JOHN ALDRIDGE RECALLS THE DAY MICK LEFT HIM ON ICE
Aldo frozen out as Mick’s men struggled to crack Iceland
IF IRELAND need a late goal tomorrow night, Mick McCarthy will look at his bench and make a call that could define his return as manager. Does he go for Troy Parrott, the kid? Or James Collins, older, and more streetwise? Might Scott Hogan be a hero?
There are not many goals on the Irish bench, not with Shane Long in cold storage. And even if there were, would McCarthy trust the guy with the proven record, or go with his gut?
Twenty-two years ago, John Aldridge was overlooked by McCarthy when Ireland needed a goal against Iceland at home in the World Cup.
There were 10 minutes left and McCarthy, having already deployed Roy Keane in a central defensive three, made another contentious call when he replaced David Kelly with Alan Moore.
Aldo was hopping mad.
Words were had between himself and McCarthy after the game, and Aldo retired from international football. It was not the way he wanted it to end. ‘I found it really hard to give up international football,’ recalled Aldo, who will be the FAI’s guest of honour at tomorrow’s must-win Euro 2020 qualifier.
‘Perhaps when I took over as manager of Tranmere I should have drawn a line through it then.
‘I was getting old, I wasn’t the future of Irish football. Looking back, maybe that was something I should have done, and not put pressure on Mick. At the time, I spoke to Mick and said “I’ll come if I can help.” I had people back at Tranmere to keep an eye on things for me. I came along, enjoyed the training, the lads; helped out as best I could with the experience I had.
‘Then for that Iceland game I realised I couldn’t really come over to sit on the bench, and not get involved, especially when we needed that goal.
‘My heart was ruling my head. At that time, we needed the win, we drew 0-0. I was really confused. I was sore, I didn’t want to let it go.’
Aldo was 38, no spring chicken by any standards, although his love of the international set-up, was mirrored by others – Tony Cascarino and Paul McGrath were 37 for their final internationals, Robbie Keane a sprightly 36.
It took Aldo 1,738 minutes and 20 caps to score his first Irish goal, as he adjusted to the role of pressing defenders under Jack Charlton’s instruction. When he finally got up and running, he ended up with 19 from 69 games.
Aldo scored the brace that sent Ireland to the 1990 World Cup, and also snagged a vital goal in a 2-1 loss to Mexico in the World Cup, where Ireland advanced to the last 16 on goals scored.
That day in the Orlando oven, Aldo’s passion for Ireland seeped through every pore as he ‘lost the plot’ with the fourth official, as he tried desperately to get on to the field.
‘The water started it, then it was the way the game was going. We couldn’t do the pressing because of the heat, as you couldn’t recover your breath,’ he said.
‘We’re 2-0 down, and a man down for 10 minutes as I couldn’t get on. That’s why I lost the plot. I scored when I got on, so it all worked well in the end.’
Just as Aldo was Ireland’s champion from the bench 25 years ago in Florida, so it might be someone else’s turn tomorrow night.