Senior International Fixtures are infrequent occurrences on
the football calendar. And that comes as a detriment to all football fans for
differing reasons. Those vested in following club football rue the disruption
of an International break. The temporary postponement of the regular league
season, the potential for injuries; that they suddenly have to support a player
who plays for a club they hate etc. etc. And then there are those who follow
their country.
I am of the latter.
I enjoy club football as much as anyone else. I follow the fortunes of teams such as Celtic, Galway United, Liverpool, Juventus, and Borussia Dortmund. There are a number of reasons on why I follow those teams with varying degrees of interest. Aside from those, I read frequent articles on the state of the game in Europe and beyond. From my time studying many football records when I was younger, I have great knowledge of who what where and when of club football history. I was once called a walking football encyclopaedia by my friends. I thrive upon discussing football in person or on social media. And I was compelled this year to finally set up a blog to post my opinions and thoughts for everyone to see.
For all the great moments I have enjoyed watching club football, I can safely say it will never compare with following my country. Never.
Without ever going to a game in Dublin until my twenties, with the exception of Paul McGraths testimonial in 1998, I have religiously followed the exploits of my national team since I was able to kick a ball. Becoming aware of the team at a time of change under Mick McCarthy, I watched 3 consecutive play-off defeats before Ireland would get over the line in Tehran in 2001 and qualify for the 2002 World Cup. And even before a ball was kicked in Korea and Japan the following summer, the entire country was captivated by the Saipan debacle. I remember feeling physically sick after losing to Spain on penalties and the fact that the World Cup was over. And with each failure to get there since increasing that pain tenfold. I was left crushed beyond belief when Henry cheated his way to set up the French equaliser in Paris. And somehow despite the setbacks and the constant heartbreak, I kept coming back. Because it’s what I love.
Despite my non-attendance, I saw myself as passionate a supporter than those at every home and away game. My inability to travel when I was younger was down to finances and ease of access. It never impacted on my passion for Ireland. I knew one day it would become easier for me to go to these games and follow my country home and abroad. That day eventually came with the 2nd leg of a EURO 2012 play-off against Estonia in 2011. In what was a damp squib in light of the emphatic 1st leg win, the joy at qualifying for a major championships was profound around the Lansdowne Road (its proper name!) In fact I think there was a lot more a relief that we had finally done it again, qualifying for a major championship. Yet if I thought the passion within me was big before then, EURO 2012 brought it on to another level entirely.
The experiences and tales of the 12 days I spent travelling & living EURO 2012 in Poznan and Gdansk are for another article. However, it left such an impact on me that I have been striving at home and beyond to recreate the magic ever since. Club football became a footnote, my holiday plans were now focused upon where Ireland were playing in Europe. I could no longer afford to pass on going to friendlies if I could as I would only feel bad that I missed out. Ireland may have lost all 3 games in Poland that summer but they had won the undeniable support of this author for the rest of his life.
I have been a near regular attendee ever since. I still have the same issues travelling from my home town of Tuam to games in Dublin but with a little help from supporter clubs and like-minded friends, I can usually be found in Section 114 at home games. And there is no lengths I would not consider to following the Boys In Green abroad. It’s a wonderful experience following Ireland across Europe. Even though our prospects are not the best and we still continue to struggle against the elite teams in the continent, it never deters the pride and passion in the people around me in the stands. We will never turn our backs on the team, we are not motivated by success, like the Rugby bandwagon in this country. The FAI are a shambles of organisation and that too is for another article, but I won’t let them stop me from doing what I love.
Tomorrow, we play Poland in an absolutely crucial EURO 2016 qualifier. Our visitors currently sit top of Group D while ourselves, Scotland and World Champions Germany have 7 points from four games. Some are calling it a must win. I firmly believe it’s a must not lose. For if we are to lose, there will be too much ground to make up on the other three teams for the qualification spots. Our opening games have been nothing short of dramatic. An Aiden McGeady inspired late win in Georgia, a rout of Gibraltar at home and improbable point away to Germany, a late John O’Shea equaliser that sent Irish fans across the world into raptures. However, our run hit a setback with defeat to Scotland in Glasgow. I was present that evening and was disappointed with our performance that night. If we perform like that tomorrow, then it will be another long night at the Aviva.
And that’s what every Irish fan wants to avoid. We are striving for an atmosphere and an occasion that we haven’t seen since we defeated the Netherlands in 2001. For too long, we have paid too much respect to teams at our own patch and let them dictate the tempo of the game. Maybe we could understand if it was Germany doing that to us (and they have) but teams such as Cyprus and Armenia have come to Dublin and taken the game to us. I have no doubt the Polish squad will be encouraged by the away support inside the Aviva tomorrow night so it’s even more imperative that Irish fans make themselves heard.
A counter argument to that however, is that it’s how well the Irish team plays tomorrow evening that will determine the atmosphere inside the ground. Giovanni Trapattoni’s tactics could only be appreciated by purists such as myself but it never made it easy to create an atmosphere in his era. Martin O’Neill’s style is not altogether a vast improvement but we have players in our squad currently who can play some great football when on song. And that doesn’t relate more clearly than to aforementioned McGeady, whose winning goal against Georgia was voted the Irish goal of the year for 2014. Doubts have been raised over his fitness, along with Robbie Brady’s too. If it comes down to a choice between two, I will opt for Brady to run himself into ground for the first hour or so of the game and if needs be, let McGeady come on as an impact sub for the last 20 minutes.
The formation is another question on the minds of fans and journalists alike. Rumours abound that O’Neill may opt for a 3-5-2 approach suggest that he is open to some change. Not that Adam Nawałka, Polish manager, believes there will be any change. He is absolutely convinced Ireland will play 4-4-2. If we do, then I believe we will struggle as we will not have enough in central midfield to combat the Polish side. I think we need to start 3 in midfield. And Wes Hoolahan has to be one of those midfielders. His creativity and vision is the perfect foil for Robbie Keane. The captain can still score goals at this level. And it’s important we create chances for him to do that. He was omitted from the starting team in Glasgow and it backfired. We need to score tomorrow night and he is the best man to do that in my opinion.
Should we go for the 3-5-2 tomorrow, then this is the starting team I will go for.
--------------------------Forde--------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
--------------O’Shea---Clark---Keogh-----------------
--Coleman--------------------------------------Brady--
----------------McCarthy-----Whelan------------------
-------------------------Hoolahan-----------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------Long---------Keane-----------------
I am of the latter.
I enjoy club football as much as anyone else. I follow the fortunes of teams such as Celtic, Galway United, Liverpool, Juventus, and Borussia Dortmund. There are a number of reasons on why I follow those teams with varying degrees of interest. Aside from those, I read frequent articles on the state of the game in Europe and beyond. From my time studying many football records when I was younger, I have great knowledge of who what where and when of club football history. I was once called a walking football encyclopaedia by my friends. I thrive upon discussing football in person or on social media. And I was compelled this year to finally set up a blog to post my opinions and thoughts for everyone to see.
For all the great moments I have enjoyed watching club football, I can safely say it will never compare with following my country. Never.
Without ever going to a game in Dublin until my twenties, with the exception of Paul McGraths testimonial in 1998, I have religiously followed the exploits of my national team since I was able to kick a ball. Becoming aware of the team at a time of change under Mick McCarthy, I watched 3 consecutive play-off defeats before Ireland would get over the line in Tehran in 2001 and qualify for the 2002 World Cup. And even before a ball was kicked in Korea and Japan the following summer, the entire country was captivated by the Saipan debacle. I remember feeling physically sick after losing to Spain on penalties and the fact that the World Cup was over. And with each failure to get there since increasing that pain tenfold. I was left crushed beyond belief when Henry cheated his way to set up the French equaliser in Paris. And somehow despite the setbacks and the constant heartbreak, I kept coming back. Because it’s what I love.
Despite my non-attendance, I saw myself as passionate a supporter than those at every home and away game. My inability to travel when I was younger was down to finances and ease of access. It never impacted on my passion for Ireland. I knew one day it would become easier for me to go to these games and follow my country home and abroad. That day eventually came with the 2nd leg of a EURO 2012 play-off against Estonia in 2011. In what was a damp squib in light of the emphatic 1st leg win, the joy at qualifying for a major championships was profound around the Lansdowne Road (its proper name!) In fact I think there was a lot more a relief that we had finally done it again, qualifying for a major championship. Yet if I thought the passion within me was big before then, EURO 2012 brought it on to another level entirely.
The experiences and tales of the 12 days I spent travelling & living EURO 2012 in Poznan and Gdansk are for another article. However, it left such an impact on me that I have been striving at home and beyond to recreate the magic ever since. Club football became a footnote, my holiday plans were now focused upon where Ireland were playing in Europe. I could no longer afford to pass on going to friendlies if I could as I would only feel bad that I missed out. Ireland may have lost all 3 games in Poland that summer but they had won the undeniable support of this author for the rest of his life.
I have been a near regular attendee ever since. I still have the same issues travelling from my home town of Tuam to games in Dublin but with a little help from supporter clubs and like-minded friends, I can usually be found in Section 114 at home games. And there is no lengths I would not consider to following the Boys In Green abroad. It’s a wonderful experience following Ireland across Europe. Even though our prospects are not the best and we still continue to struggle against the elite teams in the continent, it never deters the pride and passion in the people around me in the stands. We will never turn our backs on the team, we are not motivated by success, like the Rugby bandwagon in this country. The FAI are a shambles of organisation and that too is for another article, but I won’t let them stop me from doing what I love.
Tomorrow, we play Poland in an absolutely crucial EURO 2016 qualifier. Our visitors currently sit top of Group D while ourselves, Scotland and World Champions Germany have 7 points from four games. Some are calling it a must win. I firmly believe it’s a must not lose. For if we are to lose, there will be too much ground to make up on the other three teams for the qualification spots. Our opening games have been nothing short of dramatic. An Aiden McGeady inspired late win in Georgia, a rout of Gibraltar at home and improbable point away to Germany, a late John O’Shea equaliser that sent Irish fans across the world into raptures. However, our run hit a setback with defeat to Scotland in Glasgow. I was present that evening and was disappointed with our performance that night. If we perform like that tomorrow, then it will be another long night at the Aviva.
And that’s what every Irish fan wants to avoid. We are striving for an atmosphere and an occasion that we haven’t seen since we defeated the Netherlands in 2001. For too long, we have paid too much respect to teams at our own patch and let them dictate the tempo of the game. Maybe we could understand if it was Germany doing that to us (and they have) but teams such as Cyprus and Armenia have come to Dublin and taken the game to us. I have no doubt the Polish squad will be encouraged by the away support inside the Aviva tomorrow night so it’s even more imperative that Irish fans make themselves heard.
A counter argument to that however, is that it’s how well the Irish team plays tomorrow evening that will determine the atmosphere inside the ground. Giovanni Trapattoni’s tactics could only be appreciated by purists such as myself but it never made it easy to create an atmosphere in his era. Martin O’Neill’s style is not altogether a vast improvement but we have players in our squad currently who can play some great football when on song. And that doesn’t relate more clearly than to aforementioned McGeady, whose winning goal against Georgia was voted the Irish goal of the year for 2014. Doubts have been raised over his fitness, along with Robbie Brady’s too. If it comes down to a choice between two, I will opt for Brady to run himself into ground for the first hour or so of the game and if needs be, let McGeady come on as an impact sub for the last 20 minutes.
The formation is another question on the minds of fans and journalists alike. Rumours abound that O’Neill may opt for a 3-5-2 approach suggest that he is open to some change. Not that Adam Nawałka, Polish manager, believes there will be any change. He is absolutely convinced Ireland will play 4-4-2. If we do, then I believe we will struggle as we will not have enough in central midfield to combat the Polish side. I think we need to start 3 in midfield. And Wes Hoolahan has to be one of those midfielders. His creativity and vision is the perfect foil for Robbie Keane. The captain can still score goals at this level. And it’s important we create chances for him to do that. He was omitted from the starting team in Glasgow and it backfired. We need to score tomorrow night and he is the best man to do that in my opinion.
Should we go for the 3-5-2 tomorrow, then this is the starting team I will go for.
--------------------------Forde--------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
--------------O’Shea---Clark---Keogh-----------------
--Coleman--------------------------------------Brady--
----------------McCarthy-----Whelan------------------
-------------------------Hoolahan-----------------------
------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------Long---------Keane-----------------
Poland have done superb to be on top of the group. Led by Roman Lewandowski, they are the only undefeated team left and are in a great position to qualify. That being said, they don’t have the best record against us of late. Our last two encounters took place in 2013, with Ireland winning 2-0 in Dublin and a 0-0 draw in Poznan. They are a decent team but they are one we are certainly capable of beating. We have to believe that. I have nothing but respect and love for the Polish fans for the hospitality they gave us during EURO 2012. They are going to have strong numbers in the stadium tomorrow evening and they will making plenty of noise too. However, if we start well and take control of the game, we can nullify our opponents on and off the field. The atmosphere will be nothing short of electric; that much I am sure of. I hope our performance on the field can match it. I’m hoping we win, I’m praying we win, I believe we will win.
For once I will genuinely be motivated to stop playing my
PS3 until the early hours this Saturday night. I will adjust my clocks
accordingly for the time change. When Sunday morning comes, I will reach a
level of excitement I haven’t felt since walking into Celtic Park last
November. I despair at the long intervals between international games, but
maybe it’s the waiting that feeds into my excitement and anticipation. I don’t
think I will get much sleep tonight.
To paraphrase a quote our captain once uttered, this is my fucking country we’re talking about!
And what else would you rather have me do?
COYBIG
To paraphrase a quote our captain once uttered, this is my fucking country we’re talking about!
And what else would you rather have me do?
COYBIG
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