No quick fix from dismal Ireland for this desperate soccer addict

WITH this International break coming far too soon after the last, and the Arsenal coming nicely to the boil in the lead up, we could’ve well done without it.

I suppose the consensus of opinion in Ireland will be that I should be counting my blessings I wasn’t able to watch Ireland’s woeful performance in Cyprus.

However, after seeing an utterly vapid interview with Stan Staunton earlier in the day, I’d turned to Róna to suggest that his “punching above our weight” performance hardly inspired confidence.

It occurred to me that if an identical interview was conducted with Martin O’Neill, while it might’ve contained exactly the same content, we’d have been left eagerly looking forward to the encounter with Cyprus, full of optimism, instead of fretting about the outcome and all those absentees.

In spite of Ireland’s perennial struggle for players capable of scoring goals on the international stage, no matter who turned out for the Boys in Green, we’ve come to expect a standard of organisation and industry in the modern era, which ensured that no matter how formidable the opposition, we’d always be guaranteed a hard-fought encounter.

Sadly, it only lasted for a couple of minutes. But for a moment there, with his early strike, it looked like Ireland might enjoy a dream Ireland debut, until the hapless defending intervened. The injuries excuse won’t wash with me, as I didn’t have to watch the mercifully brief low-lights on Match of the Day, to know that the ills of this Irish squad are far more fundamental.

In recent seasons Richard Dunne has produced mightily impressive performances at the heart of the Man City defence, against even the most rampant Arsenal attacks. Admittedly I haven’t seen much of the Limerick born full back, but Steve Finnan must also be in good form, as one of the rare (almost) ever-presents in Benitez’s first XI. Meanwhile with Sol Campbell as his new mentor at Pompey, I am surprised Andy O’Brien didn’t have a nervous breakdown and piss off at half-time. But I suppose we should cut the centre back some slack, as so far this season O’Brien’s only other opportunities to kick a ball in anger, have come against Germany and Mansfield Town. John O’Shea looked the absolute business when he first bounced onto the scene at Old Trafford, but he seems to have been treading water since, failing to fulfil that early promise. Although from the little I saw of this pitiful performance, it was individual errors of O’Brien and Paddy Kenny which left these two stooges looking like the obvious culprits.

It’s rarely been talent, but attitude which has been responsible for winning the day for the Irish. And to beat the Boys in Green it was necessary to match their industry by running one’s heart out. The inexperienced Staunton might’ve planned a meticulous tactical approach to this match. But what was really required was the sort of forceful managerial diatribe, that was capable of deflating the swollen egos of the likes of Keane and Duff, demanding that they earn the right to a result, by treating the opposition with sufficient respect.

In light of Slovakia’s 6-1 slaughter of the Cypriots, Ireland’s defeat was marginally worse than the mauling the Welsh received. The Cypriot fans’ protest was always likely to provoke a positive response, and I imagine we can expect an equally admirable reaction from the Irish against the Czechs at Lansdowne Road. However even if they achieve an unexpected result against the Czechs, without the safety net of play-offs, ultimately the Euro 2008 dream could be dead and buried long before Staunton’s inadequacies are dealt with, if they blow any more three-point bankers.

I honestly can’t recall my last football-free Sunday, and if I’d known, I would’ve probably beaten a path to Borehamwood for my fix, where the Arsenal Ladies gave their traditional rivals, the Doncaster Belles a 4-1 thumping. By Sunday evening my withdrawal symptoms were such that I was delighted to discover footballing methadone in Sky’s coverage of “The Match” involving the encounter between the Celebs and the Legends.

After sweating out another week, waiting in hope of the healthy return of all the Arsenal’s internationals, I’ll be salivating at the prospect of Watford’s visit, when Saturday eventually comes. http://goonersdiary.blogspot.com