O’Neill miracle deserves more respect
MOANING always greets the start of the international break. Through the message boards and phone-ins, we are constantly reminded that international football is boring and roll on the Premier League. Incredibly, some of these diatribes come from Northern Ireland. Seriously? They would rather watch — in football terms — a foreign club than another miracle conjured by their national team? If Michael O’Neill takes Northern Ireland to a second successive major tournament he is the manager of the year, no matter what happens in the Premier League. Northern Ireland were never going to win Group C because Germany are in it. But they are guaranteed second place and almost certainly a berth in the World Cup play-offs. They have won six of eight qualifiers, finishing well clear of Norway and the Czech Republic. Indeed, they have conceded the same number of goals as Germany: two. O’Neill’s goalkeeper cannot get in Norwich’s team, one of his forwards actually started his career in goal and another worked as a postman while playing for St Ives Town in the United Counties League. Defeating the Czechs 2-0 this week, O’Neill called on two players from West Brom, Hearts and Millwall, and others from Southampton, Leeds, Fulham, Norwich, Rangers, Blackburn, Charlton and QPR. On paper, his team wouldn’t be tipped to get out of the Championship. Yet here they are on the brink of making it to Russia. How any citizen of Ulster can feel more strongly about the Premier League than this band of miracle workers is a mystery.