORS TO RESTORE HOME RULE
THERE was a time when Home Rule had a unique political status on this island. Where the Republic of Ireland soccer team were concerned, the term subsequently became most relevant. For a team lacking in selfbelief on the road, Ireland have often been full of fire and fury at home. Jack Charlton, who last month reunited with his Euro 88 squad for an event at the K Club in Co. Kildare, didn’t lose a competitive home game for more than seven years until Spain won 3-1 in Dublin in 1993. Mick McCarthy lost once at Lansdowne Road in a qualifier, and that was also his last game as manager, against Switzerland (2-1). Brian Kerr was only given one full term as manager despite one competitive loss, 1-0 at home to France. Steve Staunton, before being shifted to the unfamiliar terrain of Croke Park, chalked up a win and a draw in his two home qualifiers at Lansdowne. And now we have the Aviva Stadium. It was as pretty as a picture on Tuesday morning when the sun beat down and the verdant pitch was as smooth as a billiard table. It’s a place any footballer would like to play. And therein lies a problem. Visiting teams are no longer put off by the chutes of wind that bent the corner flags double, or the bumpy pitch with its scrum imprints. Nor do they quake at the raucous roar of the South Terrace. No, the Aviva is a shiny, space age stadium, all green, white and bright. The visit of Denmark marks the 24th competitive game played by Ireland at the Aviva since 2010. It’s true Ireland stunned Germany in October 2015 but other than that, how many other standout results come to mind? There was the 2-0 win over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the Euro 2016 play-offs, but not many more.
Giovanni Trapattoni oversaw 11 competitive games at the Aviva and beat no one of substance. Germany won 6-1 at the Aviva, Russia 3-2 and Sweden 2-1 while Slovakia drew 0-0. Trap’s finest hour at home was also a draw, 1-1 in the Euro 2012 playoffs against Estonia, after the business was done in the first leg in Tallinn. His successor, Martin O’Neill, has known awkward Aviva times, too, notably losing to Serbia and Denmark in the last campaign. Along the way, goals have become woefully scarce. Excluding gormless Gibraltar, O’Neill’s team managed just four goals at home in the regular Euro 2016 campaign, six including the play-off win over Bosnia-Herzegovina. In the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, the goals return dipped to five in six games at the Aviva. As Denmark and Wales arrive for the Nations League double-header, finding a winning formula at home could hold the key to O’Neill’s future.