Some fans said I should never wear the green shirt again. Now they know that if I turn up we can beat anyone
SAYS KYLE LAFFERTY
DURING the course of a conversation which saved Kyle Lafferty’s international career, it was the comparisons with Paul Gascoigne that really struck a chord with the Northern Ireland striker.
September 2013. Lafferty had been sent off in a World Cup qualifier against Portugal minutes after coming on as a substitute for a challenge that manager Michael O’Neill branded ‘ridiculous’.
When they sat down to talk, O’Neill brought up the subject of his old Newcastle United team-mate Gazza.
‘You’re a messer,’ said O’Neill. ‘I played with the biggest messer of them all, but the difference was that he produced the goods every time he stepped out on to the pitch.’
The words cut deep with Lafferty. He was then shown a file detailing just how many games he had missed through injury and suspension.
He recalls now: ‘I always thought that me and Michael were close. To hear someone that you respect say those things was hurtful.
‘I didn’t know where my international career was going. It was probably the lowest point of my career. I did think about chucking it in.
‘But Michael spoke to me and made me feel wanted. He made me realise how important I was to the squad and him. I haven’t looked back.’
Lafferty promised to stop being ‘Kyle the clown’ as he puts it. The practical jokes are still a part of his make-up, but his record on the pitch speaks for itself.
The 28-year-old Norwich City striker was Northern Ireland’s top scorer with seven goals in qualifying for Euro 2016 and got another on his 50th appearance during the 3-0 victory against Belarus last month. It was a landmark that Lafferty knows should have come sooner.
‘I was probably given a bit too much at an early age,’ he admits. ‘I got some big moves and played in big games.
‘I played for Rangers. Glasgow is a strange place. If you don’t have someone close to you looking out for you, your head will wander.
‘In the first years of my international career, I p **** d about, turning up when I wanted. I think I missed 15 or 20 games through suspension or not being in the right frame of mind.
‘Some said I should never wear the green shirt again. I hope I’ve changed a lot of people’s minds. Now they know that if I turn up, we can beat anyone.’
Those words may give the impression that Lafferty has a higher opinion of himself than he might otherwise merit, particularly since he has found regular football hard to come by at Norwich since joining them two years ago and spent the tail end of last season on loan at Birmingham City.
But there is no question that he has become Northern Ireland’s talisman at Euro 2016.
Hence the alarm caused by the groin injury he suffered in training on Tuesday and the relief when he tweeted confirmation yesterday after a precautionary scan that he will be fit and ready for Sunday’s Group C opener with Poland in Nice.
It is not the first time that his groin area has been the cause of such consternation.
Two years ago, the president of Lafferty’s club Palermo in Italy lamented the problems caused by his libido after selling him to Norwich.
‘Kyle’s an Irishman without rules,’ declared Maurizio Zamparini. ‘He is a womaniser. He disappears for a week and takes a plane to go hunt for women in Milan.’
Lafferty smiles when that quote is put to him.
‘He tried to sign me in January again, so there’s your answer,’ says the man who also had spells with Burnley and Sion in Switzerland. ‘I was the fans’ favourite, so he had to cover his own back when they sold me.
‘I haven’t held it against him. The guy’s crazy, but he has a heart of gold.’
Lafferty is said to be a changed man these days. He was given time off from Northern Ireland’s preparations for France to marry his model girlfriend Vanessa Chung at Gleneagles last month.
‘Maybe a month to six weeks after the Portugal game in 2013, I met my wife now,’ he says. ‘I think everyone knows that when you find someone you love, you want to make them proud and they’ll put you in a nice place.
‘Between Michael and my wife, they’re the two people the country has to thank for what I’ve done the last two years.’
Lafferty’s availability for the opener against the Poles will certainly be welcomed by the fans. His rejuvenation under O’Neill has been a significant reason for the national team’s transformation and their qualification for a first major finals in 30 years.
His all-clear verdict may not be such good news for in-form Wigan striker Will Grigg, however, whose involvement on the French Riviera this weekend is now more likely to be from the bench.
When he replaced Lafferty against Belarus last month, his maiden Northern Ireland goal not only sparked joyous scenes, but saw fans adopt a song made famous by their Latics counterparts, Will Grigg’s on Fire.
Hearing the song again in France these next few weeks would be bizarre for Grigg given it was originated in Wigan, where the forward’s 25 goals helped Gary Caldwell’s side win automatic promotion to the English Championship.
‘It would be brilliant, that would definitely be a long way from hearing it at home in Wigan,’ acknowledged the 24-year-old. ‘It would be surreal. If I get some time on the pitch, to hear that song would be brilliant. We’ve got to give the fans a reason to sing about it first.’