Germany boss Low ready and waiting for same old Ireland

Any notion Republic of Ireland supporters had of a bright new era being ushered in was quashed yesterday when Germany boss Joachim Low claimed: “You’ll never change.”

Sitting at a top table for a press conference in Dusseldorf, the 53-year-old spoke in a definitive tone when describing Ireland’s style of play as ‘physical’ and that it would always be that way.

Decision-makers within the FAI’s corridors of power would argue they are making strides to catch up with nations like Germany, although there is little, if any, evidence to show that things have changed at senior level.

Low knows what he is talking about and he was not being disparaging when relaying to the German media exactly what he is expecting when they host Noel King’s side in a World Cup qualifier in Cologne tomorrow night.

“They will never play any kind of holding game or pass it around like Barcelona do — you will never see any Irish team playing like that, so it doesn’t really matter who coaches them,” said Low. “It really doesn’t matter who plays for Ireland or who wears an Ireland shirt because at the end of the day, they are more or less similar. They all play the same way and it’s in their DNA that they all play the Irish way.

“This is how we’ve known the Irish for all those years. They always fight to the end until they drop dead on the pitch and it doesn’t really matter if they are 1-0 down or 3-0 down, giving up is just not an option.

“Also it is in their tradition and their mentality that they have a never-say-die attitude, which is also reflected in Gaelic football and rugby, so there is a great physicality to their game.”

While the GAA reference could result in the German FA being inundated with DVDs of the All-Ireland SHC final replay between Cork and Clare to prove that we can do flair, it has admittedly been absent from the Ireland team.

From Jack Charlton’s boom years right through to Giovanni Trapattoni’s reign, the evidence is plain to see that Ireland have tended, more often than not, to go for power over precision, intensity over intelligence.

So it was hardly surprising that Low stated he expects to see more of the same in the Rhein Energie Stadium as his own team look to collect the three points needed to secure a place at next summer’s World Cup finals.

“While they will try to be a little more flamboyant and adventurous when playing at home, they will come here, sit back and adopt a wait and see attitude. It doesn’t really matter who is coaching them or who their head coach is because the Irish mentality will never change,” said Low.

“Suspensions don’t play a role either, they will always give their all and will never change the way that they play. They are a compact team who play a physical game and try to get the ball forward as quickly as possible and finish as fast as possible.

“Even if they don’t have a chance to go through to the World Cup, they will definitely not come here and give presents away — anyone who thinks that is badly mistaken. Ireland are not a walkover, anything but.”

Quick to dismiss talk of a repeat of the 6-1 hammering that Germany dished out to Ireland at Aviva Stadium last year, Low was, however, insistent that his team can do enough to deal with their age-old physical approach.