THE HOT SEAT THAT’S COOLED
From the pride and passion of 2016, O’Neill’s now presiding over tepid, soulless showings
THERE’S a seat with Martin O’Neill’s name on it as Republic of Ireland manager for the Euro 2020 qualification draw in Dublin’s Convention Centre tomorrow fortnight.
That seat matters to the FAI hierarchy who want O’Neill in place when the UEFA blazers and Europe’s international managers line-up by the Liffey for the launch of football’s biggest international tournament after the World Cup.
The Association do not dare entertain the notion of allocating a pew to ‘AN Other’ at the draw. Think of the optics.
Another reason to stand by their embattled manager after a wretched run of results which would have spelt the end for any of his predecessors, is more simplistic: the Association can’t afford to remove him.
After rewarding O’Neill with a lucrative contract extension in January, when he had been openly chatting to Stoke City about the managerial vacancy, the FAI are caught in a financial bind.
Without Denis O’Brien’s assistance, they are reliant on their own resources to pay O’Neill €1.9m-ayear until the end of the Euro 2020 qualification.
Things are already stretched by tumbling gate receipts at the Aviva Stadium but to pay off O’Neill now, and his expensive entourage, would probably cost the thick end of €4m.
On top of that, the FAI would have to find another €2m-a-year or so to secure a decent replacement and his number two.
Those figures are enormous for an Association still coping with long-standing debt at the Aviva, and who missed out on a minimum €8.5m World Cup finals payout this summer.
The notion of not being part of the Euro 2020 jamboree, which will be worth an estimated €12m€14m for finalists and includes four games in Dublin, is one the FAI refuse to countenance.
‘We qualified for Euro 2012 and 2016 and to be in Dublin and hosting games in 2020 is a great prize for the organisation,’ chief executive John Delaney insisted in July.
Four months on, in Martin O’Neill, they continue to trust.
Yet the grim evidence on Thursday night pointed at an Ireland in decline and raised more questions about O’Neill’s ability to turn things around.
In years one to four at the helm, he extracted outstanding performances from his players, but the past 12 months have been wretched — one win in 10 games, no goals in 300 minutes, recurring errors, tactical twitching, and barely a single positive pointer.
For all the talk of lacking quality, O’Neill’s team were outplayed by a Northern Ireland side which had fewer Premier League players in their starting XI, three to four, and called on three players from League One, compared to one by the Republic.
Given that the North were also away from home, they could take more positives from the drab 0-0 outcome than the Republic and, on current form, are more likely to be part of the Euro 2020 party.
O’Neill was subdued afterwards, in contrast to his fighting talk about the 1-0 home loss to Wales last month.
At 49, Michael O’Neill’s managerial graph is still rising.
He is driven, ambitious and knowledgeable, and is the sort of manager the FAI should strongly consider if, and when, his elder namesake departs.
As for Martin O’Neill, is he perhaps feeling the effects of almost 50 years in the game, as player and manager?
Is the sap starting to run dry? He insists that is not the case.
‘I’m speaking quietly to you but it’s nothing to do with me not coming out and fighting. It was disappointing [last night] but in terms of being down, I don’t think so,’ he said.
For the assignment in Aarhus on Monday against the world’s 10thranked team, O’Neill is on the back foot like never before as Irish manager.
This game marks the last chance to stop the bleeding but why would the Danes be fearful? In their last two duels with Ireland they won both times and scored six goals — it points to a long, cold, night.
Where has it gone so awry? O’Neill talks about the absence of a goal-scorer, but more worrying is the absence of goal chances. But for Robbie Brady’s deliveries
SINCE the start of 2017, Martin O’Neill has overseen just four wins in 19 Irish internationals. Worryingly, Ireland have failed to score in nine of those 19 games, five of them at home Since the high of the 1-0 win in Vienna, which helped Ireland finish 2016 ranked 23rd in the world, Ireland have steadily slid back among Europe’s also-rans. Defeat to Denmark on Monday would leave Ireland in danger of falling outside the top 40.
into the box for Shane Duffy and Co, Ireland offered nothing against the North.
Key players have not kicked on since the World Cup qualifiers, Jeff Hendrick and James McClean among them while Seamus Coleman has yet to hit the standards of excellence witnessed before his broken leg.
Under O’Neill, Ireland were at their best with 4-2-3-1 formation, especially away from home with Coleman at right-back and McClean on the left-wing.
O’Neill may revert to the tried and trusted for Monday, although McClean is suspended, while also giving Michael Obafemi his first cap.
O’Neill must do something different, to rescue the reputation of the team he is paid a huge of money to be competitive. One win is 10 is the sort of form which costs managers their job.
‘We have the game on Monday. We will regroup and get ready for it. When the draw comes in, it will give us that momentum for a start and when the proper games kick in in March time, we will be ready,’ he said.
Momentum? It has been a while since the Irish football team had any of that.
THREATENING to give the whole of Europe a cold shoulder next season – not to mention the Irish Open he’s spent the last three years nurturing as host – has some people asking serious questions about Rory McIlroy’s priorities. It is also being asked of him if he’s willing to risk his king-like place at the epicentre of Europe’s Ryder Cup dominance. He’s been extremely generous to Ireland and Europe in the past, and as for the foolishness that surrounds the over-hyped Ryder Cup? It’s a weekend that is not worthy of the weightiness it receives. And, for sure, McIlroy will have many, many weekends in the older years of his career to luxuriate in the nonsense of that cup. In the meantime, the man’s got to get his career together. He’s got to get back to being the World No.1 and nothing – not a damn thing – should be allowed stand in his way of doing full justice to his amazing talents. Go for it, Rory – we’ll see you back here eventually.