O’NEILL’S UP FOR GREENS TO HIT BACK
MARTIN O’NEILL took his medicine after the dross in Georgia and came out swinging last night ahead of the top-of-the-table clash with Serbia.
While maintaining his team ought to have snatched victory in Tbilisi because of the chances created, he accepts the dire display was nowhere near up to scratch.
O’Neill and his players have been slated but the manager is adamant Ireland can come roaring back into contention tonight.
Too many big-name players went missing in Tbilisi and surely they cannot perform so poorly again?
Comparisons can be drawn to the Euros. After the mauling by Belgium, Ireland – with changes to the side – beat Italy and nearly sent France packing.
O’Neill (right) said: “If you haven’t played well, you leave yourself open to criticism. As a manager I take that responsibility.
“In my three or four years here, the criticism has followed it around.
“After the Scotland game in November, it was a month after we’d drawn in Germany. And we lost that game and it was doom and gloom.
“We drew with Scotland in June the following year and it was doom and gloom. We were the ones that went to the Euros and performed very, very well.
“If we’d had one or two more days after we beat Italy, we may well have turned France over.”
O’Neill continued: “We are unbeaten in this competition despite some poor 25 or 30 minutes or even 45 as it was the other night.
“If we play very, very strongly, we can win the game.”
PROBABLE LINE-UPS REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Randolph, Christie, Duffy, Clark, Brady, Whelan, Meyler, Walters, Arter, McClean, Long SERBIA: Stojkovic, Rukavina, Ivanovic, Maksimovic, Nastasic, Kolarov, Matic, Milivojevic, Tadic, Mitrovic, Kostic REFEREE: Cuneyt Cakir TV TIMES: Live on Sky Sports Football & Sky Sports Main Event from 7.40pm