Martin O’Neill hails ‘lunatic’ James McClean but voices Wes Hoolahan doubts

“Yeah, I’m brilliant!”

No, Martin O’Neill hasn’t suddenly let his ego run wild, even if he might have more than a little justification for doing so, given that his Irish team have excelled in 2016, following up those days to remember at the Euros with an almost dream start to the World Cup qualifying campaign.

In truth, the manager has his tongue firmly embedded in his cheek as he ostensibly blows his own trumpet in response to being asked if his much vaunted powers of man-management are a significant factor in the team’s current rude health.

“I don’t know,” he continues, after the laughter stops. “Seriously, if players have a really strong attitude to the game — and maybe you have to encourage that at times and get players to believe in themselves — who knows what you can do?

“When you’ve got players who have real, genuine ability, that’s never a problem. Managing players like Henrik Larsson, it was never a problem. Maybe I had words with him twice in the four years that I was working with him (at Celtic). But you knew he had the ability to pull the manager out of a tight position.

“If you haven’t got that in your side, then you work on other things. I’m not saying we’ve a Gareth Bale, but we do have a lot of good players with a very strong attitude.

“(James) McClean, (Robbie) Brady, (Jeff) Hendrick, those boys epitomise that. Seamus Coleman. He’s been absolutely fantastic. He’s risen to the occasion in terms of the captaincy. If he walked through the door now? You hardly get a word out of him. But onto the field? Just brilliant.”

As his former manager at Sunderland and now his international gaffer, O’Neill has had ample opportunity to form some penetrating insights into man of the moment, James McClean.

“A cautionary note with McClean,” he smiles. “That great time he was stepping onto the field against Poland and even Roy — Roy, of all people — said to him: ‘James, just be careful’. ‘I am, I will be.’ And then the Polish boy’s legs were over the stand!

“The first goal that he scored in Moldova was really great, I know Jon Walters has laid it off to him but he still has to manoeuvre it and stick it in the corner. That was a big goal for us. Then he gets in at the post for the other one. And then he takes his goal (against Austria) brilliantly.

“It might have gone through the goalkeeper’s legs, but he has driven it so hard, that it hasn’t given the goalkeeper time to adjust. It was not easy.

“There’s a funny thing about it: Sometimes when James is in a position he’ll maybe drive something wildly but, do you know, at that moment, just that moment, I thought: ‘James is going to hit the net here’.”

Asked if he thinks that, at 27, the West Brom man can continue to improve, O’Neill replies in the affirmative.

“For a number of reasons. One, there’s nothing wrong with being a late developer. He is also naturally fit. He is so lean at the moment, he is in great physical condition. And it is hard to imagine that, because he drinks these fizzy drinks and you think he is going to explode one of these days. But he’s a gem of a lad, really great. He’s a lunatic but a great lunatic.”

Again, there’s a smile playing on O’Neill’s face: In truth, he’s seen other changes for the better in his fellow Derryman.

“He has matured, there is no question about that. All the jokes aside, he’s definitely matured both on and off the field. He’s taken himself off a few of those things (social media). But it doesn’t stop him having the occasional argument with the Derry City manager — and I am in total agreement with him on that! But overall it’s great. And do you know what? He feels as if he is a big player for us now, which is very, very important.”

One wonders if the same can be said of Wes Hoolahan, whose killer passes for the Shane Long and James McClean goals against, respectively, Moldova and Austria, not only highlighted his rare talent but, for many observers, copper-fastened his claims for an automatic starting place in Martin O’Neill’s team.

The manager, however, appears less certain.

“I don’t know. Number one, I think I have picked Wes Hoolahan more than anybody else has ever picked Wes Hoolahan. But there’s still always question marks about players. There are certain things that you do need in top class football and one is — and actually for the most part — you need a bit of physical strength. Sometimes you might think that Wes can be a bit fragile in that sense.

“He’s a really fine player, absolutely, but I’ve played him in a lot of games. Wes, although he looks very, very young, is coming up to 35 years of age. I have to see how long he can last in games. There’s matches where you think, well, do you start Wes because it would be great to get going or do you think he could make an impact in a tight game?

“You have those decisions to make and Wes comes into that category. Those two delightful balls — it’s great. But then we have to retain possession in matches and you don’t want to get shovelled off the ball. All these type of things. Seamus Coleman, for instance, is playing week in, week out, at a high level. Wes, unfortunately for him at this minute, isn’t. So I have to consider all those things.”