There’s an old Spartan quote that has stood the test of time.
“Come back with your shield. Or on it.”
If you’re going down, go down fighting. If you’re going to lose in battle, don’t you dare let go of that shield. Every single shield was critical for the Spartans’ defence and for how they fought in battle and, if you really had to die, that didn’t really matter. All that mattered was you died with honour, you died fighting. All that mattered was that you hung on to your bloody shield, whatever it took.
In the aftermath of one of Ireland’s finest ever performances, people began to sober up one by one.
Yes, we beat Italy, we played brilliantly and, when it was do or die, we did and we did it big time. But we had to win that match, we had to go out and score more than the opposition and there was nothing to lose. Nothing.
The French are gearing up for a physical battle now though. They are expecting football of a very different variety on Sunday. Of a British variety, as they would call it.
It could not be more obvious what the French camp thinks of this Ireland team https://t.co/01J9XGRMfZ
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) June 25, 2016
Most people just assumed that the Irish wouldn’t be as attacking again or that they wouldn’t take the game to the opposition like they did the Italians.
Most people, Irish people, assumed that, in knockout football, Martin O’Neill would play more cautiously but the Derry man isn’t thinking that way. He’s thinking the exact opposite if anything.
“I have spent my time here, in the last two odd years, sending out what I consider to be adventurous teams to win games,” he bellied. “We played an adventurous game against Sweden but that wasn’t allowed to happen against Belgium – that could happen. They are the number two team in the world, that’d give you an indication of where they’re at.
“The game against Italy, we needed extra energy as we have some players in their 30s and we had to get that energy into the side and not only did we get that but we played brilliantly in the game.
“I don’t think you want to go out of the competition meekly. You want to go out blazing and we feel we can do something.”
If you’re going to go out, go out blazing. Go down fighting. With your shield.
That confidence has filled the camp ever since Wednesday.
Whereas the French are praising Ireland’s mental toughness, their spirit, and their heart, there’s a group of men here from a small island who are planning a big upset in front of 50,000 French supporters.
And they don’t particularly want to do it by hanging in there for as long as they can.
“Mental toughness has been very important,” O’Neill agreed. “We spurned a great chance against Italy and the players would have been thinking that is it, then Robbie starts a move off and continues a run into the penalty area which was magnificent and he meets the ball with no fear – this lad who was crushed with Norwich.
“But he showed no fear and that goal epitomised the spirit in the team.
“We keep talking about spirit but we have players who can play. They can play which you have to be as you couldn’t play that well against Sweden and Italy and get four points if you didn’t have players who can play.”
