Grim times for the Boys in Green – is there any hope?
‘Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole!’ When was the last time you heard that? Five years ago, during Euro 2016, is the answer. When will be the next time you hear it? At this rate it could be decades, because the Republic of Ireland, whose fans have always been a welcome addition to international tournaments, are experiencing their darkest days in living memory – blacker than a pint of Guinness, in fact.
Originally I’d been tasked to pen a piece on England’s failure to land a major trophy in 55 years, but ’66 n’ all that’s been done to death already; besides, it’s disappointing but far from lamentable. The same can’t be said for Ireland, however, as this week’s draw with Serbia made it 16 games without a win for the Boys in Green, including two points in five World Cup qualifiers. Qatar looks as distant as Neptune right now.
So where’s it all gone wrong? With the World Cup and Euros having had their fields expanded, it was thought that major tournaments would become more commonplace for Ireland once again. It’s a rather pertinent point as the other Home Nations all seem to be faring much better. England are sauntering through yet another qualifying campaign; Wales have long since pulled their socks up, as consecutive Euros attest; Scotland are winning games they would’ve struggled in just a couple of years ago; Northern Ireland also look decent at times, and in a much tougher group.
In the Sky Sports studios after the draw with Azerbaijan, Stephen Duffy and Richard Dunne, two fine ex-players from happier times, were almost sounding the obituary for Irish football. Over-elaborate in their style of play and ultra-low expectations from the public were two reasons cited. You can criticise England fans all you like for misguided belief in their team, but it does at least give the Three Lions enough of a boost to go deep in a tournament.
Contrast that with Irish expectations right now. Their last two qualifying games have both been 1-1 at home and yet they’ve almost been treated as victories. To be fair, Serbia aren’t bad these days, but when you go and lose to Luxembourg – once the whippiest whipping boys in the whole wide world – perhaps a draw with Azerbaijan isn’t too disastrous an evening.
As for the Republic’s style of play, well, that’s an interesting one. Anyone who’s seen the brilliant feature-documentary Finding Jack Charlton, will recall player-turned-journalist, Eamon Dunphy, being deeply critical of Charlton’s long-ball tactics at Italia ’90. Yet it’s an insistence on playing carpet football that is contributing to their current demise. What would Mr. Dunphy give for “Charlton-style football” now?
Let’s take a quick look at the current crop being asked to play in a way that’s so easy on the eye. A smattering grace the Premier League, but only one, Matt Doherty of Tottenham, plays for a ‘top five club’. In days gone by, many an Irishman played for the likes of Liverpool, Man United and Arsenal, and as England are finding out, having your players at the top clubs can only be a good thing.
Back in the day, the first place a ‘top club’ would send its scouts was the Emerald Isle. Can you honestly envisage Pep Guardiola posting someone to a small corner of County Cork to scout the next Roy Keane, as Cloughie did over three decades ago? Buenos Aires, Berlin and Bilbao might be further away, but to the modern Premier League big boy, it’s well worth the extra air miles.
Ireland continues to churn out talented rugby union players, so why would the conveyor belt of footballers stop? With no Man City or Chelsea likely to come knocking no matter how talented you are, why waste time waiting? GAA, or indeed the aforementioned rugby, are much better bets. It’s not dissimilar to the late 90s, when West Indian cricket suffered with many promising youngsters choosing NBA instead; albeit that was down to the vast chasm in finances between the two sports at the time.
Until things change, maybe it’s best to stick to more direct football. It might be too late for ‘Oles’ in Qatar, but there’s no need to wait decades.
The Early Whistle 