Andrews: Head, heart and feet

AFTER their day of rest, the Irish squad were certainly put through their paces at training in Gdynia yesterday, a 90 minute morning session ensuring that everyone got quickly back up to speed.

The fact that the unscheduled day off on Wednesday had played in some quarters as a major story says a lot about how uneventful the squad’s overall build-up has been. And even yesterday, when Marco Tardelli and Keith Andrews appeared to give contradictory accounts of how the rest day had come about, it hardly amounted to a war of words, let alone a brazen display of player power.

Assistant manager Tardelli told reporters: “Nobody asked not to train, Giovanni has decided.” But West Brom’s Andrews confirmed that the players had made know to manager their feelings about the need for a break. In a way both were right: the players asked, yes, but, of course, it was still Trapattoni who made the call.

“Fantastic, brilliant,” was how Andrews summed up the mood in the camp as he left the Arka Gdynia’s ground for the short walk to the official Euro 2012 Irish team bus which is emblazoned with the legend: ‘Talk with your feet, play with your heart’. “I think the day off was needed. We’ve been training a lot and had two games as well. It really lifted the lads, spirits are really high. It was nice yesterday to literally do nothing, have a walk around the town and just sample a little bit of the atmosphere.

“But the rest day has been built up to be more than it is. You don’t train every single day when you’re at your club. It was a case of: we have an itinerary and yesterday was pencilled in for a day’s training but the lads spoke to the manager and he came to the conclusion that a day off would be the best for all concerned. It was just as simple as that really.”

In fact, Andrews reckons it is an example of good management to be flexible within a planned programme.

“I think so. The fact is that he’s an Italian and they’ve got certain ways but the vast majority of us are used to the English system where we train for two or three days and then we have a day off. Italian football is a lot less intense. When we train we can’t seem to take it easy. Once we stick a couple of goals up and a couple of goalkeepers in, it becomes competitive just by our nature. I think it was a clever call, to be honest.”

With another one-day wonder of a story out of the way, the focus is now exclusively on the run-in to Sunday, the squad augmenting their pitch work with sessions in front of the screen studying videos of the Croatian team.

“We know all about them anyway,” the West Brom man observed. “We played them last year and watched their game against Norway when we were in Montecatini last week. So we’ve been watching them, seeing clips of them, and been given all the information, so we’re fully aware of their strengths. They’re a fine side and we’re under no illusions it’s going to be a tough game.

Acknowledging that the Irish will be paying special attention to Spurs’ Luka Modric, Andrews confessed that he already has one unhappy experience of facing the playmaker under his belt.

“I faced him as a right-back when he was left wing for Spurs and, I have to be honest, I didn’t enjoy that afternoon. Right-back isn’t my favourite position. He’s obviously moved into the centre of midfield over the last couple of years and he’s a fantastic player. If you give him time and space on the ball he can hurt you.”

Andrews is expecting an edgy encounter on Sunday, as is often the case with opening games in big tournaments when the benefit of success and the cost of failure can seem especially starkly defined.

“They probably are edgy, aren’t they — and our games are edgy at the best of times,” said the midfielder with a smile. “I wouldn’t be expecting a ridiculous amount of goals because, by the nature of the game, we’re obviously wary not to lose the game and they will be the exact same, I’d imagine.”

Above all, Andrews is relieved that the waiting is almost over.

“The last two and a half weeks have dragged a little bit, because we have been waiting for June 10,” he said. “We are itching to go but we are also older and wiser now and know what we’re about, so come Sunday, we will be bang on.”

The players know that the 12th man is also rearing to go, with the green tribes already gathering in Poznan and all points east.

“They are probably descending as we speak over the next couple of days and onwards,” smiled Andrews. “I have a lot of friends coming over. They are sending me clips and it’s nice to see as the lads are sharing them among ourselves. We are obviously a little cocooned in the hotel so we don’t normally get to see it and we’re not privy to the Irish channels.”

And, of course, the over-arching goal of this long build up for the Irish team has always been that they will be ready to peak at the just the right time on Sunday night.

“I certainly hope so,” said Keith Andrews. “The preparations have been fantastic. After the week in Portmarnock, it was good to get out of there as you can get a bit of cabin fever and so we went to Montecatini. The facilities there were fantastic. Now we’re in Poland and it’s exciting. Everyone is itching for it.

“I’ve come a long way in the last few years,” added the former League Two player. “Family members and friends have been texting to say to take it all in and really enjoy it. But now I just want the game to come, and I won’t enjoy it if (we) don’t get out of the group.”