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Like the last two World Cups, Ireland will be watching next summer’s proceedings from afar. Failure to qualify precipitated Giovanni Trapattoni’s departure and has heralded a new era that is exciting fans and players alike. Whether the management combo of Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane can deliver success though, is in the lap of the Gods.
But they know that 2014 will arguably be the most important year of their tenure. Starting with a friendly against Serbia in March, O’Neill will have a number of non-competitive dates to set things in motion before the first set of Euro 2016 qualifiers get underway in September 2014.
2014 FIFA World Cup Qualifier 6/9/2013
While O’Neill did not pick the squad for the friendlies against Latvia and Poland—caretaker manager Noel King was given that task—Ireland’s friendly matches after the New Year will have the Derry man’s stamp all over them.
A betting man would guess that O’Neill, in similar fashion to his stints at Aston Villa and Sunderland, will go for a 4-4-1-1 formation with a target man of Jon Walter’s ilk. But at the moment, O’Neill’s preferences are an unknown quantity when it comes to judging Ireland’s pool of players and how best to deploy them.
However, Emmet Malone of the Irish Times told Newstalk’s Off The Ball—after attending O’Neill’s press conference following the first training session—that he got the impression pragmatism would win out, and that the style of play would be based on the players’ capabilities.
While pragmatism is clearly a Trapattoni trait, O’Neill will certainly not have the communication issues that plagued the previous regime. In his interviews and public pronouncements, he has shown himself to be affable and media-friendly, with the added bonus that English is not an issue.
In terms of playing style, O’Neill gave a hint of things to come when he spoke to Off The Ball’s Ger Gilroy after his unveiling.
“Doesn’t everybody set out with the idea of winning football games with great panache? Somewhere along the way a bit of realism sets in. With the players that we have, there’s some stalwarts still around and we’ve got one or two up and coming players who are very talented. Hopefully we can allow them to flourish.”
Someone hoping to flourish under O’Neill’s tutelage is his new assistant manager Roy Keane and next year we will get a more established view of the exact specifications of his role.
On the day of the appointment, O’Neill joked that Keane would be “bad, bad cop” when it came to dealing with the players but he is sure to provide a sounding board for the ex-Celtic manager, while it was noticeable that the Corkman took training during the first training session.
But speaking with Ger Gilroy on Off The Ball, Keane was more effusive about the players at Ireland’s disposal.
“We are going to be working with quality players,” he said. “The job is to get a bit more out of the team.” It also appears as if Keane is taking the assistant role with vigour, having reflected on experiences in his previous managerial roles at Sunderland and Ipswich.
"It's always a balancing act. You've got to look and learn from your mistakes but then again, I don't think it was all bad. There were positives as well from my experiences as a manager, with Sunderland in particular where I was successful. It was very difficult at Ipswich but if you're going to be a manager and want to be involved for a long time, there are going to be disappointments."
There may well be disappointments for some of Ireland’s old guard such as Robbie Keane and Richard Dunne. Keane retained the captaincy for the November friendlies as O’Neill was not intent on making drastic changes. But whether he will be seen as a central figure in a new look Ireland is open to question given that he will be 34 by the time the Euro 2016 qualifiers begin.
Aiden McGeady celebrates scoring a goal with Robbie Keane. Latvia v Ireland. Photo: INPHO/Morgan Treacy
It is a tournament that Ireland will be expecting to qualify for given that the tournament in France features an expanded format of 24 teams rather than 16. Add to the fact that Ireland are likely to be seeded for the qualifying draw, which will take place at the Palais des Congrès Acropolis in Nice on February 23rd.
Regardless of who gets drawn out of the hat to face Ireland, 2014 will prove to be pivotal.
This article originally appeared in Newstalk Magazine for iPad in November, for more details go here.
