“Hmmm, not bad… Not bad, not bad at all.”
Martin O’Neill was ready for Tony O’Donoghue last night. First hint of critique in the RTE reporter’s line of questioning and he pounced.
O’Donoghue has the job many folks would love – watching an Ireland international game and getting to ask the manager about it all afterwards.
Some of the stuff will be his own musings. Other times he gets the nod from his producer – here’s what the lads are saying in the studio; this is what fans are saying online.
If he did not ask the obvious questions, we’d lash into him. Sometimes he does not and we are left frustrated. Most of the time, he is on the money.
This interview quickly became tense 😕 https://t.co/Mwv0ISAZyv
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) October 10, 2016
He had a good query last night – and we are paraphrasing – ‘Why are we coughing up leads?’. The second obvious question was, ‘Why are we dropping Wes Hoolahan, ever?’ but nobody is perfect.
Bang, O’Neill was on him. We’re talking about France here. And Moldova, yes. And Serbia, of course. But we were away all those times.
We don’t give up leads at home that much. The Germans can attest to that. The Dutch, Scots, Slovakia? Not so much.
O’Neill rarely gives anything away and is often at his spikiest when his team has not played well but managed to get a result. The players must respect him for not giving an inch. The public? Tony is our voice of reason.
https://twitter.com/eoghanandonly/status/785224137111404544
Martin O'Neill needs to give Tony O'Donoghue a break. Tony is a gent and isn't asking any unfair questions.
— Eoghan Hutchinson (@TheHutch23) October 9, 2016
Doing pitch side interviews with the likes of Pete Mahon & Kenny Sheils must seem like a joy to Tony O'Donoghue compared in interviewing MoN
— David Anthony Bourke (@dabourke1) October 9, 2016
It's getting increasingly hard to watch O'Neill's interviews with Tony O'Donoghue. Dunno who is to blame but it's very tense. #MOLIRE
— David Sheehan (@DavidSSport) October 9, 2016
Not everybody was convinced O’Neill and Ireland had a case to answer
Why should MON continually have to explain himself to no marks like Tony O'Donoghue and Richard Sadlier. Irish football media is a disgrace
— Danny McGinley (@danmcgin) October 9, 2016
There’s only one thing for it…
Lets get Martin O'Neill and Tony O'Donoghue into an octagon give the public the match-up they want to see. #needle
— Paddy McKenna (@PaddyMcKenna) October 9, 2016
Keep ploughing ahead Tony. Keep asking the awkward questions and taking the hits for our viewing pleasure.
These interviews are becoming more interesting than the games themselves.
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