Martin O’Neill: 'I was not on my uppers when I took the job'

It was a day of corrections, clarifications, apologies but also no little defiance from Martin O’Neill, after Ireland training had resumed at Abbotstown yesterday.

While O’Neill himself apologised for his use of the word “queer” at a public event in Cork, he also revealed Roy Keane had apologised to those Irish players – among them Aiden McGeady - he had criticised so sharply after the 2-1 loss to Belarus at Turner’s Cross.

“Roy has spoken to the players,” said O’Neill. “Mine was most certainly inappropriate; his he felt was over the top.

“I think he’s apologised to the players and they’ve accepted it with reasonably good heart as well, and I think some of them are actually even echoing what James McClean had said to you, that it bucks you up if that’s the case.

“The only thing I’ll say about it is this: you (in the media) do ask for Roy to come and speak to you. I’m happy with that. When he does, and I say ‘you go and do the press’ then it’s my responsibility. I said the same to John Robertson (his former assistant), not that he wanted to do the press much. So it’s my responsibility.”

Asked if Keane had specifically apologised to Aiden McGeady – for suggesting the player’s underwhelming performance against Belarus perhaps summed up his career – O’Neill replied: “People like to be praised, reasonably often. But people have to take a bit of criticism on the chin too and Aiden is old enough to take it - but I think he appreciated the apology from Roy.”

If contrition seemed, at this point, to be the order of the day, O’Neill then demonstrated there is a limit to the flak he is prepared to take on other issues, especially when he considers it unwarranted. Yesterday, he bristled at a piece by one journalist in which the word ‘smug’ was used in relation to the Derryman.

“I don’t feel as if I have ever been smug in my life,” he said. “I don’t feel that, I never felt that. I never felt a smugness here either, even when we qualified. I never felt smug. I say vindication, never smug.”

He was also at pains to counter any impression he originally took the Irish job at a time when there were no other offers available to him.

“Remarkably, when I took this job I turned down three other offers at club level,” he said. “You would not believe the offer I had to do a job, to take this job. So I was not on my uppers, believe it or not. I took the job because I wanted to do it, I felt it was an honour to do it and I was following some very, very good people who have done the job. And I still feel the same way, absolutely.

“I have been described as a number of things in my life, not all complimentary, I agree with you, but smugness is not something I do.”

When the journalist who had written the piece which annoyed O’Neill pointed out the precise phrase he had used was ‘not quite smug’, the manager shot back: “No, no, well...’not quite smug’ but essentially smug. If it’s not smug then it must be very close. I don’t know what the next word is beside it in the dictionary, what sort of synonym is used for it.”

Getting back to the football, O’Neill - who professed himself impressed but not “overly surprised” by Sweden’s 3-0 defeat of Wales - reported the locals he’d spoken to at the match in Stockholm left him with the impression “naturally, they are targeting us as the game they feel they can win.” The feeling, he was quick to add, is mutual but he also conceded he could see the value in not losing the opening game, whatever about winning it.

“You might be right,” he mused. “Sometimes maybe you go in with the approach of thinking everything is depending on this victory, then coming out after losing the game and thinking a point wouldn’t have been so bad. I don’t know. I just know that our approach is going to be very positive.”

The latest worrying injury news for Ireland is Robbie Brady was unable to train yesterday because of a back spasm. “It just cropped up,” said the manager. “I think he’s improving. He should get a good deal better as the time goes on.” Asked if he thought it might still be an issue by the time the opening game against the Swedes comes ‘round, he said: “I’m hoping not, we’ve got a few days. He should be OK.

“Jon (Walters) is progressing OK. He’s feeling a lot better. We’ll just see how the week goes with him. Both of those players are very important to us, obviously. But I think he’s definitely feeling better today. James McCarthy has joined in which is good and Robbie Keane is doing a little bit of extra work on his own but is definitely feeling much better.”

Despite those injury concerns, O’Neill ended a sometimes intense media briefing on an upbeat note as he summed up the mood in the Irish camp on the eve of departure for France.

“I’ll say it without hesitation: it’s remarkably good, excellent. Players want to do well, obviously. I think if you’ve spent two years trying to qualify for a competition, you don’t want to go out meekly. So give it everything. You might not have an ounce of luck, or you might be really lucky. If we make it - great. Hopefully we deserve to do so.”