Martin O’Neill: ‘The Germany game will live forever’
“The game against Germany will, I think, live forever,” says the manager. “Although we lost a couple of days later against Poland, it gave us confidence to go and beat Bosnia in the play-offs, which was great for us.
“I get goosebumps now actually thinking about (the goal). The atmosphere was terrific, we were playing the world champions — which itself brings something — and we were the underdogs, we were fighting every minute to get something out of it.
“At times in the first-half they overwhelmed us in many aspects, certainly with their passing play, which you sometimes expect — they overwhelm better sides than us and that’s why they’re world champions.
“In the second-half we got a bit of courage to start playing ourselves, we were a wee bit more confident on the ball — ‘let’s try to develop something in the game and don’t be scared of it: if you’re beaten and not really had a proper go then you’ll never forgive yourself’.
“So we did get into it in the second- half. There were seven or eight minutes in that match before Shane Long scores (when) I didn’t realise Scotland had gone 2-1 ahead against Poland. If those scores had stayed like that we’re effectively out.
“So that’s how close you can come to it but those are important moments...big moments in games are fondly looked back on if you win — they’re desperate if you haven’t won.” Speaking in an end of year documentary on Setanta Sports, O’Neill contrasts being now able to looking forward to the finals next summer with the difficult and uncertain situation in which he and the team found themselves this time 12 months ago.
“It was a desperately poor Christmas last year, the result of us losing to Scotland at Celtic Park in November time — I’m talking professionally — and thinking ahead then to the game against Poland in a few months’ time,” he reflects. “That was a wretchedly long time to wait around for a game. I knew this anyway going into international management: this is what it’s all about. The old managers used to say: ‘win before Christmas and then you’re fine for a month or two, lose the game and it’s a long time’.
“So we had some ground to make up but, unfortunately, while we didn’t lose that much ground, the draws against Scotland and Poland in June time essentially put us on the back foot. I never really gave up, I felt we still had a big chance — and I also felt Scotland’s game in Georgia would be tough for them. So yeah, (a) great turnaround, and we eventually get through.”
Asked about the scene of him and Roy Keane joyfully hugging on the pitch after the final whistle in the decisive play-off second leg against Bosnia in Dublin, O’Neill remarks: “Roy doesn’t smile too often and he has an image to keep as well: he’s supposed to be the growler. Sometimes, it’s absolutely spot on and sometimes it can be misplaced. He’s excellent company for a start, not that that’s important in the scheme, but he has been very important to us.”
And, as he praises his assistant’s contribution to football, O’Neill allows himself a small sideswipe at a certain former Manchester United manager.
“(Roy) is an iconic figure, not only in Irish football and not only in British football but also in world football. He’s retired for a number of years, and the number of people all over the world who come to him asking for autographs and photographs, is great to see. He’s not been forgotten at all and why should he be? He’s a world class player despite what Sir Alex Ferguson says, because he drove that side, not for two months, not for two years, but for about a decade. He drove them on to success after success. They had great, great players playing for Manchester United but none of them was as forceful.”
With Keane having subsequently moved into management, O’Neill admits initially he had some concerns about how the Corkman would adapt to playing second fiddle in the international set-up.
“Here is the one I thought might have caused some difficulty: Roy as a manager, a young manager at Sunderland and Ipswich, he’d been making decisions...now he wasn’t going to make the final decision. He was going to put forward his viewpoint and you respect it but he wasn’t making the final decison. Perhaps occasionally he might disagree and that might cause a problem. It could cause a problem with any assistant manager but certainly with Roy who would want the final decision.
“Actually it has not been a problem...He’s been excellent, excellent for me, excellent for the team and I believe excellent for the nation.”
O’Neill is now full of anticipation for the European Championship finals and the prospect of the Green Army marching on France.
“I’ve seen in the past Republic of Ireland fans going en masse to these events they have qualified for,” he says. “And do you know what? I’m going to be part of this now. That is the great thing. I will look forward to that. That is something that will stand with me over the next couple of months when I start to visualise France and what it’s going to be like. I think that will be the great thing: I am actually part of this crowd going to France.
“You mention going to enjoy ourselves and we’ll try to do that, but we’ll go there with determination to try and do well. The games are difficult but , closer to the time, I’ll probably be upbeat and think we’re capable of winning it.”
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