Kenny Cunningham: Martin O'Neill must change Euros course

Kenny Cunningham believes it’s tactics not players which have held Ireland back in their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.

And with just four games left on the road to France, he argues that Martin O’Neill should immediately change to the 3-5-2 formation which the former Ireland skipper feels would bring the best out of the current group – and give the team the best chance of qualifying for the finals next year.

“The players are here and I think they have always been here,” Cunningham says. “I don’t buy into that argument (that they’re not). The bottom line is we’ve got to do better. That’s not being ultra-critical of anyone in particular but performances so far, if they continue as they are, probably won’t be good enough to get us out of the group.

“Can they improve? Is there more to come out of the group? I think there is. We can all argue about how that is going to come. Is it by changing the system? Changing particular personnel? I’m not talking a year down the road, I’m talking now, for the games coming up.

“In some respects it’s ideal the way the games have panned out. The next two games (Gibraltar and Georgia) are dead rubbers. I wouldn’t say we could afford to experiment but if you’re going to throw something out there and have a look at it, this is the time to do it. It’s for the month after that, we need to get it right. We need to have a system in position going into those games that you know, ’yeah, this could get us a result’, to get a point against Germany and go and beat the Poles, which might make us qualify.”

Cunningham promotes the idea of a back three of John O’ Shea, Ciaran Clark and Marc Wilson which, in turn, he argues, would release new Norwich signing Robbie Brady to play in his most effective position.

“I don’t think his position going forward is as an orthodox left-back, at club or international level,” says the player turned television pundit. “He’s done well there in his last game but his best attributes are his delivery, his final ball into the box, so we’ve got to get him as high up the pitch as possible. Robbie’s best position – we’ve seen him play it at Hull – is as a wing-back. For me, that’s how you get the best out of him. So now you say, well, have we got a natural right-wing back? I think so. We all know who he is.

“And now we have two outstanding wing-backs who could really hurt the opposition getting into their half of the pitch, with great delivery and Seamus (Coleman) for his goals. They have the freedom to do that because you have the extra man at the back. You also have your natural three in midfield to dominate the ball and give you a bit of security, and then you have your two up front.”

One of whom, he insists, has to be Shane Long, Cunningham admitting bafflement at why the Southampton striker has failed to convince O’Neill of his claims to an automatic starting place.

“No. I don’t see it,” he says. “The only argument I hear is he’s not prolific. Who apart from Robbie (Keane) is prolific? Actually how long is it since Robbie was prolific in the Premiership? Anyway, I’m not sure we need a prolific goalscorer to get out of a qualifying group. If you’re defensively solid and well organised and you’re keeping your quota of clean sheets, you don’t need a prolific striker.”

To coincide with the opening day in the Premier League, Kenny Cunningham will join fellow pundits John Hartson and Matt Holland on Setanta Sports’ ’Premier League Central’ tonight at 8.30pm.