Fish and chips and the end of the line for the team that Jack built
EVEN now, the Republic of Ireland vets who were party to the shambles are seen to wince whenever talk of ‘Austria ’95’ is mentioned. For the stalwarts of three tournament finals inside six years know this was the one international, above all others, where the guard was dropped as standards slipped.
It wasn’t so much that Ireland lost their home Euro qualifier to Austria, but rather the way they contributed to their downfall with the most amateurish and chaotic preparation for any game of Jack Charlton’s lengthy rule. In every sense, Ireland got battered. It should never have been like that. Ireland returned from Liechtenstein with their tails between their legs after dropping two precious points to a team of part-timers. They were slaughtered in the press and by Charlton who acknowledged the result meant Ireland had ‘dug a big hole for ourselves’
Yet eight days later, a wounded crew were gifted the means, motive and opportunity to right the wrong suffered in the Alpine hideaway as Austria came to town.
What followed over 90 minutes was painful to witness as Ireland blew a lead – which was almost unheard of under Charlton – and leaked three soft goals.
They played like a team that had nothing in the tank, not a team aching to prove a point. So where did it go horribly wrong? Firstly, some context is required. Under Charlton, the Irish crew of lads liked to enjoy themselves.
They played hard, and partied hard. Charlton knew it and rather than impose a curfew, he used to allow his players a licence to socialise at the start of an international week.
It was a rather wacky ritual but once the team delivered, no one minded.
The policy had seen Ireland qualify for Euro ’88, Italia ’90 and USA ’94.
They went unbeaten in the ’92 Euros and made a flying start to Euro ’96 with three straight wins, and 11 goals.
While they allowed Northern Ireland to plunder a point in Dublin in March ’95, a famous win over Portugal in May left Ireland sitting pretty with four wins and a draw ahead of the June doubleheader. And that’s where it all began to unravel for The Team That Jack Built.
After the low of Liechtenstein, Charlton took his eye off the ball. He could have sent the players home and brought them back to Dublin for a short run-in to the Austria game.
Instead, he decided that a week holed up in Limerick would be perfect for the lads.
It was the first mistake by Charlton but it wouldn’t be his last. Caging players in for six nights on the road wasn’t a smart idea and when Charlton left for Belfast on the Wednesday to see group rivals Northern Ireland play Latvia, it was the cue for players to break camp.
These guys were masters of getting in and out of hotels for years and everyone in Limerick wanted to buy them a drink. How could they say no?
After guzzling Guinness all week, the players boarded the team coach for the spin to Dublin the day before the game.
Before training in Lansdowne Road, they stopped off at Harry Ramsden’s fish and chip outlet on the Naas Road.
In his autobiography, Niall Quinn described the scene: ‘We all shuffled into Harry Ramsden’s. Jack is a shareholder. Packie or Paul or somebody cut a ribbon and officially opened the place. So the night before the game, after a week of drink, I settled down to fish and chips.
‘Gary Kelly took the Harry Ramsden’s Challenge and ate a fish about a yard long and a mountain of chips and anything else they challenged him with. He thought there’d be a certificate but he got a free dessert instead, which he duly ate. Jack herded us out pronto.
‘Twenty minutes later, it’s dusk at Lansdowne Road and we’re all waddling about the pitch, groaning, full of fish and chips and trying to do a training session the night before this must-win game.’
The next day, Ireland ran out of puff after taking the lead through Ray Houghton midway through the second half. In 13 ill-disciplined minutes, they let in three goals.
After the angst against Austria, Ireland limped into second place in the group, but the Charlton era was over, and the players knew it.
Paul McGrath, a pillar of the side, wrote: ‘Our efforts to qualify for Euro ’96 died technically, with a 0-2 play-off defeat to Holland at Anfield in December 1995. But being honest, the Harry Ramsden Challenge (where we dipped into a chippy for dinner on the eve of a vital qualifier against Austria) had marked the end three months earlier.
‘We were gone as a competitive force. And Jack walked before he was pushed.’
Next Sunday, when Austria visit in the World Cup, marks the 22nd anniversary of the day it all fell apart for Charlton’s Ireland. June 11, 1995: Rep of IReland 1 austRIa 3 Rep of IReland: A Kelly; G Kelly, McGrath, Babb, Irwin; Houghton, Whelan (capt), Sheridan, Staunton (Kenna) h/t); Coyne, Quinn (Cascarino 58). scorer: Houghton 65. austRIa: Konsel; Pfeffer, Schottel, Furstaller, Kogler, Prosenik, Kuhbauer, Pfeifenberger (Hutter 80), Marasek, Ramusch (Ogris 71), Polster. scorers: Polster 69,78, Ogris 72. Referee: Merk (Germany)