Steady as she goes for O'Shea with straight-forward squad selection

There were no controversies as the interim boss revealed his selection for the upcoming friendlies.

THE HOTSEAT: Ireland's interim head coach John O’Shea. Pic: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

If he were to eventually become the top man, John O’Shea will wish all his Ireland squad selections were this easy.

On top of the 26 players chosen for the friendlies against Belgium and Switzerland, another two in Joe Hodge and Andy Moran will be added in between once they’ve lined out for the U21s in San Marino.

O’Shea was renowned during his playing career for playing safe, perfecting the simple tasks so fundamental to gaining the trust of managers like Alex Ferguson.

Here it was the case again when unveiling his first squad as caretaker; not a contentious call in sight nor the risk of a backlash over favouring one option in a dilemma.

Stephen Kenny was in the middle of justifying his debut squad three-and-a-half years ago when news of Michael Obafemi’s reaction landed.

“Surprised” read his one-word tweet but circumstances and the enlarged squad militated against any surprises being sprung on the long list O’Shea pored over at Abbotstown yesterday.

Alan Browne and Ryan Manning getting added to the injured list occupied by Shane Duffy and John Egan created gaps that had to be filled.

Jeff Hendrick’s exclusion might have prompted a sinew of controversy were it not for the fact he’s graced the pitch for just 30 minutes in the past four months – and that’s on loan at Championship strugglers Sheffield Wednesday.

Fitting then that O’Shea engineered the word straightforward into several of the points he asserted during the hour’s press activity.

Once Sammie Szmodics took fondly to the interim boss’s direct invitation after they’d met last week following a Blackburn Rovers game, a place in the team, not just the squad, was inevitable. Szmodics is out on his own with 27 goals as the highest scorer at a Championship club.

Club form by Jake O’Brien, in France for Lyon, and Finn Azaz, for both Plymouth Argyle and Middlesbrough, cemented their places and there is always room for a willing Séamus Coleman in an Irish panel when fit. O’Shea could even inform his ex-Manchester United clubmate Robbie Brady of his recall.

A clean slate meant room for everybody worthy.

“The big thing is it’s great if they’re coming in full of confidence too,” he said about combining club strides, upward for most this season, with the first Ireland gathering of 2024.

“It might be players coming in thinking it’s a chance to get away from their club too and switch off.

“I had that at different stages of my career. It’s great to be able to go home as such. You’re back in with your mates at home and that’s what you feel when in an Ireland squad.” Players didn’t have much to cheer about under Stephen Kenny, a regime O’Shea was part of for the final third as his sidekick.

“This squad have been really close to winning big games,” he summarised about near-misses such as ceding the lead at home to Netherlands in September.

“We just have to get over the line. I think you’ll see a totally different growth and feel in the squad then. The sooner the better would be great and nice to do it against Belgium and Switzerland.” Those are the pair of games O’Shea is guaranteed to lead. The FAI insist the six-month wait will cease with the unveiling of a new supremo in early April and the soundings are that it won't be the stopgap.

“I have just been talking to myself,” the Waterforman responded dryly when asked if he was liaising with the chosen one.

“There has been no input from anyone like that. I’m looking forward to a big challenge against Belgium and Switzerland and whatever happens after that happens.” 

O’Shea, after assembling his interim staff, including technical advisor Brian Kerr, to a planning meeting at their base of Castleknock Hotel last Sunday, will eventually be dealing with that appointee if, as chief headhunter Marc Canham has indicated, he’s to revert to his previous role as assistant.

He’s already shown his future gaffer an act of sacrifice in his audition for when the vacancy arises again.

Kenny, in his wisdom, depleted an U21s side requiring victory against Iceland to clinch a Euro playoff by raiding players for a drab penultimate Nations League visit to Wales in 2000.

Jim Crawford won’t be so hampered in this era, for his co-captains Hodge and Moran will only join the seniors for the Switzerland game, fresh from completing U21 duties.

“They would have been very close to involvement in both games, yeah,” said O’Shea, admitting the talented pair were always in his plans regardless of the U21 clash.

Making the complicated simple is an art this safe pair of hands continues to master.