Into the Lion’s den

NEVER mind playing the world champions on their own turf – Bulgaria in Sofia tomorrow will be the toughest game yet of Ireland’s World Cup campaign.

That’s the unequivocal view of Ireland assistant manager Liam Brady – and he should know, having played for his country in the Vassil Levski Stadium on three occasions and just about lived to tell a tale of bruising physical battles, narrow defeats and dodgy refereeing decisions.

That was then and this is now, of course, but the venue – named after a 19th century revolutionary whose surname means ‘lion’ – will be every bit as intimidating here tomorrow night and the challenge for the visitors all the greater, if for no other reason than that cornered animal is often the most dangerous.

It’s the fact that Bulgaria are playing for their World Cup lives which makes this most dangerous foreign assignment of the group, according to Ireland’s assistant manager.

“But we also go there this time in a good position,” Brady points out. “Anytime I’ve been there before things have been in the balance but we’re going there this time with a healthy lead over them in the table, knowing they must win the match. Although that makes them dangerous, it also makes them vulnerable as well – if we can play with discipline and keep the game tight for a long spell.

“But this is definitely our hardest game, given the position we have got ourselves to in the group. Because they know they have to beat us to get back into it.”

Brady believes this developing Irish team is now better equipped to rise to the challenge, even though he expects the Bulgarians, with Berbatov et al back on board, to be a much more formidable proposition than the patched-up side which took a point from Croke Park.

“There is a confidence in the squad that we can handle the situation that we are going into Saturday,” he says. “It’s going to be intimidating and they are going to do everything that they can to win but we have players who can handle that situation.”

Brady notes that, at all costs, the visitors must shed their occasional propensity for conceding early goals.

“That is very important, very important,” he emphasises. “We’re good on the break, good on set pieces. It will be a very difficult match but with the manager we’ve got and the experience we’ve got, it’s a bit like going to Italy – but we’re confident. I think the manager has set out a way he wants the team to play and the players have taken that on board and they’ve shown a lot of discipline.

“We’ve been good at set pieces, for and against, making sure we don’t concede any goals against and we’ve scored a couple for. All those little things can make a big difference. All those things combined have ensured we’ve got decent results on the road.”

Then there’s the psychological dimension, with the former international arguing that a real urgency to do well in the green shirt isn’t just confined to the newest recruits.

“There is also a hunger and desire with the lads who have been around for a while,” he observes.

“The last successful qualifying campaign was when we went to Japan and South Korea and that’s seven years ago. So they have been waiting a long time for a situation like this to come around again. We were behind the black ball and needing snookers in the last campaign at this stage. But this time we are in a good position and the likes of Robbie Keane, Damien Duff and Richard Dunne all want to go to the World Cup.”

Negotiating Sofia will prove a major obstacle, however, as Liam Brady knows only too well from personal experience, having been on hand to witness John Giles’ perfectly good goal being disallowed and Mick Martin and Noel Campbell getting sent off in a notorious World Cup qualifier in 1977 which Bulgaria won 2-1.

Not surprisingly then, he thinks the performance of the man with the whistle – Claus Bo Larsen – will be important tomorrow night.

“Absolutely. We want a strong referee. But he’s a Champions League referee and is Danish and I don’t envisage having any problems with him.

I don’t know what has happened but since we have qualified for Euro 1988 and the 1990 World Cup I think referees have been more understanding of us. We have shown that when we go to World Cup finals and European Championships and that we are great ambassadors for the sport. Maybe we have stronger referees now than in previous campaigns.

“Back in ‘77 and ‘79 we were going into the unknown in many ways as well but now a lot more of their players are known to us. You go and watch them playing and you’re much more clued into knowing what you have to do. Especially with Giovanni, he knows them back to front. So the players will be under no illusions about what awaits. They will know what they have to do and we are confident that they will be able to do it.”

But important as tomorrow will be, Liam Brady is at pains to add that it’s just another step along the road to South Africa.

“It’s a huge game but we hope to have bigger games because if we get a result here, then the next games are going to be bigger,” he observes.

“We’ve got two difficult games now – Bulgaria and Cyprus away – but we’ve done very well on our travels and we’re confident we’ll get something from the match in Sofia and move forward in the group.”