THIS IS Operation Ireland.
Things might not quite be terminal, but it will not be for the faint-hearted.
Two games and one week with the players is what it took for Heimir Hallgrímsson to reach a prognosis. “At some point we need to stop this bleeding,” the manager said.
So here he was, not quite smiling or the supposed mad dentist but certainly holding the metaphorical knife.
Because to stop that bleeding Hallgrímsson has not just made a Matt Doherty-shaped incision, he’s sliced through the squad that began this Nations League campaign. “Losing becomes a habit like winning does and we need to break that connection,” he said.
Seven changes – almost one third – have been made for next week’s double-header away to Finland and Greece.
Some were enforced. The injuries to captain Seamus Coleman and midfielder Will Smallbone had been flagged in advance, while the return of Josh Cullen was expected given that he’s back to full fitness at Burnley.
Conor Coventry, the former U21 captain now with Charlton Athletic, was “really close” while discussions regarding Ipswich Town striker’s Liam Delap’s eligibility appear to be moot given current Fifa rules mean he remains tied to England.
Doherty’s absence was the stand out, especially as his performance against England led to him being dropped against Greece, and his subsequent cameo off the bench resulted in more criticism for his part in their second goal.
“He played the way we expected him to,” Hallgrimsson said, although what felt like a clinical put-down was tempered by more context.
“It is not a performance-based decision, it is more forward thinking. He is getting less minutes [at Wolves] now, so we are a little bit worried. Séamus is having injuries. We need to have a back-up plan.
“That’s the reason and I tried to explain it [to Matt] in a manner of my job is to prepare the team for the World Cup, I need to see the bigger picture.”
Hallgrímsson, understandably, spoke about “when we fly above the now, and see the bigger picture, we need to be ready”, yet such foresight is perhaps at odds with those who expected instant Put ’Em Under Pressure gratification.
Hallgrímsson did take the opportunity to phone and explain his reasons to Doherty, admitting yesterday that the defender was not happy with the manager’s decision.
“He knows his quality. Everyone should fight for their spot in the team. He is a true professional in that sense.”
The same went for Jake O’Brien, Alan Browne and Callum Robinson, although players left out in future shouldn’t get used to the manager informing them of his reasons. This was a one-time courtesy because they’d been involved first time around.
Glenn Whelan also won’t have a role as a scout, as he did last month having previously been a coach for the March and June windows when O’Shea was in interim charge.
While he was recently confirmed as first-team coach with Wigan Athletic, his scathing criticism as a TV pundit after the 2-0 defeat to Greece caught many by surprise in the FAI.
“I’m just a little bit worried, does it really hurt the lads as much as it’s hurting me?” he said on Virgin Media.
“I think there’s certain individuals, it’s just too easy to bat it off. You can go onto social media, and onto the next one and hashtag this and that, whatever you want to do – but show us out on the pitch, show us on the grass that it hurts.”
Hallgrímsson confirmed that Whelan would not be scouting this time around, and he bristled somewhat at the topic.
“Now you’re talking about someone else’s opinion. It’s just his opinion. You want me to comment on his opinion?… You can ask me the question.”
So, is that valid criticism from Whelan?
“I don’t think so,” Hallgrímsson said. “Everybody comes to do their best and hopefully the players will stake their claim and say ‘this is my spot, I’m here, I’m gonna take the position and hold it for the next 10 years’. Don’t give it to someone else. We have a pretty young squad so now is the time to step up and be a leader. Stake your claim and own your position.
“I’ve been with them (the players) for eight days. Hopefully with me having closer relationship with them I’ll know more in-depth. I’m not going to answer this question. If he knows the players better than me, it’s a valid opinion.”
Hallgrímsson repeated that he doesn’t “know Glenn at all… I’ve never spoke to him” and, referencing the criticism, said: “I wouldn’t have done that.”
This upcoming window will go a long way to determining if relegation from League B can be avoided.
“I don’t think we should be going with that mindset,” Hallgrímsson countered.
“I’m happy with the level of players we have. We have a lot of good Championship-level players. I’ve repeatedly said same things. My initial analysis is that we have too many players at the same level.
“I think that’s a problem in a sense. We are always looking for a solution somewhere else, instead of picking players, playing them, and getting relationships between players. Is it a bigger challenge than I thought in the beginning? I don’t know. I don’t know. Let me answer this one after this camp. I wasn’t expecting us to lose both the games in the last camp.
“In Group B, you are facing good opponents. In this case, really efficient opponents in Greece and Finland. They have qualified for major finals, been together for a long time. Teams that are maybe easy to analyse but maybe difficult to play against. That is what we should be aiming for.”
