Wes Hoolahan was asked 12 questions during his press conference on Monday morning.
After the pleasantries were out of the way, himself and Stephen Ward faced the media in the wake of Ireland’s second last training session – maybe of the whole campaign.
He isn’t one to hog interviews anyway, he’s modest and almost a little shy when a microphone is shoved in his face, but his answers to every one of the questions put to him in Versailles were simple.
You see, for him, football is simple.
Chances. That’s what it comes down to.
That’s how you score goals, that’s how you play football and, whilst the 34-year-old at times might leave you baffled and amazed and questioning logic and physics, for Hoolahan it’s just football. It’s simple.
Get the ball, create chances. Do it again.
On the same morning Roy Keane spoke about courage and balls, it was apt that Hoolahan followed him out to meet the press.
Roy Keane: "You get players who show for the ball but they're not really showing for it" https://t.co/MCBOA1YmUg
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) June 20, 2016
So he was asked 12 questions in all. The first 10 were answered with a sort of innocent conviction, like someone who couldn’t understand what people found so difficult. What he’s doing might stick out like a beautiful, polished thumb in an Ireland camp of dirty finger nails but, to him, it’s just second nature. It’s just what he does.
Five times, to five different questions, Hoolahan rounded off his answers with the words: create chances.
Create more chances, create a few chances, or some variation of that. That was it. Just create chances.
In 10 questions, five times he had to go there to make the point again as if he was failing to communicate with mere mortals before him. One of the questions he didn’t use those words was about his goal against Sweden, another was the feeling after Belgium and one was about his fitness.
When he had a half-opportunity, he said it: Create chances. Simple.
In 21 seconds of audio, three different questions, Wes Hoolahan mentioned "create chances" three times.
Simple. pic.twitter.com/MZv0ko6YJ2
— Conán Doherty (@ConanDoherty) June 20, 2016
In a team that’s not exactly overflowing with creative talent, it lies on Hoolahan to keep the Republic ticking. His brief is simple though. Chances, and all that.
“I don’t mind that [the pressure],” he said. “It’s a job in the team to create chances and help my team mates out.”
His assessment of the Belgium defeat was simpler.
“We need to play better against the Italians. Keep the ball better. Create more chances.”
His view on Italy’s potentially-weakened side was better.
“It all depends on what we do really. It doesn’t matter what they do. It’s important that we’re on the front foot, keep the ball a bit better and hopefully create a few chances.
“You’ve got to look for the ball, help your team mates out and try to create a few chances.”
Create a few chances.
Wes Hoolahan is literally a magician pic.twitter.com/Ic9WRHKP38
— Conán Doherty (@ConanDoherty) June 20, 2016
The talk on Monday morning was that Wes Hoolahan was one player ready for the chop in a raft of changes Martin O’Neill had in mind for the Italy game.
It isn’t even worth an argument. Heading into a must-win game with the best team in the group, the thought of not playing the side’s most important player in what could be his last ever major tournament fixture is madness. It’s laughable. It’s unforgivable.
Without Wes Hoolahan, Ireland are rudderless.
Without him, they’re fearful. They lack balls.
Without him, they freeze, they’ve proven that and they stumble to the full time whistle devoid of his inspiration every time he’s brought off.
Without Wes Hoolahan, Ireland will do nothing against the Italians.
Without Wes Hoolahan, they can’t create a few chances.
