GROUNDHOG DAY

History repeating itself for Long as he looks to re-establish himself as a striker at Southampton

THE build-up to Ireland’s Euro 2012 campaign gave Shane Long the chance to make it crystal clear to Giovanni Trapattoni that he wanted to vie with Robbie Keane for a place in attack rather than settle for a spot on the wing.

‘I don’t really enjoy it,’ he said. ‘I feel my best position is up front and I think the manager knows that, but if you asked me to play centre back I’d try and do my best back there.

‘I don’t know why I don’t enjoy it, I’m a striker. We have enough wingers. I don’t think you need to add me to that. I want to be looked at as a striker rather than a winger.’

Five years on and Long, who turned 30 in January, is suffering a similar identity crisis under new Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino since his arrival during the summer. He made two substitute appearances in the Premier League before joining up with Martin O’Neill’s squad and then completing 90 minutes against Georgia and Serbia in the space of three hectic days which turned the World Cup campaign on its head.

And yesterday, with Watford cruising 2-0, Long was again introduced with 20 remaining to try and salvage a game which eventually slipped away. At a time when his role at club level should be defined, Long is still trying to overcome the challenges he first faced when he joined Reading from Cork City 12 years ago.

‘It was a nice get away for me. It has been a little bit frustrating for me at club level and to come in here [for Ireland] and really get away from that and focus on playing,’ he admitted.

‘I won’t lie. It was tough, hopefully I can go back and push for my place, I am getting more involved as… in the third game against Huddersfield I came on for 30 minutes and hopefully I can build on that. You know, get a run of form going.

‘It’s frustrating,’ Long continued. ‘I was playing out on the wing in pre-season. I am a striker. I will try to do a job out there but at the end of the day I want to play up front. I came on against Huddersfield and I thought I did really well so back to club level now and hopefully I can get a bit of form and bring it into the next few games.’

There was one moment late in the second half against Serbia on Tuesday when Ireland had the possibility of piecing together a dangerous move only for Long to pick a blind pass into space with none of his team-mates within 30 yards.

It was the consequence of a new formation and fatigue. ‘You always think there’s someone out there, but I forgot we were playing a diamond midfield and we didn’t have the winger out there, it was frustrating. I was getting tired, after a hard 90 minutes on Saturday, it kind of caught up on me,’ he accepted, as he described how a lack of game time impacts on him.

‘[Losing] sharpness, reading of the game and obviously fitness. I felt very good for 90 minutes the other night and for 70 or 75 [against Serbia], but it catches up on you.

‘They are two tough games and the travelling. Everything adds up. But I came in here with a goal in mind and felt I did okay over the two games. I just tried to cause them as much problems as possible.’

Ireland looked most dangerous, and measured, in their play with Wes Hoolahan playing from the start and while the country cannot rely on the talents of a 35-year-old playmaker, Long admitted he’s in no rush to see him depart the international scene.

‘It’s nice playing up front with Wes behind, he likes to get an assist instead of a score, he can give that final pass, and given the space and time he can cause all sort of problems.

‘He’s a little guy but he can make a big impact,’ he said, as he also accepted that the changing team behind him can make things more difficult.

‘It depends on the personnel. We were missing Jeff [Hendrick] and we have got different players in and I think you could tell against Georgia that the system didn’t really work so the manager decided to change it up and I thought it worked really well [against Serbia].

‘With their formation as well, it’s hard to play against and they play it well, so… I thought we controlled that very well and I can’t remember them having some open chances on goal, other than the Kolarov goal. I thought we contained it very well but it was frustrating, very frustrating.’

Ireland have also had to adapt to losing captain Seamus Coleman mid-way through this qualifying campaign following his double leg break, and pictures of the Everton full back doing ball work in training earlier this week suggests his recovery is on schedule.

‘He’s brilliant, he’s world class isn’t he? He deserves to be on a world class stage at the World Cup and all the lads are fighting for him,’ Long said.

‘And he came along and gets us going. He’s the captain, he’s a leader, the lads want to do it for him. We want to do it for ourselves and the team, but especially for Seamus.

‘We have to perform and step up to the plate,’ he continued. ‘We can only control what is in our hands, if we get six points I think that should be enough. We can’t focus on others too much. From two games [a Georgia and Serbia], getting one point, you can imagine how the mood was.

‘We didn’t really perform in Georgia and we came away with a point, and I thought we played really well on Tuesday and came away with nothing, so that’s how it’s goes.

‘We’ve Moldova next, we need to get three points, then we have to go to Wales and win – it’s as sim- ple as that.

‘We’ve stepped up to the plate before; a bad performance against Belgium then we came out and beat Italy, it’s the same again – we’re Irish, we never do it easy.’

Ireland’s World Cup hopes are on a wing and a prayer now.