THE FAI’S SOCIAL channels reheated a favoured dish yesterday, posting the clip of Robbie Keane’s “bail that out u fuckers” equaliser against Germany at the 2002 World Cup, on what was its 23rd (!) anniversary.
For those of us too young to remember The Charlton Years, this remains our Peak Irish sporting moment, at a time the generation older than us reckoned we had finally cracked the whole qualifying lark.
Alas, Ireland at the Fifa World Cup became another empty Celtic Tiger promise. Almost a quarter-century on, we remain languishing on football’s ghost estates, as most of the rest of their world got to live the high life.
Heimir Hallgrimsson has been brought in to give us some upward mobility, and these next few days mark the end of his speculating. It’s almost time to discover his yield.
After tonight’s clash with Senegal and Tuesday’s friendly against our Old Pals Luxembourg, Ireland will finally begin World Cup qualifying, and the defining three months of Hallgrimsson’s tenure.
Hallgrimsson’s focus remains utterly on the prize. “I wouldn’t mind losing both these games if we won both games in September if you are thinking about it that way”, he said at his pre-match press conference.
Tonight’s opponents made their name at that same World Cup in 2002, beating holders France on the opening day and going all the way to the quarter-finals. Unlike Ireland, though, Senegal have actually gone on to do something since. Then-captain, Aliou Cissé, took over as manager in 2015 and gloriously led them to their first Afcon title along with the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, which were ruined by bad luck.
First they became the first side ever eliminated from the groups on the last-resort, fair play tiebreaker, and four years later they got through the group only to run into England while depleted of Sadio Mane and Idrissa Gueye.
But they have also had a penchant for off-field turbulence. Despite the fact the Senegal federation offered Cissé a new contract to take him through to the 2026 World Cup, the government – who actually pay Cissé’s wages – decided he was no longer up to scratch, and told him they wouldn’t be paying for that salary extension, given he had failed to make the World Cup quarter-finals nor win a second-straight Afcon title.
And so against the wishes of both Cissé and the federation, he stepped aside and has been replaced by a former assistant and another alumnus of the ’02 World Cup, Pape Thiaw.
Senegal are in Dublin tonight partly because they were due to be close by, as they play England in a friendly in Nottingham next Tuesday. They are here without Sadio Mane, who has asked to be excused, but are otherwise at full strength.
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Their squad is a blend of recognisable veterans – Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Idrissa Gueye – along with more youthful talent, including Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, Tottenham’s Pape Sarr, and Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara. Crystal Palace winger Ismalia Sarr is among too few talents at their peak and bridging both generations.
If you exclude a penalty shootout loss to Ivory Coast at the most recent Afcon, Senegal are unbeaten in 20 games and have lost just once since that England defeat in Qatar.
Ranked second in Africa and 19th in the world, they are a daunting opponent for Ireland.
“To go 20 games unbeaten is amazing”, enthused Hallgrimsson at his pre-game media duties, explaining how direct Senegal are in seeking runners in behind and picking out third-man runs from deep, which offers a different test from the more patient heavyweights of European football.
Thus if Senegal are not going to give Ireland a rehearsal for the Portugal and Hungary tests in terms of style, they will at least force Ireland to be attuned to those sides’ tempo.
“Everything happens a little bit quicker, when we need to defend and that’s a good step, if we are ready for that it’s a good preparation for Hungary and Portugal”, says Hallgrimsson.
His message in training this week has been to preach the importance of remaining compact in the face of Senegal’s threat. Compact neatly describes how Ireland played during the first half of their tie away to England last November – they got to the break at 0-0 before everything fell apart – though a reprise of playing Nathan Collins in midfield seems unlikely tonight, if only for the fact it’s a home game against a standard of opponent against whom Ireland must score come the qualifiers.
Hallgrimsson has left most of his Championship players on the beach for this window, though Bristol City duo Jason Knight and Max O’Leary have been included, along with Robbie Brady. That Brady is here emphasises how important he has become to Hallgrimsson, with depth at left-back at a minimum.
The Irish manager is concerned about the lack of options in that position, as Callum O’Dowda is injury-prone and now a League One player, while he sees Ryan Manning as an attacking player. Hence why Hallgrimsson has spoken about the possibility of another return for James McClean to the fold, with McClean certainly open to another act with Ireland.
McClean isn’t here this week, however, and so this is a big opportunity for Josh Honohan to show his capabilities. Of the four new call-ups, Honohan has the least competition for a place in the team, though Hallgrimsson was coy on whether any of the quartet would be involved.
“The purpose of having a look at them is to see if they are ready to play. Whether it will be tomorrow or against Luxembourg or not at all, we will wait and see.”
Hallgrimsson was cool on the prospect of midfielder John Patrick Finn making a senior debut this week, responding to a follow-up question by saying he “has to grow a little bit more as a player to be starting for Ireland.”
John Patrick Finn. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Next Tuesday’s game against Luxembourg is the likelier game for debuts and experimentation. Caoimhín Kelleher has established himself as Ireland’s number one and regular football with his new club Brentford means he intends to hold onto that status.
Matt Doherty is the only specialist right-back in the squad, but all of Jake O’Brien, Dara O’Shea, and Andrew Omobamidele have shown themselves comfortable at shuffling across to fill the role. Liam Scales will provide further competition for the right to play alongside Nathan Collins.
Given Brady and Knight have been selected, meanwhile, they will surely start. Ahead of Finn and fellow freshman Killian Phillips in the midfield pecking order are Will Smallbone and Jack Taylor. Smallbone hasn’t played for Ireland since last September owing to a rotten run with injury, while Taylor hasn’t been afforded many opportunities to build off his impressive cameo away to Greece last October.
Both could start if Hallgrimsson opts to play a single striker, with Taylor deep alongside Knight and Smallbone playing higher in a position similar to that in which Finn Azaz excelled in March.
Festy Ebosele has returned from injury and can punch through any defence with his pace down the right flank, while Manning may play again off the left having put in his best performance for Ireland away to Bulgaria in March.
Troy Parrott missed Wednesday’s session through illness but trained yesterday, doing media consumers across the country a favour in not having to read too many Sick as a Parrott headlines today.
He is definitely ahead of Adam Idah in the pecking order: the question is whether Hallgrimsson chooses to pick Evan Ferguson alongside Parrott, and at the expense of an attacking midfield player. In the home leg against Bulgaria in March, Parrott led the line with Ferguson tucked in behind.
There are more than 36,000 tickets sold for tonight’s game, an admirable number for a summer friendly against a side with whom we don’t exactly have a keen rivalry. It’s proof once again hat the country is desperate to be carried away by its football team. Tonight, finally, is the end of Hallgrimsson’s long beginning. Success will be if the end does not rush up to meet us too quickly.
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Senegal a novel but tough test for Ireland as long road to World Cup qualifiers finally comes to end
THE FAI’S SOCIAL channels reheated a favoured dish yesterday, posting the clip of Robbie Keane’s “bail that out u fuckers” equaliser against Germany at the 2002 World Cup, on what was its 23rd (!) anniversary.
For those of us too young to remember The Charlton Years, this remains our Peak Irish sporting moment, at a time the generation older than us reckoned we had finally cracked the whole qualifying lark.
Alas, Ireland at the Fifa World Cup became another empty Celtic Tiger promise. Almost a quarter-century on, we remain languishing on football’s ghost estates, as most of the rest of their world got to live the high life.
Heimir Hallgrimsson has been brought in to give us some upward mobility, and these next few days mark the end of his speculating. It’s almost time to discover his yield.
After tonight’s clash with Senegal and Tuesday’s friendly against our Old Pals Luxembourg, Ireland will finally begin World Cup qualifying, and the defining three months of Hallgrimsson’s tenure.
Hallgrimsson’s focus remains utterly on the prize. “I wouldn’t mind losing both these games if we won both games in September if you are thinking about it that way”, he said at his pre-match press conference.
Tonight’s opponents made their name at that same World Cup in 2002, beating holders France on the opening day and going all the way to the quarter-finals. Unlike Ireland, though, Senegal have actually gone on to do something since. Then-captain, Aliou Cissé, took over as manager in 2015 and gloriously led them to their first Afcon title along with the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, which were ruined by bad luck.
First they became the first side ever eliminated from the groups on the last-resort, fair play tiebreaker, and four years later they got through the group only to run into England while depleted of Sadio Mane and Idrissa Gueye.
But they have also had a penchant for off-field turbulence. Despite the fact the Senegal federation offered Cissé a new contract to take him through to the 2026 World Cup, the government – who actually pay Cissé’s wages – decided he was no longer up to scratch, and told him they wouldn’t be paying for that salary extension, given he had failed to make the World Cup quarter-finals nor win a second-straight Afcon title.
And so against the wishes of both Cissé and the federation, he stepped aside and has been replaced by a former assistant and another alumnus of the ’02 World Cup, Pape Thiaw.
Senegal are in Dublin tonight partly because they were due to be close by, as they play England in a friendly in Nottingham next Tuesday. They are here without Sadio Mane, who has asked to be excused, but are otherwise at full strength.
Their squad is a blend of recognisable veterans – Edouard Mendy, Kalidou Koulibaly, Idrissa Gueye – along with more youthful talent, including Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson, Tottenham’s Pape Sarr, and Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara. Crystal Palace winger Ismalia Sarr is among too few talents at their peak and bridging both generations.
If you exclude a penalty shootout loss to Ivory Coast at the most recent Afcon, Senegal are unbeaten in 20 games and have lost just once since that England defeat in Qatar.
Ranked second in Africa and 19th in the world, they are a daunting opponent for Ireland.
“To go 20 games unbeaten is amazing”, enthused Hallgrimsson at his pre-game media duties, explaining how direct Senegal are in seeking runners in behind and picking out third-man runs from deep, which offers a different test from the more patient heavyweights of European football.
Thus if Senegal are not going to give Ireland a rehearsal for the Portugal and Hungary tests in terms of style, they will at least force Ireland to be attuned to those sides’ tempo.
“Everything happens a little bit quicker, when we need to defend and that’s a good step, if we are ready for that it’s a good preparation for Hungary and Portugal”, says Hallgrimsson.
His message in training this week has been to preach the importance of remaining compact in the face of Senegal’s threat. Compact neatly describes how Ireland played during the first half of their tie away to England last November – they got to the break at 0-0 before everything fell apart – though a reprise of playing Nathan Collins in midfield seems unlikely tonight, if only for the fact it’s a home game against a standard of opponent against whom Ireland must score come the qualifiers.
Hallgrimsson has left most of his Championship players on the beach for this window, though Bristol City duo Jason Knight and Max O’Leary have been included, along with Robbie Brady. That Brady is here emphasises how important he has become to Hallgrimsson, with depth at left-back at a minimum.
The Irish manager is concerned about the lack of options in that position, as Callum O’Dowda is injury-prone and now a League One player, while he sees Ryan Manning as an attacking player. Hence why Hallgrimsson has spoken about the possibility of another return for James McClean to the fold, with McClean certainly open to another act with Ireland.
McClean isn’t here this week, however, and so this is a big opportunity for Josh Honohan to show his capabilities. Of the four new call-ups, Honohan has the least competition for a place in the team, though Hallgrimsson was coy on whether any of the quartet would be involved.
“The purpose of having a look at them is to see if they are ready to play. Whether it will be tomorrow or against Luxembourg or not at all, we will wait and see.”
Hallgrimsson was cool on the prospect of midfielder John Patrick Finn making a senior debut this week, responding to a follow-up question by saying he “has to grow a little bit more as a player to be starting for Ireland.”
Next Tuesday’s game against Luxembourg is the likelier game for debuts and experimentation. Caoimhín Kelleher has established himself as Ireland’s number one and regular football with his new club Brentford means he intends to hold onto that status.
Matt Doherty is the only specialist right-back in the squad, but all of Jake O’Brien, Dara O’Shea, and Andrew Omobamidele have shown themselves comfortable at shuffling across to fill the role. Liam Scales will provide further competition for the right to play alongside Nathan Collins.
Given Brady and Knight have been selected, meanwhile, they will surely start. Ahead of Finn and fellow freshman Killian Phillips in the midfield pecking order are Will Smallbone and Jack Taylor. Smallbone hasn’t played for Ireland since last September owing to a rotten run with injury, while Taylor hasn’t been afforded many opportunities to build off his impressive cameo away to Greece last October.
Both could start if Hallgrimsson opts to play a single striker, with Taylor deep alongside Knight and Smallbone playing higher in a position similar to that in which Finn Azaz excelled in March.
Festy Ebosele has returned from injury and can punch through any defence with his pace down the right flank, while Manning may play again off the left having put in his best performance for Ireland away to Bulgaria in March.
Troy Parrott missed Wednesday’s session through illness but trained yesterday, doing media consumers across the country a favour in not having to read too many Sick as a Parrott headlines today.
He is definitely ahead of Adam Idah in the pecking order: the question is whether Hallgrimsson chooses to pick Evan Ferguson alongside Parrott, and at the expense of an attacking midfield player. In the home leg against Bulgaria in March, Parrott led the line with Ferguson tucked in behind.
There are more than 36,000 tickets sold for tonight’s game, an admirable number for a summer friendly against a side with whom we don’t exactly have a keen rivalry. It’s proof once again hat the country is desperate to be carried away by its football team. Tonight, finally, is the end of Hallgrimsson’s long beginning. Success will be if the end does not rush up to meet us too quickly.
Ireland (Possible XI): Kelleher; Doherty; Collins, O’Shea, Brady; Ebosele, Taylor, Knight, Manning; Smallbone, Parrott
On TV: RTE Two; KO: 7.45pm
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Heimir Hallgrímsson match preview Republic Of Ireland Senegal