27,100.
We’re all guilty of an element of snobbiness here.
On what was arguably the biggest night of Martin O’Neill’s tenure as Republic of Ireland boss to date, the Aviva Stadium was barely half full.
Almost 23,000 empty seats sat vacant beneath the crisp Dublin sky as the country moved within one result of securing at least a playoff place for Euro 2016 on this, the penultimate home clash of the qualifying campaign.
What has happened to the best fans in the world?
Some of the football hasn’t been great. Some of the decisions haven’t been positive and no-one’s arguing that ticket prices have long since stepped over the line of unreasonable.
Somewhere along the way though, there’s been a disconnect between the Ireland team and the public and, in the grand scheme of things, it’s probably unwarranted.
After the Georgia game, after the manager guided Ireland four points clear of Scotland having lost just once in eight qualifying games, Martin O’Neill came out and almost had to defend his stance that he was excited about the possibility of making it to the Euros.
“The win’s important. It’s important for us all,” he said. “Hopefully it’s important for you as well. I think we’d all want to get to France in a couple of weeks.
“It would be great. Really great.”
Never have more unnecessary words been so necessary.
The manager has been criticised by the media – from all corners of it, present company included. He hasn’t shown a fearlessness that we’ve all of a sudden demanded and his team selection and set-ups have largely been rigid.
But, here we are, September out of the way, having manoeuvred through an inexplicably thankless group and light at the end of the tunnel. Glorious French light. Here we are, 80 per cent of the way through the campaign and we’ve had one bad result. One.
The draw with Scotland at home in June was disappointing. It was not bad.
Here we are in September and the boss has to come out and say that he’d like to qualify for a major tournament to try and drum up some enthusiasm.
And the Derry man has gotten here with barely a pat on his back.
We’re quick to jump on him when things aren’t going so well but, when his results are speaking, where are we hiding?
At what point in time did we turn around and start expecting success from our team? Ireland’s teams have been perennially underwhelming but, for some reason, we’ve chosen the current crop as the ones we simply demand more of.
We’re on the brink of being seeded for a playoff spot for God’s sake and no-one seemingly gives a toss.
Are we bandwagoners? Do we jump to rugby, to golf, to bloody UFC when it suits just so we have something to cheer about?
Granted, the side hasn’t set the world alight to date. We’re probably missing that superstar player to really engage the fans and get us all excited but, hiccups or not, being conservative and all, the management are doing the jobs that were asked of them. And it’s our fault if we don’t like how they’re doing it.
And O’Neill is showing glimpses of rediscovering that fire that has set him apart for almost a career. That same flame that has made numerous players laud him as their favourite manager of all time.
When Jon Walters banged in the winner against Georgia, he reeled out the Classic O’Neill.
https://twitter.com/PaddyBrennan7/status/641010151101739010
He made a bold decision. He took off his goalscorer when he needed a goal. Simply because he looked at it and thought that his way was a better way. And he stuck to it.
Ireland came out firing at the break. He pin-pointed that they were poor in the first half and he has pin-pointed that Jeff Hendrick needs to do more of what he did for the winner.
He doesn’t want passengers in his team. It’s not entirely his fault that some of them have been.
Little by little though, player by player, Martin O’Neill is finding his groove in the Republic of Ireland hot seat and, with two games left of the qualifying campaign, he deserves serious kudos for taking us this far.
However he’s done it, however he’s even disappointed, his results are stacking up.
And it’s about time we recognised it.
And it’s about time we started embracing the team again.
