Martin O’Neill

Premier League: 3 talking points after the weekend

/ Alan Keane / Leave a comment

Liverpool making their own luck:

Two penalties against Manchester United a few weeks back and two penalties yesterday at West Ham have been crucial to Brendan Rodgers’ side finding themselves top of the table with five games remaining.

However that’s not to say Liverpool have been getting it all their own way, as shown by West Ham’s equalizer yesterday. The fact is that Liverpool wouldn’t be getting penalties were they not creating chances, and they are top of the league by virtue of playing the most exciting football this season. They could still lose out if Manchester City come to Anfield next Sunday and win, but Brendan Rodgers deserves great credit for how his side have come from fourth place outsiders to title challengers.

Also, if there is a highly contested decision during a game, either video technology should be available to the referees or there should be no replay of it on the big screen. There can be no half measures. Liverpool players pointing to the big screen at Upton Park yesterday, screaming at the referee to watch Andy Carroll’s foul in the build up to West Ham’s goal while the referee refused to do so was farcical.

Norwich board take big gamble:

An underwhelming campaign thus far from Norwich City has led to the sacking of manager Chris Hughton. While lying fourth from bottom with five games left is bad enough, the fact that four of those five games are against Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal leaves Norwich with much to do if they aren’t to be playing in the Championship next season.

Whatever the dire circumstances Norwich find themselves in, is it wise to sack Hughton at this stage of the season? Admittedly the team has been uninspired under the former Republic of Ireland international all season, but what makes the board think that this will change under the tutelage of youth team coach Neil Adams? Are they hoping for that “new manager effect” that sometimes lifts teams particularly in the early stages?

That doesn’t always happen. Ask Pepe Mel, the West Brom boss since December and Hughton’s final adversary as Norwich manager.  His first win didn’t come until mid March.

The final four games against the big sides pale in comparison to Norwich’s fixture next weekend. They come up against fellow strugglers Fulham in a game that could see the Canaries go eight points clear of Felix Magath’s side with a win. Depending on other results, three points for Norwich may leave them in 13th place by Sunday evening. For the club to disrupt the preparations for that game by sacking Hughton is a huge gamble.

 

McCarthy and Coleman thriving under Roberto Martinez:

Everton’s performances this season have been wonderful to watch. Yesterday was one of the best yet as they dismantled an Arsenal side who not three months ago were among the favourites for the title.

They may lose some of their key players during the summer if they cannot make their loan deals permanent. Striker Romelu Lukaku is certainly one they would like to keep, but Gerard Delofeu will more than likely return to Barcelona and Gareth Barry may also move on.

One thing is sure however, Martinez will be doing all he can to keep hold of Republic of Ireland internationals James McCarthy and Seamus Coleman. The pair have been key to Everton’s fight for a Champions League spot all season. Gareth Barry last week heaped praise on McCarthy, saying he was one of the best midfielders he had played alongside. Seamus Coleman is almost a certainty to be named in the Premier League team of the year. The Donegal man has been in outstanding form, chipping in with important goals from full-back.

All this is good news for Irish football fans, and if Everton manage to hold onto both players then they will only improve further under the astute Martinez. Darron Gibson may return from a serious knee injury before the end of the season, and with Aiden McGeady at the club since January, Martinez has a crucialrole to play in the development of important Ireland players in the Martin O’Neill era.

 

Featured Image: GETTY Images

Can Ireland make it to Euro 2016?

/ Alan Keane / Leave a comment

Ireland have been handed a difficult but not impossible task after being drawn in Qualification Group D for Euro 2016.
With Germany top seeds in the group, Ireland have to face Joachim Loew’s side for the second qualification campaign in a row. Ranked second in the world, the Germans inflicted a 9-1 aggregate defeat on the Boys in Green on their march to Brazil 2014.
Theoretically fighting with Ireland for the remaining automatic qualification spot and play-off place are Scotland and Poland.
Propping up the table, (barring disaster for the teams mentioned above) should be Georgia and Gibraltar. Gibraltar only attained international status in May of last year. Georgia, in its 20 years of playing competitive international football, has finished 6th in qualification groups more often than not. Ireland put four past them last June in an Aviva friendly.
With the talent at Jogi Loew’s disposal, it is difficult to see how Germany could drop points, let alone fail to finish top of the group. A team with a mix of youth and experience, and a spine consisting of players from Bayern Munich’s treble winning side and Borussia Dortmund, should take this group at a canter. It is difficult to select the key player for the Germans, because as soon as the focus shifts to one Wunderkind another one overtakes him.

Bayern Munich star Toni Kroos

Mercurial talents such as Marco Reus and Mezut Ozil offer potency in attack, while a midfield consisting of Toni Kroos, Mario Gotze Sami Khedira and Phillip Lahm (if played there) won’t be overrun too often. At the back, Mats Hummels is an extremely intelligent centre-half alongside a resurgent Per Mertesacker. If they have shown any weakness in the recent past  it was when they switched off at 4-0 up against Sweden in the last qualification campaign and ended up shipping 4 goals and two points in the process. While there is a possibility of them scoring four against Ireland, Scotland or Poland, it is unlikely they will capitulate and concede four again.
Of the teams challenging for second and third in the group, on paper Poland would seem to have the advantage. Their star striker Robert Lewandowski plays Champions League football with Borussia Dortmund and will move to the all-conquering Bayern Munich in the summer. Polish captain Jacub Blaszczykowski  also plies his trade at Dortmund. However Poland have never beaten Germany in 17 attempts. Most recently they played out a two-all draw in September 2011. Outside of their Champions League stars, their line-up is solid if not spectacular. They finished 4th in the qualifying campaign for this year’s World Cup after a promising start.

Lewandowski struggles to spell his captain’s name

Scotland under Gordon Strachan are slowly growing in confidence. Early losses during his reign put paid to any qualification hopes for Brazil, but wins in the meantime against Croatia and Macedonia indicate the former Celtic manager has bedded in well. The clashes against another former Celtic boss in Martin O’Neill will go a long way to determine the final positions of both Ireland and Scotland in the table. You can bet either O’Neill or his assistant Roy Keane will watch and rewatch the video of Scotland’s friendly trip to Poland next Wednesday.
And what of the dark horsemeat of the group, Gibraltar? They have a fairly decent record having drawn with Slovakia in their first ever UEFA recognised game last November. It ended nil-all so it’s difficult to make out where their goals will come from as yet. Maybe former Derby County, Sunderland and Stoke central defender Danny Higginbotham? Though he has said he will retire soon so may not even be in the squad come the beginning of the qualifying campaign. Like all teams who Ireland play, they should be treated respect (Cyprus and San Marino spring to mind), but 6 points are an absolute necessity for O’Neill’s men.

Danny Higginbotham. Gibraltar’s danger man?

And what of Ireland themselves? Can we compete with Poland and Scotland? Irish fans would hope so, while Roy Keane would probably question why we can’t take six points off of Germany as well. This attitude is sure to serve the Boys in Green better than Trappatoni’s thinking that our team wasn’t good enough to play football against the big boys. With four potential Irish starters at a well managed Everton under Roberto Martinez, the hope is that there is a strong core in the immediate and long-term future of the Ireland team. The question of where Ireland’s goals will come from is pertinent, but hopefully Paul Green will chip in with a few.

Coleman and McCarthy will be crucial to Ireland’s chances

Ireland finish the qualifying campaign with games at home to Germany and away to Poland. Whatever about the Germany game, the Poland tie could be crucial in deciding the fate of both teams involved and Scotland. It’s the same day Ireland take on France in the Rugby World Cup. Some days Ireland’s sports stars take on the world and win. 21st of March 2009. Ireland beat Wales in Cardiff to claim their first Grand Slam since 1948. Later that night in the O2 Arena, Bernard Dunne knocks Ricardo Cordoba out in the 11th round to claim the WBA Super-Bantamweight world championship. A glorious day. All of Ireland rejoiced. Perhaps the 11th of October 2015 will be such a day.

O’Neill and Keane to re-ignite pride in green jersey?

/ Alan Keane / Leave a comment
A new era for Irish football
So it’s official, Ireland is under new management. Messrs O’Neill and Keane, appointed to pour petrol on the dying embers left in Giovanni Trappatoni’s wake.
 Martin O’Neill was always going to be in the reckoning following the departure of Giovanni Trappatoni a few weeks back. He has a strong managerial record, is from these shores, and has an infectious passion for the game that could just be the spark needed to breathe life back into the international set-up.
Roy Keane as his assistant, on the other hand, was a bit of a curve ball. Sure, many talking heads mooted the idea of Keane taking up the position of manager if he could just get over his rift with the FAI. However not too many people expected the former midfield general to be content to take a secondary role.
It remains to be seen exactly what role Keane will play in the management team, and whether or not O’Neill will bring in Steve Walford, who was his right-hand man during his tenures at Leicester, Celtic, Aston Villa and Sunderland. If the latter occurs, Walford will almost certainly assume the day-to-day coaching role, with O’Neill and Keane getting involved when it comes to the tactical nuances.
Noel King’s last act (thankfully) as caretaker-manager was to name the squad for the forthcoming Latvia and Poland friendlies. Meaningless up to last weekend, these games have taken on a certain weight as the public awaits the first press conferences of the new regime. There may even be a semi-full Aviva for the Latvia game. While both O’Neill and Keane are charismatic in their own right, it’s probable that the initial media clamour will surround Keane’s first utterances.
And that’s where problems may lie in this partnership. Brian Kerr wrote an interesting article in the Irish Times this week where he spoke about the role of an assistant manager. He noted that a lot of an assistant’s time is spent staring at the manager’s back. Will Keane be content to take a back seat while O’Neill dishes out the words of wisdom before games and at half-time. It’s unlikely, but then perhaps it’s just as improbable that O’Neill hired Keane to sit there quietly.
The old adage that two heads are better than one will hopefully ring true in this arrangement. Can you imagine the amount of Irish players Keane and O’Neill will run the rule over on an average weekend of football across the pond? More than Trappatoni managed in a full year of his tenure probably.
Footballers are human after all. Knowing that your managers have taken the time to come and assess one of your games will surely give any of the Irish players a morale boost. There will presumably be less communication difficulties between management and players given that they’ll all be speaking the same language.
People may question the recent managerial records of both men, with Keane out of football since he left Ipswich in January of 2011, and O’Neill restricted to tv appearances since his sacking from Sunderland in March of this year. Keane has also had some high-profile fallings out with players at the clubs he’s managed (some current Irish internationals included). However both men, and in particular O’Neill, have much to commend them on their CVs.
Keane took Sunderland from relegation danger to Championship winners in his first season, and kept them afloat in the Premier League in his second. O’Neill was mastermind of one of the best spells of success Celtic have had in recent memory, including an appearance in a UEFA Cup final in 2003. He also led Aston Villa to three consecutive top 6 finishes in the Premier League. While it was an above average Villa team he had at the time, it was still no mean feat.
It will be interesting to see the first starting XI named by the new management team, however of much more importance will be the teams named early next year. As mentioned above, Noel King picked this squad. O’Neill and Keane have yet to put their stamp on it. If Keane has his say, for example, could we possibly see a return to the Ireland fold for Stephen Ireland? Keane has spoken about his admiration for his fellow Corkman during Ireland’s international exile, and there have been constant murmurings from the Stoke City midfielder to the tune that he may welcome a return to the green jersey under new management. It shouldn’t be up to a player whether he plays for his international side or not, but if O’Neill and Keane deem his form good enough, Ireland could be a useful addition to the squad.
This managerial partnership has the potential to either end in tears or establish a solid platform for the Irish international side for years to come. Odds have been slashed already on Ireland’s qualification for the next European championships, with the draw for the qualifiers not set to take place until the 23rd of February next year. Whatever happens on the field, Ireland games won’t be dull again for quite a while.
Rep. of Ireland squad for forthcoming friendlies vs Latvia and Poland:
David Forde (Millwall), Keiren Westwood (Sunderland), Rob Elliot (Newcastle), Sean St Ledger (Leicester City), Marc Wilson (Stoke City), Seamus Coleman (Everton), John O’Shea (Sunderland), Alex Pearce (Reading), Stephen Kelly (Reading), Joey O’Brien (West Ham), Ciaran Clark (Aston Villa), Stephen Ward (Brighton & Hove Albion), James McCarthy (Wigan Athletic), Glenn Whelan (Stoke City), Paul Green (Leeds Utd), Andy Reid (Nottingham Forest), Aiden McGeady (Spartak Moscow), Anthony Pilkington (Norwich City), James McClean (Wigan), Robbie Brady (Hull City), Stephen Quinn (Hull City), Wes Hoolahan (Norwich City), Shane Long (West Bromwich Albion), Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy), Jon Walters (Stoke City), Kevin Doyle (Wolves), Anthony Stokes (Celtic).