O’Neill puts ball firmly in Ireland’s court
That, in essence, is the position Martin O’Neill has adopted in relation to Stephen Ireland, after the manager’s most recent attempts to meet with the international exile got no further than the player’s agent.
According to his agent, Ireland does want to discuss his international future with O’Neill in July but, as far as the Ireland manager is concerned, the Stoke City man will first have to contact him directly.
In short, the ball is now firmly — and perhaps finally — in Ireland’s court.
O’Neill was speaking in Waterford as he unveiled his final 29-man squad for the upcoming friendlies in Dublin, London, Philadelphia and New Jersey.
Ireland’s absence was, not for the first time over the last seven years, the biggest talking point, with O’Neill being called upon to explain how he tried and failed to speak with the player before he finalised his panel.
O’Neill said: “The order of events was: I had a meeting with a couple of the Stoke City players a few weeks ago. Fine. I deliberately didn’t want to speak to Stephen in that group. Obviously, I wanted to speak to him myself.
“But then I tried to call to get something organised. Didn’t leave a message because it kept ringing. Fine. I’m not always immediately responsive myself to telephones.
“But at the same time we had the FAI’s Mary O’Brien (International Football Operations Manager) trying to make contact. I think Stephen ended up having two numbers. Two different phones. Fine. No problem.
“Then his agent called Mary to say that Stephen would like to be considered but would like a conversation some time in July. Fine. This following on from what (Stoke City manager) Mark Hughes had said in the newspaper (about the player concentrating in the short-term on sorting out his club future). I thought it was very obvious then that Stephen didn’t want to be involved in these games.
“Mark Hughes’ answer probably had a ring of something reasonably sensible. Sensible in the sense that I can understand from a club managerial viewpoint — just signed, got into the side, got a new contract, getting sorted out. But, of course, I’m now looking at it from an international viewpoint. Players here (in the squad) have made themselves available, niggles and everything, they want to be involved in the squad.
“If he’s not going to be available for these games, that’s fine. What I’m saying is, I spoke to the agent and said: ‘listen, if he wants to get involved, I’m not going on chasing’.
“It’s really as simple as that. If he phones me some time in July, of course I’ll pick up the phone and I’ll speak. But I’m not chasing it anymore. It is as simple as that.”
Saying that, as a new manager, he doesn’t believe he’s yet in a position to shut the door on any player, O’Neill went on: “I have not closed my mind but there is a stage when I have to say ‘well, listen, if you really want to genuinely come and play then you have to give me a shout and say I want to be considered’. I would think that at some stage, of course, you would have to end up moving on. And I would not want to be calling people in right at the last moment and saying ‘listen, can you come and play for me?’ I am not into begging players here to be playing. I decided ‘this is it’.
“The door is open for Stephen Ireland (but) he will have to call me — I will not be making the call, that’s what I said to the agent.”
For the most part yesterday, O’Neill did his best to play a straight bat on the whole saga but, just occasionally, his underlying exasperation broke through.
“When you make a phone call you do have to get a reply, sometimes that helps,” he said at one point. “Just phone, a simple phone call. He must have my number as I have spoken to him before and it’s not that difficult, you can get the number anywhere, most people have it. I don’t know where else we can go with this and I wouldn’t mind putting an end to it.”
And when asked if thought getting a response from the player’s agent rather than the player himself showed a lack of respect, O’Neill remarked dryly: “Well, I think you will have to come to whatever conclusion you come to.”
D Forde (Millwall), R Elliot (Newcastle); R Keogh (Derby), M Wilson (Stoke), S Coleman (Everton), J O’Shea (Sunderland), A Pearce, S Kelly (both Reading), D Delaney (Crystal Palace), S Duffy (Everton), C Clark (Aston Villa), S Ward (Brighton); J Hendrick (Derby), G Whelan (Stoke), P Green (Leeds), A McGeady (Everton), A Pilkington (Norwich), J McClean (Wigan), S Quinn, D Meyler (both Hull), W Hoolahan (Norwich); R Keane (LA Galaxy), S Long (Hull), D Murphy (Ipswich), J Walters (Stoke), K Doyle (QPR), A Stokes (Celtic), S Cox (Nottingham Forest), C Sammon (Derby).
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