O’Neill takes aim at Shearer over pundit’s
MARTIN O’NEILL has hit out at Alan Shearer’s weekend criticism of Cyrus Christie and suggested that it demonstrated why the BBC pundit only lasted for a short period of time as a manager.
Christie was singled out by Shearer ‘Match of the Day 2’ after Fulham leaked goals in a 5-1 defeat to Arsenal.
The Ireland manager felt that the former England striker was guilty of a lack of understanding in his analysis – stating that Christie was merely following instructions from Slavisa Jokanovic as a right-sided player in a 3-4-3 formation. He spoke with the player yesterday to confirm that suspicion.
“I’ve asked Cyrus and this was the first thing I thought of when Alan Shearer was having a go,” said O’Neill, “He (Shearer) should have prefaced things by saying, ‘I don’t know what the manager has said’, because at the end of the day, the manager has asked him to stay up the pitch and not worry about getting back.
“So if you’re asking a wing-back to go up the pitch, be really high up the pitch, hoping that you receive the ball up there – you’re depending on people to get you the ball – but you’re up there and then ask them to get 50 yards back when it’s broken down? Usain Bolt couldn’t get back there in time, he wouldn’t be able to get back. The communication has to be there with the right centre-back.
“I think the criticism was tough considering that you haven’t put in the possibility that the manager has told you to stay up the pitch. I don’t think the severe criticism was as warranted. I don’t think everything was down to him and the first thing I thought about when Shearer was saying those things is, ‘You should be asking the question’.
“Maybe that’s why he only managed eight games, that might be something to do with it,” said O’Neill, with a withering reference to Shearer’s aborted attempt to escape relegation with Newcastle at the end of the 2008/’09 season.
O’Neill did suggest that Fulham have struggled because of they have chopped and changed their back four and five and may not be
familiar with their system. It’s a factor he must grapple with too as he contemplates a switch to a threeman defence for Saturday’s game with Denmark.
The 66-year-old agreed that he does have the options with Enda Stevens, a regular at left wing-back for Championship leaders Sheffield United, and Matt Doherty providing stern competition for Christie on the other flank.
“I played it at Leicester and Celtic and the wing-backs have been really attacking players,” said O’Neill. “It took a bit of getting used to. For us now, if we are thinking about it because maybe our strengths might be down the wings now, then it’s something you have to try to practise a few times. Hopefully we’ll do that between now and Saturday.”
O’Neill acknowledged that Denmark may have to adjust their plan with Christian Eriksen set to miss out, although he said the right things about the rest of Age Hareide’s squad.
He acknowledged that last November’s painful World Cup play-off defeat might just come up in discussions across the week.
“In terms of us trying to rectify that, I’m sure that will be uppermost in the mind of the players,” said O’Neill. “I don’t see that as a bad thing.”