HOGAN UP FOR O’NEILL
SCOTT HOGAN insists it would be a “stupid” move if Martin O’neill was removed from the Ireland hot-seat now.
The appearance of Hogan in the 75th minute at Aviva Stadium last night simply underlined the desperation being felt in the Ireland dug-out with time running out and another defeat staring the hosts in the face.
Suddenly Ireland had three strikers on the pitch and those in the stands experienced deja-vu as memories of the madness of the second half against Denmark in that disastrous World Cup play-off second leg were dredged up.
Wales could have scored two or three more in the closing stages as O’neill’s side lost it’s shape while on a mission to salvage something from this game after going behind to Harry Wilson’s goal on the hour.
The upshot is that this was another mess, another loss. But Hogan, who hadn’t played this season for Aston Villa, is adamant that it would be the wrong move to Wilson 58 change tack with the manager now.
“God no, it would be stupid to suggest anything like that,” he stated. “It’s the players’ fault, we’ve not won the game, it’s a simple as that.
“It’s just little mistakes at the end of the day and you can’t account for that.
“We have to try to fix it, to cut them out, but it’s international football at the end of the day and the more mistakes you make, the more you are going to get punished.
“The less we make, the more games we’ll win in future.
“We’ve made it hard for ourselves so we’ve got to try to dig ourselves out of it really.
“It’s the players’ doing, we’ve not won the game at the end of the day, so it’s up to us to change things.
“The only thing we can do is win our next game.”
Hogan’s point of view was backed up by Shane Duffy, who is now a senior player in O’neill’s ranks.
“Well, it’s us out there, isn’t it?” Duffy said.
“It’s us out there playing, it’s the players’ responsibility to perform. They can tell us what to do but it is up to us to do it and we have obviously let them down.
“It is up to the players to take responsibility of it.
“It’s obviously not good enough. I wouldn’t blame them.”
Hogan explained that he was sent on with instructions to try to nick something in the box, which is his game.
“I didn’t have a chance, I had a little header which didn’t have any pace on it,” he said.
“It (his intention) was just get in the game, try and get back in the game and try and win it.”
He admitted that the dressing-room was a sombre place afterwards, as music pumped out from the away one.
“It should be after any defeat,” said Hogan.
“You get up and go again for the next game. Any defeat, you’re going to be like that, it doesn’t matter what game it is.
“After a defeat, it feels like the end of the world.”