MARTIN O’NEILL SAYS he is not overly concerned about the attendance or the style of football the Irish team employ ahead of tomorrow’s crucial encounter at the Aviva Stadium.
Ireland play Georgia in a must-win game with the ground unlikely to be full despite the importance of the match, but O’Neill says this is not an issue for him.
“I never would urge people to watch something that they don’t really want to [watch].
“I don’t think I have to worry about [Georgia not being a big draw]. It doesn’t make any difference, playing in front of a half-empty stadium. We have to try to win the game.
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“Things are difficult for us. We’re not capable of being like Spain, we have to battle for it, and we are.”
O’Neill also emphasised the importance of patience, suggesting that everything may not go according to plan tomorrow night.
“We want to create a bit of momentum and keep the crowd with us. If we find ourselves a goal behind, it might not be end of world.”
O’Neill confirmed that Seamus Coleman was “feeling much better” and “looks like he’s going to be okay” to feature against Georgia, while confirming that the Everton star would start ahead of Cyrus Christie if available.
He also said that the Irish side were under no illusions about how difficult it would be to achieve a positive result tomorrow night.
“Georgia flew out [to Ireland] immediately [after the Scotland win]. They’ve been treating this game very seriously, as they should do.
“We’re in a difficult group, but we’re still fighting. It’s essentially a must-win game for us. It’s still in our own hands, but there are some difficult games ahead.”
O’Neill was cagey when asked about his team selection tomorrow, but said that players’ game time at club level would be a significant factor — a potentially bad sign for Ireland’s two-goal hero in Georgia, Aiden McGeady, who has yet to play in the Premier League with Everton this season
“There are things to take into consideration. The amount of time players play at club level — that does play some part in your thinking, particularly at this early part of the season.
“There are opportunities there for people. In terms of the team’s shape, we’ll discuss that this evening. Robbie is a mile in front of everybody else in terms of getting a goal and we’ll need somebody to try to create things.
“Shane Long came on [against Gibraltar] and it was great for his confidence.”
O’Neill believes there has been an “improvement” in the team since his appointment as Ireland manager and praised the players’ enthusiasm during his time in charge so far.
The former Celtic boss acknowledged, however, that at international level, you’re only a few poor results away from catastrophe.
“We’re in a results business. If we could qualify, it would be terrific, but there are other parts of my job that people will take notice of in time.”
'We're not capable of being like Spain, we have to battle for it'
MARTIN O’NEILL SAYS he is not overly concerned about the attendance or the style of football the Irish team employ ahead of tomorrow’s crucial encounter at the Aviva Stadium.
Ireland play Georgia in a must-win game with the ground unlikely to be full despite the importance of the match, but O’Neill says this is not an issue for him.
“I never would urge people to watch something that they don’t really want to [watch].
“I don’t think I have to worry about [Georgia not being a big draw]. It doesn’t make any difference, playing in front of a half-empty stadium. We have to try to win the game.
“Things are difficult for us. We’re not capable of being like Spain, we have to battle for it, and we are.”
O’Neill also emphasised the importance of patience, suggesting that everything may not go according to plan tomorrow night.
O’Neill confirmed that Seamus Coleman was “feeling much better” and “looks like he’s going to be okay” to feature against Georgia, while confirming that the Everton star would start ahead of Cyrus Christie if available.
He also said that the Irish side were under no illusions about how difficult it would be to achieve a positive result tomorrow night.
“Georgia flew out [to Ireland] immediately [after the Scotland win]. They’ve been treating this game very seriously, as they should do.
“We’re in a difficult group, but we’re still fighting. It’s essentially a must-win game for us. It’s still in our own hands, but there are some difficult games ahead.”
O’Neill was cagey when asked about his team selection tomorrow, but said that players’ game time at club level would be a significant factor — a potentially bad sign for Ireland’s two-goal hero in Georgia, Aiden McGeady, who has yet to play in the Premier League with Everton this season
“There are opportunities there for people. In terms of the team’s shape, we’ll discuss that this evening. Robbie is a mile in front of everybody else in terms of getting a goal and we’ll need somebody to try to create things.
O’Neill believes there has been an “improvement” in the team since his appointment as Ireland manager and praised the players’ enthusiasm during his time in charge so far.
The former Celtic boss acknowledged, however, that at international level, you’re only a few poor results away from catastrophe.
“We’re in a results business. If we could qualify, it would be terrific, but there are other parts of my job that people will take notice of in time.”
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Euro 2016 Qualifiers Interview Martin O'Neill Robbie Keane Georgia Gibraltar Ireland Republic