O’Neill got Long and short of past mistakes
SHANE LONG has revealed how Martin O’Neill sought counsel from the Ireland players to ensure he didn’t make the same mistakes as his predecessor in the build-up to Euro 2016.
Four years ago, Giovanni Trapattoni brought the squad to Montecatini in Italy before travelling to Budapest for a friendly with Hungary en route to their base in the Polish seaside resort of Sopot.
The length of the time spent away from home, as well as the regimented schedule they had to adhere to, led to discontent and Ireland exited at the group stages with three defeats.
‘There was a bit of cabin fever four years ago,’ acknowledged Long. ‘The manager here actually asked us about that and how he could change it and stuff. The players had a say. Maybe that’s the only thing that we changed but we definitely approached it (the preparation) in the right way.
‘The difference this time is that we are not locked away, we’re in Ireland for one thing, hearing our own accents.
‘We had a golf day, a night out at the Cork Opera House, and the gaffer has given us a few days off to see our families. I’ve a wife and two young kids, it’s important to see them.
‘I’ve think we’ve got the balance right. The whole country is buzzing about the Euros, and we’re hearing that back. It rubs off on you.
‘Even at home in Gortnahoe all I see is kids wearing green jerseys and looking forward to the Euros.’
This time, he’s been ordained by Roy Keane as ‘the main man’, which didn’t look likely half-way through the campaign but changed utterly when he fired home the winner against Germany.
Like the others who suffered in 2012, he is aching to leave a positive imprint on these finals. ‘Anyone who was at the last Euros would say the feeling was one of regret after every game.
‘We scored just one goal got no points, which was very frustrating.
‘We’ve worked hard to get here again and we don’t want the same feeling afterwards. I think we’re in a better place now.’