Patience is the key, says Kilbane

IF at first you don't succeed and all that...

It's an apposite line considering our recent sufferings and failures at the hands of the Swiss, but it also summed up the thoughts Kevin Kilbane shared with the press at Lansdowne Road after training yesterday lunchtime.

Patience, more than ever, may prove to be a virtue tonight, according to the Everton player.

Given what's at stake, and with Ireland's painfully lethargic showing on Saturday in mind, you might imagine that the home team intend launching themselves at Kobi Kuhn's side tonight like men possessed.

Not so, says Kilbane. Expect the machinations of a chess match instead of the thrill of a bullfight. To begin with, in any event.

"We don't need to gamble too early, I think. We can win the game in any minute of the match and it could go on till the last ten, 20 minutes.

"That is probably when you have to start throwing caution to the wind a bit, but we don't need to be too cavalier in our approach.

"That would be letting them in the back door. It's going to be a long game, it will be a bit of a nervy night but we have to try and relax and get through it."

That will be easier said than done. Despite amassing a total of 469 caps between them prior to last weekend, the Irish team that started against Cyprus proved more skittish than a pregnant cat.

The last time qualification for a major tournament was on the line in a make or break game, Ireland froze in Basle two years ago and much of their brittleness has been attributed to a lack of leaders on the field.

"You can't really think about that," countered Kilbane. "You just have to try and be yourself. You can't try and change your character to suit other people.

"Everybody has their own individual character and by trying to deviate from that you could lose a bit of your own game."

On recent evidence, Ireland have little of themselves left to lose. Just like Basle two years ago, one of the more depressing aspects of the weekend's display was the apparent ease with which the Cypriots continually won one-on-one battles for possession.

What that would suggest is a lack of heart on Ireland's part, but how have the players themselves digested the evidence of last Saturday's video?

"We didn't play well. We know that. We have to improve to beat the Swiss. I suppose that's the great thing - we've won and we've not played well. That's the comments coming from all the players. We can improve and we will improve.

"We've certainly spoken about one or two things and we certainly know we didn't get at them like we would have liked. It seems to have been a mirror image of a few other games where we've got in front and we just couldn't get hold of the ball.

"We allowed the Cypriots to come on to us. We are a much better side than that. (Tonight) we've got to be a lot better."

If Ireland lack for anything tonight, it shouldn't be motivation. Failing to beat them in three attempts in three years is annoying enough but it was the reaction of the Swiss to their 2-0 win in Basle in October 2003 that has left a festering sore in Ireland's side that the uncomfortable 1-1 draw 13 months ago failed to lance.

Their mood since arriving in Dublin on Monday has been confident bordering on cocky. Ireland seem to hold few fears for them.

"It was a disappointing night but a great night for them. They won the match," Kilbane recollected. "I'm sure it's in all our thoughts, the players, the manager, what happened that night.

"The Swiss have been very confident whenever they've played us and that's probably been justified given our performances against them in the past. We've probably got a little bit of a point to prove against them but we won't get over anxious or too confident in ourselves. We think we can win the game and, once it starts we've got to go out and do the business."

It all begs the question, why? Why does a team without a single household name, a team that has utterly failed to match our own modest achievements whenever they reach major finals in recent memory, hold a hex of sorts over Ireland.

"They certainly outplayed us in the games we've played them. I don't know why that is. Man for man, I would have thought it would always be a very even game against them.

"They're a very hard working side, very much like ourselves. We can't seem to break them down. That's the way it's been."

What odds on history repeating itself tonight?