FOOTBALL MOVES SO quickly yet it was only in January 2023 that Matt Doherty had his contract terminated with Tottenham Hotspur on the final day of that transfer window.
A move to Atletico Madrid materialised out of nowhere but game time was so limited that between February and June he more appearances for the Republic of Ireland than he did for the Spanish club.
After 12 minutes in La Liga he got just over an hour in a friendly with Latvia before starting the Euro 2024 qualifier with France a few days later.
Four minutes off the bench followed for Atletico in May prior to a trip to Greece with Ireland on 16 June. Ireland lost 2-1 and Doherty was sent off in injury time for his part in a melee.
There will be no chance for revenge on his part after Heimir Hallgrímsson decided it was time to cut ties. At least in the short-term, although talk of planning towards World Cup qualification is a strong indication that Doherty’s days are numbered in a green jersey.
“My job is to get this team to the World Cup in 2026 and given that next year, 2025, if we end up in a group with five nations, all our FIFA windows next year will be official World Cup matches, so this is the only chance to experiment, to give players a chance to show what they can do. That is the reason we opted to go for other players at this stage.”
The new Ireland manager’s patience lasted just one game with a defender who had described himself as “the Invisible Man” earlier in his international career, and also reckoned his “face didn’t fit” when Martin O’Neill was in charge.
Previously, Doherty’s exclusion from squads or his limited game time was held up as an example of Ireland being held back and not utilising more attacking players. Mick McCarthy’s experiment with him as a right winger in front of Seamus Coleman was one that did not last beyond one game against Gibraltar.
Now it is an omission that most fans would hardly be exercised by.
Some might even be surprised to hear Hallgrímsson confirm that the player was not happy with the decision when he phoned him on Wednesday to inform him he would not be part of his plans for next week’s away trips to Finland and Greece in the Nations League.
“I called Matt for an explanation. Obviously he deserves that. He was not happy, of course, he wants to play every game for Ireland. But I just assured him that it’s not like we are leaving him out, we’re just testing other players,” the manager said.
“Because of his experience as well, [we decided] not to bring him in to have him on the bench. It’s better just to give him this camp off.”
Doherty’s demeanour on the pitch has long made him that rarest of breeds – the languid full back – but recent performances amounted to a shrug and a stroll.
That is why Doherty was pulled up in the post-match analysis of the 2-0 defeat to England last month. His part in Declan Rice’s opener was pin-pointed, the way in which Harry Kane showed greater anticipation and willingness to follow the danger into the box and not simply react when Anthony Gordon’s shot had been saved.
Even then Doherty’s recovery run was hardly the most energised and lacked the kind of urgency expected.
There had been mistakes made elsewhere in the build up to the goal but in terms of Hallgrímsson’s basic principles of play and what he expects, Doherty’s effort levels fell short.
That is why he lost his place a few days later for the visit of Greece, so while his part in their second goal was also highlighted a lot of the damage had already been done.
Doherty has been on shaky ground and Hallgrímsson had seen enough. Like O’Neill before him he came to the conclusion that the Dubliner is not suited to what he demands.
He turns 33 in January and earned his 47th cap with that brief cameo against Greece.
A milestone 50th cap seems further away than ever now.
