Often, it’s the little things that end up making a difference.
Ireland are heading towards Euro 2016 on a high after a blistering finish to their qualifying campaign and morale in the camp was given a further boost with Friday night’s 1-0 win over Switzerland at the Aviva Stadium.
The good vibrations in the squad offer hope that this summer’s finals trip will have a different outcome to Ireland’s last trip to a major finals, when Giovanni Trapattoni’s side lost all three of the their group games.
The Italian’s dictatorial style rubbed many the wrong way, as once Trap had settled on his favoured line-up, those on the fringes struggled to get a look-in, whereas Martin O’Neill’s more relaxed dealings with his players looks to be paying dividends.
Darren Randolph is one player who was very much on the sidelines during the Trapattoni era, but the West Ham goalkeeper was afforded the chance by O’Neill after replacing Shay Given on that famous night against Germany last autumn.
Randolph has repaid that faith in spades and looks certain to be Ireland’s number one in France, and he had a simple answer when asked what had changed for him under the O’Neill regime.
He said: “That’s the difference! He doesn’t call me ‘keeper’. He calls me by my name. That’s the only difference.”
