Back to front, Doherty's putting his best foot forward for Ireland

DOWN at the French base in Clarefontaine, the day before Saturday’s match in Paris, I bumped into an interesting chap called Thierry. No, not him, but someone whose job it is to help make Henry’s task easier on the pitch.

This Thierry shoots videos of opposing teams for the French side, hour-long compilations which feature individual five-minute packages on the players they’re likely to face.

As such, Thierry The Video Man, was on familiar terms with most of the Irish stars, names like Keane, Duff and Kilbane tripping off his tongue.

But as we chatted, one name continued to elude him.

“He’s a very amazing player,” said Thierry, “very amazing. He plays at the back and he plays at the front”.

Then he had a little eureka moment. “He plays for Norwich.”

Ah, The Doc. Brian Kerr was also talking about Gary Doherty yesterday, recalling how in one underage game for Ireland, the player had started the match at centre-half and then moved up front - and scored.

About the only thing he hadn’t done, said Kerr, was play in both positions at the one time.

The act of bi-location may be beyond Doherty, but he seems to have come to terms now with a situation in which he is a back-to-front player for club and country.

Brought to Norwich from Spurs by Nigel Worthington ostensibly as a centre-half, he has instead found himself leading the line in the battle to stay in the Premiership.

Now, he says, his manager has indicated that he will soon revert to the heart of the defence - by Doherty’s own admission, his preferred position at club level.

“I do just want to be a centre-half but he bought me to have options and if I can keep playing in the two positions and keep playing to a decent standard, then that is good for me.

“I started the season all right but I had a little dip recently where I was finding it quite hard but that’s what you’re going to get sometimes when you’re moved back and forth so regularly.

“It’s something I’ll knuckle down to when I get back because I do want to be a centre-half for Norwich.”

But it’s different for Ireland, he concedes, where manager Kerr sees him in the main as an alternative attacking option.

“I think the easiest route for me to get more caps would probably be as a centre-forward,” Doherty says.

“If Brian wants to play a target man, all well and good. Hopefully, he’ll choose me.”

Indeed, Kerr said yesterday that it had been a close enough call between Doherty and Andy Reid to replace Clinton Morrison in Paris.

“It was a difficult game to come into, away in Paris, and Reid did really well,” Doherty says.

“We’ve got a really strong first 11 now and it’s up to the rest of us to try and change Brian’s mind with our performances in training and when we do get on the pitch.”

All the talk ahead of tomorrow night’s game may be about Robbie Keane’s chance to break the Irish scoring record, but if the home side needs to mix it up a little against defence -minded opposition, don’t be surprised to see Gary Doherty come off the bench to add to his 28 caps - and try to add to his four international goals.

Are you watching, Thierry?