This week we hear from FC Roast playmaker and Sligoman; Aidan Gaule over his misgivings and mood regarding the current Irish setup. "The Roasts" are an Irish diaspora outfit playing in the twelfth tier of English football in the Middlesex counties league playing out of Caledonian Road. Proudly sponsored by Pizetta, the Roasts are led by Roscommon man and musician; James Carty and have enjoyed a decent start to the season with one highlight being the 4-4 draw away to arch rivals Clapton FC who despite their financial power and large support could not overcome the Irish side. Several stars including today's guest writer may have found themselves aggrieved to have missed out on a place in Martin O'Neill's recent squad. Further information can be found via their website below, social media channels too also listed.
WEBSITE: https://www.fcroast.com/
INSTAGRAM: fc_roast_
TWITTER: @fcroast1
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Sports-Team/FC-Roast-1771253752913041/
PIZETTA: https://www.pizzettapizza.com/
Every international break in living memory, for some bizarre reason, a deep sense of optimism washes over me. Then, five minutes into Ireland's first match of the break, the delusion I had foolishly embraced comes crashing down. That was until the most recent Nations League match against Denmark, where an England cricket match would have aroused more excitement. The archaic brand of football, by the bad cop bad cop management team of Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane has become nothing short of embarrassing. To give the devil his due, I must mention positives and mitigating factors, which no doubt, O’Neill’s fans would be quick to point out. O'Neill has had some good results in his time, the pool of top level players is shrinking and the squad has suffered badly from injuries. So with a Euro 2016 qualification and a World Cup play off loss to show from his time then perhaps I am being too harsh. Now, with the excuses out of the way, I will look to give a more detailed look at things, and show why it is time to call it a day for O'Neill and Keane.
GOOD RESULTS?
The two stand out results in O’Neill’s five year stint have been, without doubt, the wins against Germany and Italy. Two contrasting performances, the former a snatch and grab, with a rare Shane Long goal grabbing all three points. The Italy performance was much more complete, albeit against a weakened Italy side, with Robbie Brady nodding in following a superb cross from super sub Wes Hoolahan. There were also very good results against Wales, Bosnia and Austria which are worth mentioning. However, with 53 games into his tenure, the fact that I can remember with such ease Ireland's good results is indicative of the problems at hand. They have won only 19 of his 53 games in charge, against the likes of Oman, Gibraltar, Latvia to name a few.
The issue most worrying is the style of play employed under O'Neill. Good results are inevitable with a 50+ match sample size, regardless of the performance level (see Luxembourg vs France). Shock, undeserved results happen at every level of the game, and should not be used as a marker of success (Not to say all the good results were undeserved). Performance should be the benchmark. The team that performs better, over the long run will win more games. And this is where O'Neill falls flat. If there have been five or six good results, then the number of genuine good performances has been only one or two. I will not count a 7-0 win against Gibraltar as a good result or performance.
The root of the problem, in my opinion, is O’Neill’s lack of confidence in his playing squad, and his lack of any visible system of play. The players are no fools, and his lack of confidence and system is evident every time they step across that white line. Filled with fear and doubt, players with ability resort to the easy way out. Hence, the kick and rush football us Irish fans have become too familiar with. Hard work and team spirit, and attacking football are not mutually exclusive.
LACK OF PREMIER LEAGUE PLAYERS?
This feeds into his constant moaning about the pool of players he has to choose from. A message that, if I was a player, would not fill me with much optimism or confidence. Now, clearly there is some truth in the claim. However what purpose does it serve to constantly bring it up. Other than soften the landing for his inevitable fall. One only has to look to his namesake at Northern Ireland. Michael O’Neill’s most recent squad had one Premier League starter in Craig Cathcart ; Johnny Evans and Steven Davis are subs at Leicester and Southampton. The rest of the squad is made up of players from the Championship, League 1 and Scotland. Not once has he made his players a scapegoat for his failures. Personally, I don't enjoy watching Northern Ireland, but it is clear how they want to play. Their limited squad has clearly defined roles on the pitch and under O'Neill they have won 20 from his 59 in charge, also reaching the European Championships, and missing out on the World Cup in the play off, by a one goal margin compared to Ireland's humiliating exit.
Contrasting the two, Ireland's latest squad featured five Premier League regulars. So to say this squad can not play an attacking front foot game is simply false, and only serves to excuse the drab football we play, and protect O'Neill and Keane. By attacking football, I don't expect miracles, but at a minimum there should be a clear intention to create chances. Currently, our goals are not a by-product of intention, but luck and hard work.
INJURIES
Possibly his gripe that holds the most weight, with key players Coleman, Brady and McCarthy missing for long periods. Again, we are all aware of the injuries, so to constantly remind everyone only serves his own interest and not the team. Adding to that, he refuses to start the excellent Matt Doherty, who was by some distance the best right sided player in the Championship last season. Also, Robbie Brady has never delivered consistently for Ireland, and players with any skill and creativity get shunned or used sparingly. Wes Hoolahan was chronically underused, Hendrick has been used improperly, and Arter looks more like Lee Cattermole when he dons the green jersey. The list of players who don't deliver under O'Neill can not be coincidental.
THE REPLACEMENT
Not for one second am I suggesting whoever replaces O'Neill is walking into an easy job, however we need a manager with a clear plan, willing to take risks and most important, encourage the players to take risks on the field.
The best candidate for the job is Stephen Kenny from Dundalk. Having followed Dundalk closely this season, they are a side with a clear philosophy, one which the players fully buy into, and one designed to bring the best out of the players. Michael Duffy being the prime example, scoring 12 goals from left wing and showing a level of maturity and consistency which has seen him attract interest from overseas.
Kenny knows the Irish game inside out, and is a far superior manager now than Michael O'Neill was when he took over Northern Ireland. It would be a risk, but after Trap and O'Neill, the squad and country needs to get away from the tried and tested and look to bring the hope back to the International break.
Kenny knows the Irish game inside out, and is a far superior manager now than Michael O'Neill was when he took over Northern Ireland. It would be a risk, but after Trapp and O'Neill, the squad and country needs to get away from the tried and te