Irish rely on the Quiet Man and the Raging Bull
How tHey qualified: 3rd in Group D; P10 W5 D3 L2 18pts. Georgia (a) 1-2; Gibraltar (h) 7-0; Germany (a) 1-1; Scotland (a) 1-0; Poland (h) 1-1; Scotland (h) 1-1; Gibraltar (a) 0-4; Georgia (h) 1-0; Germany (h) 1-0; Poland (a) 2-1.
CoaCH: Martin O’Neill HE may be the Quiet Man to assistant Roy Keane’s Raging Bull, but don’t be fooled – O’Neill (below) is a no-nonsense sort.
He has built a Republic of Ireland team in his own image, with toughness and discipline.
There is little in the way of flair in his squad, but what they lack in raw ability, they make up for in heart.
Every match will be an exercise in safety-first football for O’Neill’s men.
But as he showed during his run to the UEFA Cup Final with Celtic in 2003, with the right players, that can be effective.
StaR MaN: Jon Walters THE Stoke City striker typifies what the Republic of Ireland are all about – he’s big, combative, disciplined and opportunistic.
On paper, he is never an international footballer, but he has become the talisman for O’Neill’s side.
When he plays well, the Republic play well, and when he plays alongside Shane Long, that is normally what happens.
The pair’s opposing attributes complement each other perfectly.
And even though Walters won’t twist opposition defenders inside out, he is certainly capable of sending them backside over elbow.
aNalySiS:
THE Irish have won only three games at major tournaments since 1988. If they can add even one more in France, they will have done incredibly well.
Despite taking four points out of six from world champions Germany in qualifying, Belgium and Italy in tournament mode are likely to prove too hot to handle for O’Neill’s team of steady Eddies.
Their best shot at a win will come against Sweden, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic will have his say.
It is hard to see who amongst the Irish squad will answer back, but O’Neill will be comfortable seeing his side written off in advance.
After all, given the mix of Championship and lower-order Premier League players at his disposal, that is what they are used to.
Everton stars Seamus Coleman and James McCarthy are the exceptions amongst the Irish, and big things will be expected of both of them.
Veteran striker Robbie Keane, meanwhile, is likely to be a bit-part player at best.
The odds are against the Irish, then, but after failing to escape the group stages in 2012, Martin O’Neill has targeted improvement.
“We managed to get out of a qualifying group containing the world champions,” said the Republic boss.
“So it’s up to us now to go and make an impression at the tournament itself.”