THE TRUE LEVEL of the Ireland football team and the decision of manager Heimir Hallgrimsson not to travel to the UK for games were up for discussion on The Football Family, the podcast for subscribers to The 42.
“I think we’re extremely limited technically. I think we all know that by this stage. I’d still argue that the penny hasn’t fully dropped though. I think people are realising that we’re not brilliant, but I don’t know if they’ve quite realised just how bad we are,” Shane Keegan, the former Cobh Ramblers manager, said.
“I don’t see where the light is at the end of the tunnel either, if I’m totally honest.
“Heimir Hallgrimsson has commented himself about the habit of losing, considering it’s been so long since we’ve had a win.
“Maybe the players feel like they’re trying as hard as they have always tried, but perhaps subconsciously, it’s sort of like, “Well, sure it’s just another defeat, you know. it’s not a big defeat, it’s just another defeat on top of all the other defeats that we’ve already had”.
“Therefore, does that make losing it a little bit more acceptable to the players? Has it become a little more acceptable to just lose game, upon game, upon game . . . in comparison to a team that has experienced success and is deeply hurt when that success doesn’t come along again?
“Maybe that’s there a little bit.”
Hallgrimsson’s decision not to travel to the UK to scout Irish players over the weekend has drawn criticism from many quarters.
Keegan said: “This is crazy stuff! I’m completely willing to give him a free pass on the two results so far, he’s got such limited resources to work with and had such a limited window of time.
“But he’s creating a rod for his own back with stuff like this. Being so hands off by not taking press conferences mixed with this on top of it, it goes against everything that management is about.
“It’s about relationships. He has to go and build those relationships, it’s his job. He has to go and see those players as often as he can.”
If you are not already a subscriber then sign up here to listen to this podcast and enjoy unlimited access to The 42.
