I CAN’T LET MY CAREER PETER OUT.. IRELAND BOS PROCEEDINGS
about Villa, I’m thinking about Ireland. The most difficult thing in football is not playing.
“And the second most difficult thing is playing in a system where there’s just no way on this earth it’s suited to you, you’re sort of hung out to dry a little bit.”
Hogan explained: “When I came to Villa, I quickly found out I had to change my game which was frustrating because I was signed for playing a certain way – scoring goals. It was a step up I suppose, a different style. I struggled to get used to it.”
Since returning from injury, Hogan soon realised that no matter what he did on the Bodymoor Heath training ground, he wouldn’t play on match day.
“I’d stay behind and do my own things to try improve myself but it’s hard to explain because your head’s not right,” he said. “You have to deal with it as best you can. I struggle to deal with not JOHN TERRY’S new role at Aston Villa will carry Scott Hogan’s seal of approval, as the striker wanted him as manager.
The ex-chelsea star (right) was last night appointed as assistant manager at Villa Park.
Dean Smith was rubberstamped as Villa boss having left Brentford and succeeds sacked Steve Bruce.
Villa striker Hogan had earlier insisted Terry’s appointment to the coaching ticket would go down well in the dressing room.
Terry closed out his playing career at Villa and Hogan said:
playing, so I can be quite moody.”
But Hogan is determined to channel that frustration into a green shirt over the next week.
Recalling that close range miss in Antalya, he said: “Those chances are my bread and butter but it wasn’t to be on the night.
“The crazy thing about good finishers is that it’s all confidence but there’s certain things you don’t forget when you get in the box. That’s where I feel at home.
“Some people lose a bit of pace when they get old but you never lose finishing ability or instinct.
“I’m more than confident that I’m still the same finisher. There’s the little confidence loss that comes with not playing but that will come.” “He was great last year, JT.
“Different to what you expect, he’s almost quite shy. Not the most vocal but he leads by example. As a central defender he understands things, patterns of play, where to be, reading of the game.
“He has arguably been England’s best defender, the Premier League’s best defender so if he can pass his knowledge on that would be brilliant.
“He knows the lads, the ground, the training ground, the staff. He knows what the fans expect and he has played at a big club and won all sorts.” PETER ANKERSEN suspects he is not the only Danish player travelling to Dublin with a point to prove this weekend.
The FC Copenhagen right-back (inset) was controversially left out of Denmark’s World Cup squad in Russia this summer.
He had started the home leg of the playoff against Ireland but was dropped to the bench for the resounding 5-1 win in Dublin days later.
Now boss Age Hareide has recalled him for the Nations League clash with Ireland on Saturday and next week’s friendly against Austria.
“It’s great to be back,” he said. “I’ve had a good season and it’s good to be back in the heat of it all. It’s up to me to show that I belong in this team.
“Obviously I was disappointed about the World Cup for the first few weeks but I’ll use it as an inner motivation to show that it was a mistake.”
And with Spurs ace Christian Eriksen sidelined, Ankersen says others won’t need a second invitation to shine in his absence
“Thomas Delaney, for example,” he said. “I can easily see Delaney as a weapon for us playing as a No 10.”
Ireland U19 Bosnia & Hzg U19
3
1 IRELAND made a winning start to their U19 European Championship qualifying round yesterday.
Will Ferry, Troy Parrott (inset) and Adam Idah scored in a 3-1 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina at City Calling Stadium in Longford.
Boss Tom Mohan said: “It was a very important win and we were well deserving of it.”
Ireland face the Faroe Islands on Saturday and Holland on Tuesday, with the top two sides qualifying for the elite phase, where the group winners qualify for the Euros.