Martin O’Neill has had stranger weeks as Ireland’s manager and he will have more important ones. Sometimes the fuss has come because of speculation surrounding his assistant Roy Keane. Keane’s dismissive reaction to the idea that he had become a distraction became, well, a distraction on one occasion as well.
When his comments about WAGs were brought up after Friday’s victory over Switzerland, O’Neill had no interest in going back over his own distracting remarks. “You should have been here on the night,” he told one journalist and moved on from a matter which had embarrassed him.
It was, in truth, a distraction from a distraction. O’Neill gave most of his players the weekend off, which was a reflection on the reality of these friendlies. They may be important for individuals ahead of the European Championships, but they also come at a time when those players have crucial club commitments.
With Jonathan Walters ruled out of the game on Tuesday, O’Neill is said to have no plans to bring in cover for his only fit striker Shane Long ahead of the game against Slovakia.
Again it suggests that he has little to learn at this stage from bringing others into the group.
The game on Friday was typical of an international friendly, even if somebody like Shane Duffy took some crucial steps. From the team’s point of view, it was pretty meaningless, but for some who have been established it may, in time, seem quite important.
Every discussion comes back to who will make the squad for France. Yet there is no cause celebre, no player O’Neill will ignore as Trapattoni ignored, say, Séamus Coleman four years ago, But some may be in for a shock. If Duffy was the player who emerged from Friday’s friendly as one who impressed O’Neill, others have done little.
Some will wonder how loyal O’Neill will be to a player like Aiden McGeady who disappointed again against Switzerland. O’Neill has managed McGeady at club level and admired him since those days. He placed great faith in him during the qualifying campaign. When McGeady scored twice in Georgia, it looked as if that relationship would lead to another blossoming in an Ireland shirt, but it hasn’t worked out that way.
At the start of the season, O’Neill spoke of his frustration that the player had a long-term injury which had forced him to miss the Scotland game the previous June.
“Aiden is no longer 22, 23, 24 … you don’t want to get to the end of your career and find you had an incredible amount of talent, talent that most people would die for, and you haven’t utilised it properly,” he said at the time.
Since then McGeady has gone on loan to Sheffield Wednesday from Everton, which is a move in the wrong direction, and he has headed towards the periphery for Ireland. Nothing he did on Friday night will have changed that.
McGeady might cling on, but he is an established player who may reveal the extent of O’Neill’s commitment to loyalty.
O’Neill has said he will put the needs of the squad ahead of loyalty to the players who were part of the group that qualified, but those who want to break through won’t be given any special privileges.
O’Neill has insisted that places are available but those who come in will have to work hard. Alan Judge’s experience on Friday suggests it will be a struggle. Judge was selected to play a selfless role on Friday. At half-time, Roy Keane told Judge that this wasn’t a night when Ireland were going to have possession and it was time for other qualities.
“He said, ‘This is how you show that the manager can trust you off the ball’. Hopefully I did that tonight,” Judge said later.
Some may wonder if Judge would stand a chance with that brief while selected on the right of midfield when he normally plays in an attacking central midfield role for Brentford. Perhaps Judge will get another chance on Tuesday in a more familiar position, having attempted to do what was asked of him against Switzerland.
Harry Arter is a player the manager wants to see more of and he might be a beneficiary of these fixtures despite being unavailable.
O’Neill will do all he can to get Arter involved, and there is a feeling around the Irish camp that he will make the squad if he can make any impression in the friendly in May.
If Judge will hope that his efforts weren’t in vain, Duffy was certainly noticed by the manager who praised the central defensive partnership with Ciaran Clark.
O’Neill said they represented the future, while delivering a warning to those who are also supposed to be part of the future: the U-21s.
O’Neill was in Waterford to watch Noel King’s side lose to Italy on Thursday night and he didn’t sound enthused. “The side has a lot to do individually and collectively,” O’Neill said.
Instead he talked about Clark, who was “exceptionally good”, and Duffy who had formed a partnership together which had pleased him.
Duffy made the biggest leap forward while Clark increasingly looks like a starter in France.
56: Great tackle!
Super challenge from Ciaran Clark. Ireland lead 1-0 at the Aviva. https://t.co/qbxQ8e4NpU— eir Sport (@eirSport) March 25, 2016
If there wasn’t a lot to get excited about on the field, the players did get a sense of what was to come when a meeting was held during the week to discuss some of the plans for the summer. This will have provided more of an incentive for those who want to be part of things and will make it tougher for those who miss out.
“The manager’s got a tough job to try and cut it down and I’m glad it’s not my job,” Darren Randolph said.
The manager will do it his way. He has spoken before of how hard he will find it to leave people out because these players are desperate to play for Ireland. O’Neill will still do what he has to do, no matter how hard it is.
“I missed out on the last one, obviously, so I’m excited,” Coleman says. “I think about it every day, probably. To represent your country is a special feeling, to do it at a Euros is even better. I can’t wait and I think we’ve a good chance of getting out of the group.”
Four years ago, it was even harder to break in to the squad, but Randolph said every manager has a different way of doing things. “Everyone’s got their own way of working. Which way is better I don’t know. We’ve qualified for the Euros under Trap, and now we’ve qualified under Martin.”
There was one key difference between O’Neill and Trapattoni: O’Neill knows a bit more about Randolph.
“That’s the difference!” he said with a smile. “He doesn’t call me ‘keeper’. He calls me by my name. That’s the only difference.”
As Trap himself would say, sometimes it’s the little details.
