Ireland will face hosts France with all guns blazing
“I don’t think you would want to head out of the competition meekly. You want to go out with all guns blazing if you can and we want to stay in it as we feel we can do something.”
That said, O’Neill has prepared his players, for a long, gruelling afternoon, and that has even extended to practising for a penalty shoot-out.
However, he knows putting the ball in the net from 12 yards on the training ground is a very different prospect to doing it in front of 59,000 people with a quarter- final place in the European Championships at stake.
O’Neill said: “We have practised penalties on the training ground, where all players want to take the penalties – including the goalkeepers.
“But I wonder what it will be like if we do get to a shoot- out? That might be different.
“I have seen great players in the past, really great players, but on the field when it has come to penalty shoot- outs in European Cup finals down tools and not take them.
“I think that it will depend on who is on the pitch at the time if it comes to that but we have done as much as we possibly can in that aspect.”
That said, O’Neill has seen enough to know who would not be stepping up.
He said with a smile: “If we go get to penalties, there are at least three players I know who won’t take them who haven’t been able to hit the target too often.
“I won’t name them but, if they don’t come in the first 11, you will have a fair idea.”
O’Neill revealed full- back Stephen Ward, who took a kick on the ankle against Italy, is improving but remains a doubt. Striker Jonathan Walters’ Achilles problem is improving by the day.
REPUBLIC of Ireland boss Martin O’Neill has hit out at the decision to allocate the country’s fans just 4,500 tickets for today’s Euro 2016 showdown with France.
The green shirts of their supporters at the 59,000-capacity Stade de Lyon will be dwarfed by the blue of the host nation.
Asked about the disparity, O’Neill said: “To be allocated less that 5,000 tickets is pretty unfair.
“There should have been a certain allocation left for the side that would make it here. France have had that opportunity, having advanced three days before us, and so it’s going to be severely one-sided in that aspect.”
Ireland were backed by a following of around 25,000 at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille as they beat Italy 1-0 to progress and the scramble for tickets for this afternoon’s game since has been desperate.
If the Republic feel they have been dealt a poor hand off the pitch, they could be forgiven for believing they are not much better off on it, with France having had three extra days’ rest since their last fixture.
However, O’Neill refused to make excuses as he prepared for the biggest game of his reign.
He said: “It was always going to be the case when we kicked off last in the competition that we were going to face this problem at some stage. “We just have to deal with it.” Ireland produced their best performance for years on Wednesday night to beat Italy 1-0 and secure their passage to the last 16 but O’Neill knows they will have to be equally good, if not better, to upset one of the favourites to lift the trophy on July 10.
But as they prepare for their date with destiny at the Stade de Lyon, the 64-yearold insisted he will send out his team to win the game, not to simply try to stay in it.
O’Neill said: “I have spent my time in the last two-odd years here in qualification sending out what I consider adventurous teams to win games.
“We played a very adventurous game against Sweden, we weren’t allowed to play well against Belgium and that can happen because they are a top-class side.
“They are rated one or two in the world, and are entitled to be able to pass it past us occasionally.
“Against Italy, we needed some extra energy. We have older players, in their 30s, so we had to get energy into the side, not only did we do that, we played brilliantly.