James McClean set for captain’s call
Following a training session in Abbotstown yesterday morning before the squad flew out to the States, Martin O’Neill all but confirmed that McClean will mark his 50th cap by being given the captain’s armband.
“James will think he’s nailed on for it, James would think that,” the manager quipped. “But, you know what, I think that it would be worthwhile doing it. Yeah, if he starts the game I’m sure he will be captain. For the 50th, for a start, and because he’s got that great discipline about him which he just exudes whenever he plays.”
The latter comment was delivered with a broad smile, O’Neill never one to miss a chance to have a little fun at McClean’s expense. But behind the humour, there is a real appreciation on the manager’s part of the West Brom’s player’s growing contribution to the Irish cause.
“He’s matured as a player, no question about that,” he observed. “He’s actually thinking more about his game rather than it being just a natural thing. The minute we lose the ball he takes up some great defensive positions. Now, he needs to know when to go from that defensive position to the man who’s most dangerous. That’s the kind of thing I think he has to learn in the game. But he’s trying to do that at club level. For us, I think his attitude to want to play is very infectious. There’s a great enthusiasm about him and I think it genuinely rubs off on the other players.”
Indeed, as Roy Keane revealed last week, it was McClean who put himself forward for inclusion in the squad of largely fringe players who trained at Fota Island and in Abbotstown before jetting out to America.
“Do you know what? I wasn’t really surprised,” O’Neill said. “In fact, I’d have been surprised if he didn’t want to do it. But when I asked him, he said he wanted to get his 50th cap. I hadn’t realised he had played 49. But he wanted to get it and he wants to get as many as he possibly can, which is great. And his attitude has been brilliant. In the way that Jon Walters was very much our player for the Euros in the qualification stages, James has taken on that mantle.”
Like McClean, Cyrus Christie has also impressed O’Neill with his commitment in the long post-season run-up to a World Cup qualifier which, in the absence through injury of Seamus Coleman and David Meyler, will surely see the Derby full-back on from the start at right-back.
“It looks pretty obvious from where I’m at Cyrus wants to do it,” said O’Neill. “He went away himself and took a week at the end of the season in America to go and do training, to get himself into real proper shape. So that might say something about the lad. He trained constantly for that length of time and then he came in and joined us in Fota. I don’t question his attitude at all.
“It is a tough task trying to replace Seamus. But Cyrus came into the game against Gibraltar, got us a goal, and headed one off the line about two minutes later. I’ve got a lot of faith in him and I think he can do it.”
Seeking to make a virtue of the omission from the Stateside trip of many senior figures – including a recognised left-back – the manager suggested the game against Mexico could allow for some tactical experimentation.
“We could maybe play three (at the back) which we’ve not really done,” he said. “You know, possibly three centre-halves and two wing-backs - James has done that there before. We have a plethora of centre-halves with us at the moment and it might just be an opportunity to do that so it’s not foreign to them if you were changing systems during the course of the (Austria) game.”
As he finalised preparations for the American trip, there was a late scare for O’Neill on Sunday when it emerged Shane Duffy and Eunan O’Kane had been involved in a car crash while en route from Derry to Dublin. However, the happy outcome was that apart from feeling a bit “sore”, both were able to take part in training at Abbotstown.
“When I heard the news about Shane and Eunan, it was a bit of a concern,” O’Neill admitted. “I didn’t know if they would make it this morning but I’m delighted they have done so. I think there was a bit of a pile-up. Someone further up the line stopped really quickly and everybody else went into it. I don’t think there is anything more to report than that. The two lads are okay.”
O’Neill also reported Aiden McGeady will join up with the squad after its US return.
“He just wanted a wee bit more time,” the manager explained. “He’s played a lot of games in quick succession. He felt that he was pretty sore.”
And he confirmed Seamus Colman will come into the camp on Thursday week, to lend his support ahead of the game against Austria on Sunday the 11th.
“Just the very fact that he’s there will give the players a lift,” he said. “Seamus was the one who put forward the idea – about a minute and a half before I was going to put it to him.”
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