It's hard enough to be optimistic these days. Declan Rice, in all likelihood, is set to declare for England, while Harry Arter is taking an indefinite break from international football, supposedly because of a training-ground row with Roy Keane. Nevertheless, the UEFA Nations League begins this week. First up is Wales in Cardiff on Thursday. This squad will also take on Poland in a friendly in Wroclaw next week. Republic of Ireland squad to face Wales and Poland: Goalkeepers: Darren Randolph (Middlesbrough), Colin Doyle (Hearts), Sean McDermott (Kristiansund BK); Defenders: Seamus Coleman (Everton), Cyrus Christie (Fulham), Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Shane Duffy (Brighton & Hove Albion), Richard Keogh (Derby County), Ciaran Clark (Newcastle United), Kevin Long, Stephen Ward (Burnley), John Egan, Enda Stevens (Sheffield United); Midfielders: Alan Judge (Brentford), Jeff Hendrick (Burnley), Conor Hourihane (Aston Villa), Alan Browne (Preston North End), Shaun Williams (Millwall), David Meyler (Reading), Daryl Horgan (Hibernian), Callum O'Dowda (Bristol City), James McClean (Stoke City). Forwards: Jonathan Walters (Ipswich Town), Graham Burke, Callum Robinson (Preston North End), Aiden O'Brien (Millwall)
James McClean is also out with a wrist injury. Starting to feel like a draw would be a phenomenal result.
Hmmm. Even if most of those in the know might deny it, you’d have to think O’Neill’s position is under scrutiny. I don’t know the ins and outs of the Keane-Arter fight, both are spiky characters, but I think if it’s a straight up choice between the two, Arter is the more indispensable of the two. Keane needs to be better. O’Neill is showing signs of fallibility. Yes, we all know there was a raft of injuries and the like, but that performance had all the signs of a Walter Smith performance. When he was the manager of Everton, training consisted of Smith throwing a bag of footballs at the players, telling them to get on with it and then picking the team on the basis of who he felt was doing OK. In the last two competitive games Ireland have been mullered by Denmark 5-1 and now walloped 4-1 by a Welsh side that rarely even reached 3rd gear. That doesn’t speak well to quality, tactics or character. O’Neill has to take responsibility for this and the question must be asked if he has what it takes to turn this around? I’m not sure he does; that doesn’t mean another manager will succeed where O’Neill is failing. Bottom line, another performance or two like that on the field and from the sideline will see the end of the O’Neill-Keane era.
Can the FAI even afford to sack O'Neill? I was on the fence after November, but now I definitely feel as though they should go. The space we've afforded world-class players like Eriksen, Ramsey, Bale, etc. in our last two competitive matches is unforgivable.
The question should be can they afford not to? Absent some stunning revelations, Keane is coming out of this with his reputation seriously diminished. Decent chance he'll be gone in my book, if only to cover up for the failings of O'Neill and Delaney. This spat will be couched in terms of workplace bullying and Keane will inevitably be seen as a dinosaur. The bollocking, bullying style of management is largely being called for what it is these days; the Allardyces of this world are being replaced by the Klopps and Guardiolas (neither of whom are a soft touch, but equally neither of whom are bullies). O'Neill came up under Clough, Keane too, but more under Ferguson, both Clough and Fergusin had reputations for getting stuck in. I'm just not sure that, especially at international level, this style has much to offer anymore. While pundits and commentators can decry millionaires not being able to take a bollocking, that they're soft and when I were a lad it weren't so, etc., the truth is that money as changed the game and it is far from the days of when I were a lad scenario. The sad reality for Ireland is that at the moment Ireland need Arter more than he needs Ireland. There's a further sad truth for Keane - there are very few scenarios now wherein he is seen as more vital than Arter.
First time in a while since I've watched the full 90 of a friendly. Very dour stuff. O"Dowda probably the best player; Poland lacked ideas and a 5 man Irish defense held until almost the death. A draw might have been the fairest result seeing as Ireland barely got into the Polish half after the break. Not certain this result gets O"Neill out of jail, but better than a loss. Neither of these sides are going to cause any of the big boys much trouble.