A nervy night in store — but at least we have Dunny to lead us
Tonight and on Tuesday, we face two very tough opponents who will have the exact same expectations as ourselves. That’s how tight the race is for that play-off place in Group C.
I am, of course, bitterly disappointed not to be involved in games of this magnitude as I have thrived on these type of pressure matches in recent years. Any player past or present will tell you that these are the games you relish playing in and, more often than not, they will inspire you to produce a good performance.
In all honesty, I have had a tough time since the Euros last summer which, despite our below par performances, still ranks as the biggest achievement of my career. I struggled with an ongoing achilles injury which required surgery and, as a result, I ended up missing the second half of last season. Ultimately, not being involved in the international set up for such a long time, in tandem with other players getting their chances and taking them, has cost me my place in the squad. I have a lot to thank Mr Trappatoni for so I’m certainly not going to speak negatively about him because he has now left me out of a couple of squads. I am so patriotic that, I can assure you, I will never give up hope of representing my country again. But for the next few days at least I will be like all the fans — watching, and biting my nails.
The build-up to tonight’s game against Sweden could have been a little smoother. For a start, the transfer window played its customary havoc, and Shane Long in particular must have been stressed out last Monday. Knowing Shane as well as I do, though, I’m confident he is the type of player that doesn’t let things get to him too much.
That said, the whole saga of his near move to Hull City was nothing short of shambolic. Deadline day always produces a few surprise moves but, as I made my way back down to Brighton on Monday evening, I nearly crashed the car when I heard that West Brom had agreed a fee with Hull City. In the end, as we know, the move didn’t happen and all Shane’s team mates at the Hawthorns were relieved. I know for a fact how highly thought of he is by the rest of the West Brom players so I have no doubt they will welcome him back with open arms after the international break. (Mind you, I’m sure he will also get some gentle ribbing once the dust settles!).
From an Irish perspective, let’s hope he puts all the undoubted frustration from Monday into tonight’s performance and produces the type of display that will show Hull City what they missed out on and what West Brom are lucky to still have.
One player who did end up moving on Monday was James McCarthy and, without doubt, going to Everton is a great move for him. As regular readers will know, I’ve long been an admirer of his and have always tipped him for a very bright future. He now begins the next chapter of his career with a manager he trusts and at a club which will develop his game even further. All too often, young talented players get moves to bigger clubs only to see their careers stall or even go backwards. There is absolutely no chance of this happening with James, as his temperament is such that I know he will take this big-money move in his stride.
The massive bonus for me going into tonight’s match is seeing Richard Dunne’s named in the starting line-up for the first time since the Euros. I cannot tell you what it will do for the rest of the players when they walk out the tunnel for the match having big Dunny beside them. He isn’t the most vocal of players on the pitch, believe it or not, but by his mere presence he is a very calming influence on everyone around him. He has a few games under his belt now after his move to QPR in the summer and he will be vital tonight in our efforts to stifle one of the most talented players in the world — Zlatan Ibrahimovic. If Sweden’s superstar is in the mood then it will be very difficult to contain him, but, if we are to hope to do exactly that, then it’s vital that we double up on him and make sure that if he beats someone then the next player is there to close him down.
For so many reasons, I feel we need to start this match on the front foot and take the game to Sweden. For one thing, we are at our best when we get at teams by closing them down quickly and making it difficult for them. It also doesn’t let the opposition get their confidence up by passing the ball around without any pressure on them. Probably most importantly, it gets the crowd going if they see players flying into tackles and playing with a real tempo. Certain games require different game plans obviously but for this one I really feel we need to be positive in the way we approach it and do our best, from the off and make life difficult for the Swedes.
In the end, I don’t think there will be a lot in it. Certainly, it will be a nervy night for both players and fans because we all know the enormity of these two games. If we lose tonight we can more or less book our holidays for next summer. A win will put us in a great position and full of confidence going into Tuesday’s match against an Austrian side who, hopefully, will be licking their wounds after facing Germany tonight.
