Lawrence in his Pomp

THE way people were warning him off going to Portsmouth, Liam Lawrence would hardly have been surprised to find a sign proclaiming ‘Abandon hope all ye who enter here’ greeting him at Fratton Park.

But a few goals and a few wins have changed everything and vindicated the Irish midfielder in his decision to drop down a division in search of regular football, after he’d been deemed surplus to requirements at Stoke City despite the substantial impact he has made at international level in the course of accumulating 10 caps for Ireland.

“I feel it was the right decision,” says Lawrence. “It’s a good club, I can tell that already from being there a couple of weeks. We’ve turned a corner, we’re unbeaten in three now. I think another four or five points and we’re up in the play-offs. It’s mad: we were rock bottom a couple of weeks ago and now we’re starting to look to see who’s above us.”

Lawrence’s own contribution has been three goals in the course of what has been a hectic settling-in schedule but, after so long twiddling his thumbs at the Britannia, he’s not complaining.

“The main reason I went there was to kick a ball again,” he says. “I felt as if I was going stale at Stoke. But I’ve gone there now and got a few goals. The games have been mad — it’s been Saturday, Tuesday, Friday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday — but I needed those games and hopefully I’m sharp come tonight.

“I felt leggy in the last two games for Ireland because when you haven’t played too much, it does take it out of your legs. But I feel a lot sharper now. There is no fitness like match fitness. I can’t emphasise that enough, I’ve played five or six games since the last break and, hopefully, I’ll be good tonight.”

Lawrence’s relief at being able to hit the ground running is all the more heartfelt because the move south from the Potteries almost collapsed at the 11th hour while he remained on tenterhooks at the Irish camp in Dublin where he was preparing for last month’s qualifier against Andorra.

“I nearly didn’t sign at all,” he admits. “There were a few bits and bobs that were not quite right. It was just ridiculous because of the Football League and how they messed it all about. I was by a fax machine in the Portmarnock Hotel for about four hours. I was getting faxes sent, signing them, then sending them back. Then ringing my agent and he sending more stuff, then speaking to the chief executive sorting contracts out. It was a nightmare.

“Then I finally signed and they said it’s too late so they did an emergency loan instead for one month, then another month and then a third month. I think it runs out about mid-December so there is going to be a week and a half when I can’t play. Having Christmas off will be nice — it will be the first one in about 10 years. Then on January 1, it will kick in as a permanent deal.”

Giovanni Trapattoni’s blessing for the move was of critical importance to Lawrence.

Says Lawrence: “I spoke to Trap just before I made my decision to move asking would it affect me playing for Ireland and he said ‘no’. As long as I’m playing regularly, he believes in me and knows I’m a good player. But if he had said it’s not going to be good for you to do, I wouldn’t have done it.”

Happily for Lawrence, he has no such distractions to bother him on his latest trip to Dublin — just the mere matter of two important qualifying games in which, now that Damien Duff is out, Lawrence will start. And the he is convinced Ireland can get the better of both Russia and Slovakia.

“Trap said four points would be a good return but I believe we can get six,” he declares. “I believe we can win tonight if we play to our best and do what we’re good at and I believe we can go out there (to Zilina) and cause an upset as well. No-one thought Slovakia would win in Moscow. But they did and it’s blown it wide open.

“But they’ll be hurting from that defeat so we’ve got to be careful. They’re a good team, with some good individuals like Arshavin. But it will be down to us and what we do in the game because I believe we have enough to beat them.”