Ireland bent out of shape
Wilson strike leaves O’Neill on brink
MARTIN O’NeILL emerged from another dismal defeat to insist the Republic of Ireland can make a serious tilt for euro 2020, but you have to wonder if he really believes it and if he’ll even be around to find out.
Indeed, there will be calls here in Dublin for the 66-year-old to go before this disastrous Nations League campaign expires next month, even if he did make a fanciful forecast for improvement by the time euros qualifying proper begins in March.
Yes, the players available to him — to put it crudely — aren’t very good, but this was a level playing field against a weakened Wales side without Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey.
For Ryan Giggs, that did not matter. He has Harry Wilson, the Liverpool loanee who scored a fine free- kick for Derby at Manchester United last month and produced another to settle a contest low on quality. How O’Neill must wish he had a player with Wilson’s capabilities. After five years in charge, Ireland have got worse, and the manager conceded he will challenge himself over the coming days.
‘ I take responsibility,’ said O’Neill, with his team facing relegation to League C and being third seeds for qualifying. ‘I question everything that happens on the field and I always ask questions of myself. But there is enough to mount a serious challenge for qualification.’
Ireland had given away around 10,000 tickets to schoolchildren in an effort to bolster the crowd, but it must be those who have misbehaved who are sent along to watch this rabble. For all of O’Neill’s grumblings about picking his team from the substitutes’ bench of Championship clubs, his six Premier League starters here was double the number in the Wales side.
There were, though, six representatives in total from Derby or Stoke, and that is exactly what it felt like at times — eighth versus 14th in the Championship.
Ireland’s best chance was a gift. Matthew Smith, the 18-year-old making his first senior start, dithered in possession in his own area and Cyrus Christie stole the ball. Makeshift midfielder Christie lacked the wit or skill, however, to punish the rookie and shot at Wayne Hennessey.
The half-time entertainment was a demonstration of ‘walking football’ and it was hard not to think the old boys on display had shown more urgency during their 10-minute cameo than we’d seen in the previous 45.
Wales had offered even less than Ireland but Wilson’s wand of a left foot conjured a moment of magic to change that with his joyful free-kick on 58 minutes.
Goalkeeper Darren Randolph, though, could have saved it had he not committed the cardinal sin of jumping behind his wall.
Ireland tried in vain to respond as a rendition of ‘You’re getting sacked in the morning’ was bellowed by the Welsh following.
It had been an uneasy match for O’Neill and you have to wonder if it will be his last in the job. REPUBLIC OF IRELAND (3-5-2): Randolph 4; Keogh 6, Duffy 6, K Long 6 (Hogan 75min, 5); Doherty 5, Christie 5.5, Arter 5, Hendrick 5, McClean 5.5; Robinson 5.5 (Maguire 60, 5), O’Brien 5 (S Long 56, 5). Booked: K Long, McClean, S Long.
Manager: Martin O’Neill 5. WALES (4-2-3-1): Hennessey 6.5; C Roberts 6, Chester 6, Williams 6, Davies 6; Smith 5.5 (Thomas 74, 5), Allen 6; WILSON 7, Brooks 6.5, Lawrence 6; T Roberts 5.5. Scorer: Wilson 58. Booked: Davies.
Manager: Ryan Giggs 6. Referee: Bjorn Kuipers (Holland) 7.
Attendance: 38,321.