Ireland have a team that the country identifies with now and, more importantly, they have a team that identifies with itself.
There’s a confidence about Ireland. A swagger, if you will.
Not only do you have a close-knit group of players, not only would the power rankings tell you that key men have hit form at the right time, but now you have a squad who have experienced success together.
And whatever went on with their clubs, there’s something infectious when this group get together now and there’s a real stature about them.
You can see now that they’re back in training ahead of the visit of the Dutch, the shift in attitude and it is heartening.
There are a number of other interesting observations to make too.
1. There is genuine competition in the squad
David McGoldrick and Daryl Murphy sat next to each other during Tuesday’s press conference and they were asked straight out if they were competing with one another for a place on the final 23-man squad.
They laughed, they joked, they exchanged compliments but you could tell beneath the nervous energy that there really was a rivalry there. They’re both mates, they both said that they’d be happy for the other to go but, as footballers, they’re competing for a place on a smaller plane headed for a major tournament.
You look around at the training session and you do wonder where Martin O’Neill is going to shave the edges to make room for everyone.
Darron Gibson is there commanding the middle of the park again. Callum O’Dowda is fresh and fearless. Harry Arter, Jeff Hendrick and Eunan O’Kane are all back from injury and running mad in training games and no-one seems to have any idea who’s ahead between the like of Shane Duffy, Ciaran Clark, Richard Keogh, and John O’Shea. You also have Shay Given and Darren Randolph training together, awaiting Keiren Westwood’s return from the Championship playoff final.
For all intents and purposes, the manager not only has depth, he has a headache.
2. The buzz is realMake no mistake about it, Ireland is united in their support for the football team.
The squad trained at the Aviva under the Tuesday sunshine and they had hundreds of men women and children cheering them on as they did.
Bus loads of school kids were there singing, people travelled from Belfast to watch, grown men were wearing shamrock-covered suits and, all the while, every kick of a ball, every glance of a player in the direction of the stand was being met with rapturous applause from the Irish fans who really showed that the country is behind Martin O’Neill’s team.
The difference between now and four years ago when the team took for Italy and then Hungary in their preparations is scary. There’s a wave building in Ireland and the team is going to be sent to France on top of that.
3. The Martin O’Neill effect
We all saw it on the field throughout what was a magical campaign.
If Ireland do anything at these Euros, we’ll really look back at a sensational 12 games that led the country to France. Ones that weren’t even appreciated in their own time amidst the doldrums football in Ireland once found itself in.
Late goals against Germany, Georgia, and Poland gave the side four extra points than what they were headed for. Nervy and historic results against Georgia and Germany in Dublin set the scene for a truly special playoff with Bosnia and Ireland were in dreamland.
But, off the field, back on the training pitch, Martin O’Neill has a presence about him.
Wherever he was for one of the sessions, he missed the start of an in-house game. Then, he appeared. He strode over to the side of the cone-lined pitch, whipped off his tracksuit top and that was all that it took. The intensity levels soared. Players were running manically trying to get on the ball, blocks and tackles doubled and any mistake was met with visible dejection and frustration.
They want to play for this man and they want to impress him.
4. It’s going to be a long build-up
Still over two and a half weeks out from the real action and, although the Holland game on Friday brings with it excitement, the opener with Sweden seems so far away.
And it might not draw any closer any time soon with comments like Ciaran Clark’s determined not to give anything away.
Asked about Ireland’s chances at the Euros, the defender wasn’t getting carried away.
“I’m not going to say anything outrageous bt we’re just going to get our heads down, work hard and take each game as it comes,” he said. “If we can get something in the first game, then we’ll push on but, like I said, we’ll take each game as it comes and that’s all we can do.”
A press conference every day from here on in should be fun.
Brought to you by Three. #MakeHistory
