'In terms of quality, expectations have reached a new low during this campaign'

ROY KEANE TELLS a story about Sir Alex Ferguson’s ability to say a lot without saying much.

“I thought I knew what the group might need, that we didn’t need a big team talk,” Keane said a few years back.

“It was Tottenham at home. I thought please don’t go on about Tottenham, we all know what Tottenham is about, they are nice and tidy but we’ll fucking do them. He came in and said: ‘Lads, it’s Tottenham’, and that was it. Brilliant.”

There is a time and place for pragmatism. Sometimes you will face teams that are better. You need to dig your heels in, catch a lucky break or two and just get through it. Sometimes, it’s a winner-takes-all, do-or-die clash. It’s about survival. You do anything you can to get over the finish line in first place.

In Copenhagen last night, two very evenly-matched sides faced off. One attempted to win the game. The other didn’t really do much of anything.

Under Martin O’Neill, the Republic of Ireland have hardly been the most exuberant, exciting international football team to watch. But throughout this qualification campaign, the expectations in terms of overall quality have reached a new low.

We’ve now been programmed to such an extent that we get excited when James McClean races down the left wing with the grit between his teeth but with no idea of what he’s supposed to do next. We lose ourselves in a host of possibilities when we force a free-kick 40 yards from goal and Robbie Brady stands over it. And why? Because the hope is Shane Duffy will get a flick-on, the ball will deflect off someone’s arse and roll across the line. We applaud and encourage when, after stopping an attack, one of our full-backs thumps the ball straight out of play. Why? Well, it’s win at all costs, isn’t it?

James McClean with a Garryowen to himself #DENIRL #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/D4RGEDWAJv

— Mary Mc Intyre (@Mc1988) November 11, 2017

Before the game, O’Neill told RTE that his side had a plan. He does this quite a bit, attempting to trick everyone into believing there’s some kind of strategy.

Much was made before kick-off about Callum O’Dowda being handed a start. It was trumpeted as an exciting development. O’Neill could’ve just played safe and selected Glenn Whelan. Instead, the Irish were throwing caution to the wind. They were really going for it.

But, inevitably, O’Dowda was anonymous. Of course he was. There were no instructions for him to follow. There was no directive. It could just as easily have been John O’Shea on that right side.

Robbie Brady was a third central midfielder, not a playmaker. James McClean was effectively a wing-back. Daryl Murphy touched the ball 20 times. None of those touches occurred in the penalty area. For a lone striker, that’s pretty remarkable.

The biggest concern is that the majority of Irish players are becoming faceless. A player’s individuality is being completely broken down because everyone on the pitch is entrusted to do the exact same thing.

Ryan Byrne ; ©INPHO / Ryan Byrne/INPHO Ryan Byrne ; ©INPHO / Ryan Byrne/INPHO / Ryan Byrne/INPHO

And that’s why we get so excited when we force a set-piece. It’s brief respite from absolutely ramshackle football. We can’t keep the ball for more than three or four passes. But the mentality afterwards is something akin to, ‘Well, what does it matter if we win?’ Or, ‘What do you expect?’ It’s worth remembering that Giovanni Trapattoni was lacerated for essentially asking those questions repeatedly during his tenure in charge.

The Irish never laid a glove on their opponents. And that’s such a shame. However, it’s being packaged as some sort of success. That a scoreless draw against Denmark was a good night’s work. The context is just widely ignored.

We should look at how the draw was earned. And then decide whether or not it was a good result. It was Denmark. And the revolutionary ‘strategy’ O’Neill had was for Ireland not to lose. We huffed and puffed. We had no interest in keeping the ball. We created nothing. They didn’t offer much. We defended in numbers. Our goalkeeper made important saves. And there will be more of the same on Tuesday.

It’s fitting that O’Neill is such an obsessive when it comes to criminology and famous murder cases. Because he’s slowly asphyxiating this Irish side.

We get it. It’s all about the result. It doesn’t matter what happens in between. But we’re not asking for very much. When Ireland face a side that they’re on par with, is it outlandish to expect some attacking play? Is it outlandish to expect some interest in possession? Is it outlandish to expect moments of good football?

It’s not good enough to shrug our shoulders. A team can still be pragmatic and expressive. It’s okay to want more.

Lads, it’s Denmark.

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