There’s not a game we go into thinking we can’t win

Collins insists Ireland believe in their ability

BY HIS own admission, Nathan Collins has had quite the week and he could do without it becoming even more hair-raising tonight.

After his kung fu fighting episode with Jack Grealish and a late, gut-wrenching defeat to Scotland, the prospect of Nations League relegation cannot be ruled out.

Ireland are, of course, strong favourites to avoid that scenario but nothing is a given with a team still striving for consistency and a winning habit.

And not against opponents who blindsided Stephen

Kenny’s men in

Yerevan three months ago, — even if they did lose their next four, conceding 14 goals and scoring just one.

But, first things first.

What about ‘that’ Grealish challenge and the furore it sparked in the UK before getting the full and forensic Match of the Day probe after a straight red card?

Stamp

The reaction here in Ireland was, naturally enough, a touch more tongue-in-cheek considering England star Grealish’s flirtation with the Boys in Green as a youngster.

A mocked-up Irish stamp commemorating the flying Collins challenge even did the rounds online.

And when the Ireland players arrived at their base the following day, the FAI posted social media footage of James McClean (below) ribbing Collins for his delay leaving the Molineaux pitch.

Ahead of tonight’s clash with Armenia, Wolves star Collins said: “It’s been eventful to say the least. It was a mis-timed tackle. There was nothing malicious in it. That was it. “After the game, I was outside the dressing room talking to someone and I saw him (Grealish). I spoke to him and said ‘listen, in the tackle I didn’t mean to go for you, I went for the ball and meant nothing by it’. “He said ‘yes, it’s not a problem, I didn’t think you did’.

Red

“It was sound and we just chatted out, nothing serious and we were both on good terms. It happens, mis-timed tackles, red cards. Got to get on with life.

“If I’ve a long career, you’ll have ups and downs. I’ve come into camp and all the lads were great.

“Seamie (Coleman) was a good help, Macker (McClean) was a good help. I knew I had a massive game coming up on Saturday, so I didn’t have time to dwell on it.

“I’d a job on my hands and that’s what I wanted to do for my country. Club football and international football are two different things and I’m concentrating on international football at this time.”

And centre-back Collins — who made his debut against Qatar last October — has made quite the impact on that national stage.

But he signaled his arrival in style during the summer with strong performances in all four of the June games, scoring an iconic Irish goal in the draw with Ukraine in Poland.

But while that solo goal had Ireland looking up going into the summer break, they are suddenly looking over their shoulder after defeat to Scotland.

Shock

Armenia, who beat Ireland 1-0 in Yerevan in June, will leapfrog Kenny’s men and relegate them to League C if they pull off a shock win tonight.

“Looking at this campaign, there are two ways of looking at it,” said Collins when asked to assess a group that Kenny wanted to win.

“You can look at results and think we could have done a lot better but then you can look at performances and say, maybe one game, we haven’t been at it.

“But in most games we’ve been involved we’ve nearly been the better team — we’ve had chances and we’ve defended well. It’s whatever way you want to look at it but, from my perspective, as a team, you can see every game that we’re getting better.

“Every game, we’re growing as a team, as a unit, and players are coming in and causing other players to lose their spot because the standard of the team is really good.

“I think to have that in a team at this level is crucial and the longer it continues and the squad settles I think it will be really good.”

Habit

But going into the Euro qualifying draw on

October 9 and the start of that campaign in

March,

Ireland need to find a winning habit.

And especially so against teams of similar ability — a fact not lost on Collins who became Irish football’s most expensive player with his €24m move to Wolves from Burnley.

Collins continued: “I think so, but that’s football isn’t it, you want to win every game. You have to win every game.

“I don’t think there’s a game where you don’t want to go and win it but there’s not a game we go into thinking we can’t win, no matter who the opponent is.

“We could play against the best in the world, like we did against Belgium, and we think we can get a win so it doesn’t really change a thing.

“Every game we go into I’d back our squad against whoever and I think we can win every game.”