Expect a result to silence the critics

Tonight’s game against Sweden is a huge one for us in our quest to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil next summer.

Realistically, with Germany the strong favourites, we were always vying for second spot in the group with Sweden and Austria, so it’s imperative we do well and get a good points return in the four matches against these two countries.

The build-up hasn’t gone as smoothly as it could have, with Richard Dunne’s ongoing injury and the loss of Aiden McGeady with a knee problem. Then there’s been all the talk this week about the omission of Kevin Doyle. I can sympathise with Kevin. He’s always been a top performer for us and a player who endears himself to the fans. This season has been tough for him as Wolves have struggled to adapt to life in the Championship, just like us at Bolton until we strung five wins together on the bounce lately.

As a striker, Kevin is heavily reliant on his team-mates to score and, obviously, when you’re at the wrong end of the table then chances are at a minimum. From Kevin’s perspective, his omission was the last thing he needed, as I’m sure the change of scenery from his struggle at club level would have been the ideal tonic.

When you look at our starting 11 tonight we look a little inexperienced at international level anyway. But big nights like this often confound expectations, as in the lads can go against all the pressure and negativity in the build-up to the game and produce a performance and result to silence the critics and propel us into a very good position in the group. Young lads, like Robbie Brady, Seamus Coleman and James McClean, can go into it with no fear, something which can prove very infectious for even our most experienced campaigners.

A lot has been made about the roof in the stadium. Personally, if I was playing tonight I would be delighted if it’s closed as it could only add to the intensity of the atmosphere. It might surprise people who don’t play the game but many professionals will tell you that the more hostile the atmosphere the better. I remember when we went to Moscow to face Russia a couple of years ago, I’d imagined it was going to be like Rocky going to fight Ivan Drago in Rocky IV! So I was a little disappointed the stadium wasn’t full and the atmosphere was nothing like as partisan as I’d hoped for.

One battle I’m really looking forward to tonight is Shane Long up against Jonas Ollson. Team-mates at West Brom, I witnessed at first hand last season the battles they would have in training. Jonas is a very nice fella but as soon as he steps over the line his will to win and love of defending is clear to see. Under Roy Hodgson we would do a lot of sessions where defenders would have to defend attack after attack, putting them under severe pressure. It’s fair to say Jonas and Longy had their fair share of battles so I’m looking forward to seeing it in full flow and for real tonight. In fact, I think Shane will be a big player for us and I’m delighted he’s getting the recognition he deserves.

Paul Green being selected ahead of James McCarthy will be seen as a big surprise, especially if you choose to look at it as simply that one is playing for a team who are in mid-table in the Championship and the other is widely regarded as one of best young midfielders in the Premier League. But if you analyse the two players’ strengths and weaknesses you will understand why the manager opted for Paul. Trying to keep Zlatan Ibrahimovic quiet is certainly one of the reasons, I’m sure. Paul is a very underrated player. He knows his strengths on the pitch and plays to them very well. And one of them is his doggedness. I can assure you, from personal experience, playing against him is a pain in the backside as he is constantly closing you down to make sure you don’t have time to pick out passes.

Everybody knows how highly I rate James so I’m not saying I would have started with Paul ahead of him, but I can certainly understand the decision.

In any event, I’m confident we can get a result as we have proved on numerous occasions under this manager that we can go to difficult places and do just that — Paris, Moscow and Bari spring to mind. To a degree, the way we are set up suits us playing away from home and, possibly, the pressure isn’t as great.

I can’t tell you what a difference it makes in these away matches when we go out before kick off to sing the national anthem and hear thousands of Irish fans singing it with passion. The notion of the crowd being the “12th man” is overused in football but I can assure you that, in games like this, when the pressure is on, it really makes a difference.

So here’s hoping it’s the visitors, on and off the pitch, who raise the roof in the Friends Arena tonight.