Charlton turned himself round then did it for Ireland

JACK Charlton transformed football in the Republic of Ireland with a dose of realism, says Mark Lawrenson.

The Liverpool stalwart said former Ireland manager Charlton turned a group of very good players into a team to be reckoned with.

Lawrenson, right, was part of Charlton’s Irish adventure. He said: “He started qualifying for all the major tournaments. For a country of about 2.5million people, it was a massive achievement.

“As a manager, he gave us a dose of realism. He had this thing about not playing in your own half, not giving the ball away. He got a load of very good players and turned us into a team. “The first time I played he said, ‘I’ve told the centre backs nobody plays out from the back’. I said I’d like to. He said, ‘That’s alright, I’m playing you in midfield’.” Former Leeds teammate Johnny Giles said: “It all started when Don Revie took over.

“Jack didn’t have a good reputation for training. Don was prepared to let him go if he didn’t buck up. Jack really took off from there.

“I played with Jack for 10 years and, for five of those, he was the best centre-half in what is now the Premier League.”