The ascent of Stan

NOW it can be revealed: the Irish manager was on the point of resigning in the face of the hostile media reaction to a disastrous result for the boys in green earlier in their Euro 2008 campaign.

“The level and ferocity of the criticism from certain sections of media astonished me,” said the gaffer, who held 11th hour talks with desperate Irish football officials before finally deciding to stick it out.

And, hey, just look at Lawrie Sanchez now.

It seems miracles do happen. It took just four days for our friends in the north to resurrect themselves from the early grave of a 0-3 hiding by Iceland in Windsor Park. That game took place on a Wednesday; the following Saturday, Northern Ireland beat Spain 3-2 at the same venue, and Sanchez began his long and improbable walk on water. At the same time, striker David Healy diverted into the water and wine business, a one-man industry which continues to do a roaring trade after he followed a brace of hat-tricks with two more goals in the 2-1 victory over Sweden on Wednesday, a result which — rub your eyes but there it is — sees Norn Iron lording it over the Swedes, the Spanish and the Danes at the top of Group F.

And this side of the border? While no-one is ready to start hailing Stephen Staunton as a footballing messiah, it’s now clear that rumours of his demise were premature. And there are even signs that the manager who has been variously dubbed “clueless”, “out of his depth” and “a muppet” could yet grow into the demanding role of international gaffer. If nothing else, the back to back victories over Wales and Slovakia have brought a welcome end to the sometimes excessively crass derision of the last few months.

But it’s not as if all doubts have simply disappeared overnight. The thunder clouds of Cyprus and San Marino still cast dark shadows and it will take more than a brace of 1-0 home victories to blow them to the back of the mind. But, for this week at least, Staunton and his team — and indeed what the FAI likes to call the extended Irish football family — are entitled to bask in the warm glow of a memorable night at Croke Park.

Even before kick-off there was an unfamiliar air of positivity around the place. After his ridiculously abrupt bulletin on Monday, Staunton’s decision to roll out the big guns for the eve of match press conference was the first sign of spirited resistance in the Irish camp.

Some were quick to dismiss it as a PR stunt, forgetting that there is useful PR as well as the stuff designed merely to mislead. And given that communication has hardly been a strong point of the Staunton regime, this little show of unity and defiance demonstrated a refreshing determination to fight fire with fire. Bear in mind that Sanchez, the Greatest Football Manager In The World Ever, beat Staunton’s 32 second briefing record by, well, 32 seconds when he refused to talk at all to the dreaded meeja after that amazing 3-2 win against Spain.

Of course, talk is no use if it’s not matched by action. What was significant about last Wednesday was that, for the first time since the game against the Czech Republic, the players brought that spirit of solidarity and defiance with them onto the field of play. The effect was the long-awaited deliverance of a performance and a result which were entirely appropriate to the electric atmosphere of a throbbing Croke Park under blazing lights.

Not that motivation should ever be a cause for celebration — after all, Staunton’s appointment was sold to the Irish public precisely on the basis that, his lack of managerial experience notwithstanding, he was the man to lift the dressing room.

Again, Cyprus and San Marino, not to mention Holland, suggested that he was struggling to achieve even that. And in the absence of such basic compensation, his manifest problems in dealing with tactics and selection were even more harshly exposed.

From his stubborn refusal to recall Lee Carsley until the 11th hour to his ill-advised ploy of starting Stephen Ireland wide on the right against Wales, the charge sheet against the rookie gaffer was damning.

But, as a result of the events of the past week, there is now some cheer for those who hoped against hope — and even against the available evidence — that Staunton might somehow learn on the job.

The failed Stephen Ireland ploy was not only quickly rectified — the change produced immediate results when the Cobh boy scored the splendid winner against Wales. And, in the space of four days, Staunton also recognised and rectified the more deep-rooted problem of a defensive-minded midfield by leaving out Jonathan Douglas and bringing in Aiden McGeady to give Ireland a much more positive, attacking posture for the game against Slovakia.

Despite their keeping a third clean sheet as a back four, I still regard Staunton’s positioning of the full-backs as perverse, not so much in relation to John O’Shea — who has the versatility to move along the line — but certifiably in the case of Steve Finnan who, when tight on the flank, has to constantly shift the ball onto his right foot even if it’s only to play the ball up the line.

The inhibiting effect when it comes to his attempts at getting crosses in is even more pronounced.

At least for one night, however, such observations were reduced to nit-picking by the high level of the individual and collective showing, and it would be churlish too not to give credit to Staunton’s youth policy for encouraging the emergence of such bright and bristling talents as those of Stephen Ireland, Paul McShane and the Reading trio. Factor in some big performances by the old reliables — not least of which was a scintillating 90 minutes from Damien Duff — and you had all the ingredients for the best outing under Staunton to date.

What we can’t say, of course, is whether it was a one-off — another false start like the one against the Czechs or even Staunton’s original false dawn, when Ireland romped to a 3-0 home win over Sweden.

Ten years on — well, it feels like that — Staunton and Ireland still only find themselves barely past the half-way point in Group D. With the prospect of Slovakia and the Czechs away in September looking like a double whammy for good or ill, it’s hard to shake off the fear that Ireland could follow their latest step forward with two back. But that’s a worry engendered by what has gone before. The key now is where they go from here. The confidence of the nation may still be fragile but hope has definitely been restored.

Staunton doesn’t have to promise us a miracle. Just a bit of consistency would be enough to restore the faith.

Mick still on standby

ON the basis that it’s too easy to kick a man when he’s down, this column refrained from drawing attention to the betting in the Irish Managerial Succession Stakes, ahead of the week’s two European Championship qualifiers.

Still, we were amused by the list of runners and riders supplied by Ladbrokes, which ranged all the way from Martin O’ Neill (7/4 favourite) through Eddie O’ Sullivan (66/1) to John Giles at 100/1. Joining the Pundit Formerly Known as Johnny as a rank outsider was one Mick Halsall, a man of whom many people have said, “Who is he?”

The answer: The current coach of the Walsall reserves.