O’Neill must show humility and accept mistakes to save job
FOR the good of his own sanity, Martin O’Neill might just choose to give this weekend’s football action a miss and focus on some of his more carefree pursuits.
There is enough to keep him occupied.
On Sunday, the self-confessed NFL fanatic could well end up at Wembley for the clash between the Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans. Cyrus Christie in the quarterback role, anyone?
Or maybe the amateur golfer with a 14 handicap will look to escape to the sun and head for Spain, where the Sergio Garcia Foundation is hosting a European Tour event at Valderrama.
Perhaps he might just close the door at home, draw the curtains and bury himself in his various JFK or Richard Nixon anthologies to dull the pain of the Republic of Ireland’s last two results.
If penance is what he feels is in order, the options are also plentiful.
Should he decide to stick around on these shores, then Dundalk’s title party at Oriel Park could be the ideal time to see Michael Duffy and Patrick McEleney in sparkling form.
At the same time across the water, Sheffield Wednesday host Middlesbrough in the Championship, but with goalkeeper Darren Randolph likely the only Irishman on show, such a trip is of little value for O’Neill who knows the Wicklow native is the undisputed No1 – even if his misreading of Harry Wilson’s freekick proved so costly against Wales.
The early game in the Premier League tomorrow afternoon between Chelsea and Manchester United is of no concern at all. And it’ll be a long time before it is again for an Ireland manager.
Travelling to Bournemouth to see Shane Long sit on the bench for Southampton is pointless, although it should perhaps act as a reminder to O’Neill that the striker, now 31, remains a better option as an impact player as opposed to someone who can lead the line from the outset. If O’Neill is serious about the rebuilding job and feels he will be granted the time to see it through, he needs to be ruthless and allow someone like 24-year-old Sean Maguire, when fit, a run of games to help set a new tone and dynamic for the team. Cardiff City-Fulham will hold little appeal,
other than a mild curiosity to see whether Christie’s club boss, Slavisa Jokanovic, has also seen the light and moved him into midfield. Doubtful, just as it is that Harry Arter has learned in the space of 72 hours that it’s criminal for a midfielder to dive in so close to his own penalty box.
He paid a high price for his recklessness on Tuesday and it is clear he cannot be trusted at the base of a midfield to maintain composure and protect his defence wisely (not hard to see why Glenn Whelan is the most capped Ireland midfielder now, is it?)
His ability as a nuisance with impressive energy levels shouldn’t be discounted in the centre of the park but the last two games should have opened O’Neill’s eyes once and for all to his uses somewhere he is unlikely to cause more harm than good. Burnley’s visit to champions Manchester City will be timely to see how Jeff Hendrick operates in a team that will have even less possession than Ireland, provided the out-of-favour midfielder gets picked by Sean Dyche. The Dubliner admitted that his best form for his country came when utilised on the right side of a three-man midfield, and it was on the left of a trio that he showed flashes of promise, and confidence, against Wales. For the visit of Northern Ireland and the trip to Aarhus next month, O’Neill must ignore the temptation to push Hendrick into a No10 position because it curbs his ability to begin, or join in with, the attack from a running position as opposed to a standing start where he struggles with his back to goal.
Even O’Neill wouldn’t inflict on himself the long journey to Newcastle for Shane Duffy’s Brighton, and Matt Doherty will no doubt go about his business against Watford without prying eyes.
A catch-up with John O’Shea down at Reading is a possibility but with Millwall in town the international boss is unlikely to be won over by 32-year-old Shaun Williams now.
Preston, the parish of Maguire, Alan Browne and Callum Robinson, are in action over in Hull but O’Neill would be better off biting the bullet and poring over the DVDs of the Danish stalemate and Welsh to see that he made a major error in judgement by curbing James McClean’s attacking instincts. O’Neill, rather curiously, threw out the line that one of the reasons for Stephen Ward’s resurgence in an Ireland jersey over the last couple of years was due to the protection of the Stoke City man.
With Ireland in need of inspiration in the final third, McClean illustrated his prowess over the course of the last World Cup campaign — four goals, all away from home and all securing maximum points — but just when he looked set to kick on his instincts were curbed by O’Neill.
To offer a threat in Denmark and give them something to consider, McClean needs to be given licence to attack without the restrictions a wing-back role impose.
Maybe O’Neill needs to just clear the head and gather his thoughts. He was bullish and happy to front up with bravado after the Wales defeat. Next month, by showing he has the humility to accept the mistakes of the last week, he will go a long way to building more solid foundations for the Euro 2020 qualifiers.