O’Neill taking nothing for granted

Plan A for Ireland against Gibraltar on Saturday is pretty straightforward: impose their obvious superiority on the minnows, score early (and hopefully often) and bank the three points before flying out to Germany the following day.

But there’s also a Plan B, to be put in effect if the game doesn’t go according to script, if Gibraltar prove a tougher nut than expected to crack, the early goal fails to arrive and there’s a danger the crowd’s growing anxiety will transmit itself to the players.

And in that nightmare scenario, Martin O’Neill will be preaching the virtues of patience to his team.

“It’s really important for us to do precisely that,” he said, still towelling himself down after a rain-soaked training session at Malahide. “Gibraltar showed a great enthusiasm and great old determination against Poland. Even at 2-0 down, the minute they lost the ball they were right back and Poland found it difficult to break them down. Obviously getting the first goal, halfway through the first half, you could sense a relief with them.

“So for us, really, if we don’t get an early goal, we’ll have to be patient. If we can get that early goal, maybe it will relax us and settle us down and we take it on from there. Otherwise it could be a lengthy night.”

From his own experience, as both player and manager, O’Neill is well-versed in the tricky narrative of games which go entirely against the expectation of the home support.

“I have experienced it at club level, at Celtic Park, where the expectation, particularly in the SPL, is to swamp all over teams early in matches,” he said. “There were a host of them over the five years where we would be expected to go on and win comfortably, and after, say, 30 or 40 minutes of the game we haven’t scored.

“And when that early goal doesn’t come, [the frustration] it can transmit itself to players. But I have enough experience in the field hopefully to be able to cope with those situations.”

While Poland did indeed ultimately swamp Gibraltar 7-0 last month, a meeting with the Polish management team at a recent Fifa conference in Russia gave the Ireland manager plenty of food for thought.

“They were saying about the game against Gibraltar how relieved they were to get the goal in the first half. The only time they felt comfortable really in the game was when they got the second goal. And this was before I’d seen the game. And when I watched it back I understood totally. Gibraltar had a chance to equalise in the match, a really good chance — the lad stepped inside and the ball flashed just over the bar.

“Obviously, we have to win the game. But Poland found it difficult. They scored a host of goals towards the end of the game but they said they’d found it difficult. And I wasn’t sure what they meant until I watched the game. And, honestly, Gibraltar did cause a problem or two.

“So this idea that it’s just all over… we’re expected to win the game, absolutely. And that’s why I cannot concentrate on anything else other than the game on Saturday.”

O’Neill’s comments on treating the Gibraltar game as seriously as any other came in response to a question about whether — as Cork City boss John Caulfield suggested yesterday — the fixture might be an ideal one in which to give Hull’s new signing from Leeside Brian Lenihan a run-out.

But if O’Neill’s prioritising of the win above all else means he’s unlikely to take any chances until the points are securely in the bag, he still had warm words of welcome for the 20-year-old former City full back.

“Young Lenihan trained today and didn’t look out of place,” he observed. “At least he knows a few friendly faces in the Hull lads. And he did fine.”

As for Lenihan himself, he’s still coming to terms with the warp speed at which his career is progressing.

“It’s been crazy to be honest,” he said. “This time last year I didn’t start for Cork City so then I went back to pre-season in January with the hope of doing well and getting into the team there. Lucky enough I did and I played a few good games for Cork and I really enjoyed that.

“Getting the move to Hull was brilliant and I’m settling in there at the moment and getting up to the pace of it and really enjoying it. Then to have this was unbelievable.”

On the inevitable Seamus Coleman comparisons, he said: “To be compared to the best right-back in the Premier League is really good but I have a long way to go. I like to get forward and be an attacking player so maybe that’s why they said that. I’m not too sure if there are any other similarities.”

Asked what he hoped to get out of his senior call-up, he replied: “I played with the 15s, 19s and 21s so I’m kind of used to the international setup but this will be completely different, a new challenge. But I’m really looking forward to it. I want to do as well as I can myself and anything else is a bonus.”