THE SUMMER OF 2016 felt like a footballing coming of age for Jeff Hendrick.
Previously regarded as a promising youngster, the midfielder was, in most critics’ eyes, Ireland’s standout performer at Euro 2016, excelling in particular during the draw with Sweden and the famous win over Italy.
As the Dubliner thrived against some of the best players in Europe, the accolades followed.
Former Ireland assistant boss Marco Tardelli recalled a young Hendrick and the promise he saw in the player.
“We picked him up at Derby County, in the Championship,” the World Cup winner said. “I was there to see a central defender, but I was struck by him.
He’s what you’d call a player of the past, but the truth is a bit different. He is modern in ways that aren’t immediately perceived, but they emerge when you really need them. I offered him to some Italian teams, but maybe he wasn’t expensive enough.”
After the Italy win, meanwhile, Robbie Keane remarked of Hendrick: “I told Tottenham to buy him four years ago and they wouldn’t listen!”
On the back of the Euro 2016 displays, Hendrick didn’t get a move to Spurs, but he was signed by Burnley the following August for a club record £10.5 million fee on a three-year deal.
Yet the manner in which the optimism regarding Hendrick has dwindled since then is mirrored in how Ireland as a team have failed to build on a hugely promising Euros more than two years on.
He did help the Clarets finish seventh last season, so it is not as if the Dubliner has been hugely disappointing, though there remains the nagging feeling that the 26-year-old is capable of playing much better, particularly at international level.
It doesn’t help that Hendrick has been in and out of the Burnley team this season, while he was not a guaranteed starter last year either.
The former St Kevin’s Boys youngster has been played almost as a number 10 or advanced midfielder at club level for the most part, rather than the deeper role he invariably occupies for Ireland.
Speaking at the press conference on Friday, Ireland boss Martin O’Neill said that it was time to “move on” from the Euros, yet the 66-year-old coach struggled to heed his own advice. He referenced Hendrick’s performances in France that summer no less than five times over the course of the 28-minute press conference. While claiming that the Dubliner’s displays since then have not been as bad as his detractors claim, the former Celtic boss acknowledged that he was expecting more from the player.
“He was absolutely outstanding in the Euros, I think he can get back to there, he has to do,” O’Neill said. “You have to sometimes reassess your game and he has the capabilities and the natural talent to do that. Jeff Hendrick, in proper form, is a big player for us.
“His performances in recent times have not been up to the standard he attained in the Euros.
“I just think we have to take one thing into consideration: he was part of a side that actually did go up until the two matches [against Denmark and Wales], went 11 games with one defeat, and we never lost in a game away from home.
“We went to some difficult places — in fact he scored a goal out in Serbia — so he had reached a very high performance level in the Euros, and so the expectation on himself and Robbie Brady and the likes of Seamus Coleman did become very high.
“It became high with all of us, and I think it became high with himself as well. Sometimes whatever you do, maybe you don’t reach that sort of level, but that was very high.
“He was terrific against Sweden — that particular day, I thought he was man of the match against a side which ended up doing not too badly again in the World Cup.
“I just think you have to give him a little bit of slack here. He’s done exceptionally well. There are some games where he didn’t do so well, but the very fact is that we’re judging him now on the performances that he made out in France.”
Hendrick revealed yesterday that assistant boss Roy Keane had a sit-down chat with him to go over his disappointing performance in last month’s comprehensive 4-1 loss to Wales, suggesting these words of advice helped him deliver an improved display in the subsequent encounter with Poland.
Asked himself how he can improve and show more leadership, Hendrick bluntly replied: “I have to play better.”
When pressed on his struggles to recapture his Euro 2016 form, the player added: “I’m summarising 20-odd caps here. Each game is different, really. I have played in a few different positions, we have played some really hard opposition. I think I’ve done well in some games; other games, I’ve not done well.
“At the end of the day, I expect a lot from myself as well going into games and I haven’t been happy with a lot of my performances, so I’m trying to put that right.”
O’Neill confirmed that Hendrick would start tonight’s Nations League clash with Denmark at the Aviva Stadium, but was unwilling to say whether Cardiff’s Harry Arter would join him in midfield.
The 28-year-old pulled out of Ireland’s last squad following a row with Keane, and O’Neill agreed with the suggestion that Arter has a point to prove.
“Harry is starting for Cardiff, though it’s obviously not been great, he could do better. He is starting matches, but if he gets the opportunity, I think he’s ready for it now. He’s put [the Keane controversy] behind him. I think we all have. He’s come back into the squad, and I think the way he’s come back into the squad is to prove a point, which he should be [wanting to do].”
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Didn’t Donegal play Tyrone in the first round? And Dublin will play Kildare in the next round, as will Cork and Kerry, and it’s not the GAAs fault that Galway have melted into a shambles. We would then have had Mayo v Galway too in the first round. All of this before the end of June. Then you have the real payoff, the excitement of seeing the very best teams against each other in August and September, the way any worthy competition should be. The GAA has plenty of flaws but I think this article is a very unfocused knee-jerk reaction to a few hidings dished out by teams on top of their game.
Dave agree entirely
A Dubs fan
Lot of people talking about Mayo this year but where have we heard that before
Wouldn’t write off Kerry either S a lot of people seem to be doing
I’m a Dubs man meself Declan. I think this Mayo team is a different proposition from previous years, there’s a hard edge to them which I think makes them serious contenders.
I think Dublin, Donegal, Cork and Mayo are all around the same level (one from each province too, which is nice) then there’s Tyrone, Kerry and Kildare a level just below that. 7 realistic contenders for the All Ireland, there’s nothing wrong with that.
Yes agree 7 teams with varying degrees of optimism
If they had that in the premiership they would be laughing!!
Mayo have new fitness coach so let’s see
A dubs fan passing a comment about another team being over hyped early in the year.. Oh the irony!
San Marino get hammered every time they play but you don’t see fifa changing around the format of the European/world cup qualifiers so they can win a few games
If counties are not up to the standard why should the gaa change around the format to try and suit them, the football championship is very strong and some teams will get left behind
They change the format every few tournaments! And they do it to allow a more desirable geographic spread off WC finals competitors
The fact that there are eight competitive teams places the Gaa in an enviable position . It can’t be said of other codes. How many EPL winners have there been since its inception . The GAA championship compares very Favourably. It’s not long since Dublin and Donegal were on the wrong end of a few such drubbings . In 2011 London almost beat mayo who then made an all Ireland semi final , beating the all Ireland champions en route. Louth contested a Leinster final . Wexford likewise on a couple of occasions. Similar knee jerk reaction were pedalled out in 2010 when none of the provincial finalists reached the semi finals . September is the time to make a more considered judgment
GAA is fine as is.
If other counties want to perform they can pay for more training sessions and try and get more people to come to the matches.
I agree in part. But I don’t think it means we need to rearrange the format of the championship. Every time a team gets hammered some people talk about the need to level the playing field. The system is fine. It has been changed once, with the back door, if they change it again like they did with the league over and over again people will lose interest.
We had years of Galway hurling people blaming the structure of the championship for them not winning, now it’s the championship structures that Galway footballers are rubbish,
Derry were not well beaten, in fact they played some of the best football of the championship to date in the best game to date. Diagonal balls to Bradley and his destruction of Down defense in first half was a joy to watch.
Westmeath got a day out in croker they saw the level they need to aspire too its all a learning curve / and that’s always the way it’s been how else are you going to improve
The money and the people involved with the Dublin team vs small counties like w.meath is very unfair.Maybe a large populace county like Dublin should field two teams a city and county team.
As Kerry do each year and how All Ireland’s have they won with a small population
The whole thing is a farce lets do away with the provincials 8 groups of 4 top 2 into the the A final bottom 2 to a B Final and in the last 16 -an open draw when your out you are out at least the teams in the final get to play the same amount of games.
Yeah, everyone would get three games and the eventual finalists would get 7. Seems fair
I wouldn’t do an open draw for the last 16 though. I’d run it like a Heineken Cup. The best performing team plays worst and so forth, to reward consistent good play
The championship is fine the way it is. They should give division 3 and 4 teams home advantage when playing division 1 teams.
The championship format is fairly rubbish to be honest. It’s not fair in my opinion to the Ulster teams especially. The Connaught and Munster Championships and somewhat Leinster are absolute dire. They should have a Champions League style format of 8 groups of 4 teams and the top 2 from each group enter the Last 16 of the All Ireland with the top from each group playing a 2nd placed team. The groups would also be seeded from their National League position meaning all Division 1 teams would be in a separate group and so on. At least every team would get 3 Championship games, the prospect of an open draw would also do much to enhance the game….and I’m not from Ulster!
I don’t see how ulster is any better. Donegal are near certainties for ulster this year and that will be 3 in a row and before them Tyrone and Armagh shared it for the previous ten years.
Leinster and ulster have to win more games to win an all Ireland however which is definitely unfair.
Kerry and cork basically don’t have to do anything until August because the rest of Munster are light years behind them. This is extremely unfair on the rest and plays a large part in Kerry’s success in my opinion despite their producing some excellent teams.
Some people suggest that it’s better for Kerry/Cork to take the back door route as they get more competitive games. As it is they get to play Each other in their only tough match before Aug and arrive untested into the Knockout stages.
These two scenarios get played out whenever Kerry/cork reach the QF and either win easily or lose comfortably.
If they get to QF by winning munster and win easily its cos they are fresh from easy matches. If they lose its cos they are untested.
For decades ulster was the weakest province, now it’s the most competitive. Why, they work hard but helped as all the counties place football number one. In Munster only Kerry place football 1, all the others are hurling or 50/50 in corks case. Munster will never have 6 strong teams
Maybe picky, but Derry WERE Division 2 and Down WERE Division 1, but Derry got promoted, Down got relegated, so division 2 team beat division 1 team.
(Best game if championship so far – great advert for GAA)