Resounding statement of facts from the Ireland captain.
11 months ago, Ireland came to Cardiff needing to win and got a 1-0 victory.
On Thursday, they came to Cardiff and could have done with a win.
At 9:34pm when the final whistle sounded, they had been hockeyed 4-1 by Ryan Giggs’ rampant Welshmen.
While Ireland boss Martin O’Neill chose to focus on those players that were not there, Coleman had some harsh words for the lads that did play. He pulled zero punches in his interview with Sky Sports.
Asked about distractions over the absence of Declan Rice, Harry Arter and the injured James McClean, Shane Long, Robbie Brady and Alan Browne, Coleman waved that away, saying:
“The build-up is put behind us once kick-off begins and we put that to one side. We’re a proud people and proud players. We wanted to put on a show for ourselves and our travelling fans and we did anything but that.
“Overall, Wales were better. Individually, we were very poor… We had to be brave when we had the ball, and we were not.”
“You’ve got to bring [that bravery] onto the pitch and we didn’t do that,” Coleman added.
“It’s a different campaign and a different manager. They had a few younger players in there but I thought they played well. We gave them too much respect.
“Any time you put on the green shirt is an honour and you have to play with pride and passion, and bravery, but we didn’t do that.”
No hiding places for Coleman, not that he was seeking one.
