Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MEYLER KEEN TO REALISE HIS CHILDHOOD AMBITION
“Obviously the Euros was a great experience and we can draw on that
AT the Euros last summer, but we need to go and perform
David Meyler was one of tonight and I fully believe we will be
four players in the Republic going to Russia.” of Ireland squad to see Meyler was suspended for
no game time. Saturday’s scoreless draw in the But now, the pumped Hull first-leg in Copenhagen and admits City midfielder is the standin it was tense on the bench. captain who could deliver Kicking and heading every ball, World Cup qualification at screaming at team-mates to run Aviva Stadium tonight. here and tackle there, he felt more Meyler’s rise up the international like a manager than a player. ladder has been eyeopening But while purists grumble at the and, back from anti-football dished up, Meyler suspension, he has approved of the approach and emerged to become labelled it a classic away day one of performance.
Martin “Look, Denmark didn’t O’neill’s score and the lads kept trusted Christian Eriksen (left) lieutenants. quiet,” he said. “It has to be the same again.
And in the “It’s not just Christian absence of regular Eriksen. They have a lot of skipper Seamus Coleman players playing in the – who is here tonight Champions League and top teams behind the scenes – it is a across Europe. responsibility he has “We know exactly what they are shouldered without fuss. capable of because we’ve been Meyler won’t bamboozle watching them all week. We’re fully opposing teams with blinding prepared for them and it’s down to skill but you sense he is us to get a result.”
‘one-of-those you-wouldwant-in-the-trenches-withyou’ But Ireland have been a better team away from home than in types that Roy Keane Dublin and scored just four goals on often harps on about. their own patch during the Group D And if Ireland get the job campaign. Yet like Martin O’neill, done against Denmark tonight, Meyler refused to get caught up in a it will be a dream come true for the ‘could have, should have’ debate, 29-year-old Cork man. insisting it is all about the here Meyler said yesterday: “I have and now. memories of the ‘94 World Cup, “Look, it’s simple,” he said. “We running around the house in an Ireland have to go win a game of football. top so to be 90-minutes away Every game we go into, we approach from a World Cup is huge. it the same way. Even the game “Looking back at the sacrifices I away in Denmark, their had to go through, lad [Thomas Delaney] to have this opportunity said it was like trying of being 90 to open a can of beans minutes away from a with your hand. World Cup is huge. I “It’s not like we’re don’t want to go out, going to roll over and none of us do. We be easy to beat. want to qualify and we We want to go and will do everything win the game. We within our power to want to qualify for the make sure we qualify.” World Cup.
Meyler added: “If “We’re not going to you look back when let Denmark roll us we started the campaign over. - Serbia away this “We need to score is where we want goals and I believe we to be. This is the goal. will.” Randolph Christie Duffy Clark Ward Meyler Arter Brady Hendrick Mcclean Long Schmeichel Ankersen Kjaer Bjelland Larsen Delaney Kvist Eriksen Poulsen Jorgensen Sisto