Callum Robinson says old friend Jack Grealish will get abuse but that won't be a surprise
CHILDHOOD FRIENDS: England's Jack Grealish and Ireland's Callum Robinson. Pictures: Sportsfile
It was the type of query that can meet with a stony silence or, at best, one of those monosyllabic nothings. Callum Robinson didn’t see it on those terms. The Republic of Ireland striker broke instead into a beaming smile, grabbing at the opportunity for some devilment.
Robinson has known Jack Grealish since he was maybe eight years old and their enduring friendship was profiled in the New York Times prior to the last game between Ireland and England at Wembley in November of 2020.
A long and detailed piece painted the picture of two English midlands kids who had shone together with Aston Villa’s underage teams, butted heads playing FIFA on PlayStation in the converted attic of the Grealish family home, and shared an Irish heritage.
Grealish played for Ireland up to U21 level before switching lanes to his native country. Robinson’s path was a mirror image. Now Grealish – and Declan Rice – will be coming to Dublin as part of an England team managed by former Irish midfielder Lee Carsley.
So, that question: will his mate take much abuse at Lansdowne Road?
“I don’t know what abuse he might get but he’ll be expecting it. I’ll be surprised if he doesn’t because I think he gets booed anywhere he goes, even in England, so he’ll be getting ready for a bit of abuse. But listen, that’s part of it.
“That’s part of the game, and he’s old enough and, being a senior player, that stuff is going to come. He gets it in England games anyway, or English games in the Prem. I don’t think there will be any change on Saturday. I think he’ll be getting it.”
It’s not just because they’re tight that Robinson feels Grealish, who was left out of the squad by Gareth Southgate after a disappointing club season, could have done a job for England at the European Championships during the summer.
The Brummie is a bubbly type whose energy might have worked for the team on both sides of the white lines, but that’s all in the past. The job at hand now is inflicting more pain on the recalled Manchester City man and the rest of the Three Lions.
If loyalties are blurred on both sides by centuries of migration over and back across the Irish Sea, then Robinson is fully on board for a team he has represented this last six years. The familial tree, if anything, is likely to only harden the desire to get a result this Saturday.
“Listen, I’ve played for Ireland now since 2018, I know why I wanted to. I knew a few of the boys in that squad just through playing against them in the Premiership or Championship throughout the years.
“They’ve got some quality, and I’m close enough with Jack as well. Yeah, I’m really looking forward to Saturday, for all the boys as well, the new gaffer coming in, it’s an exciting time. What better feeling than if we can get a result at the Aviva against England.”
As with Grealish, Robinson spent some time away from the international scene after a difficult club campaign, his recovery from injury at the back end of 2023/24 leaving him low on minutes and surplus to requirements for John O’Shea’s four games in interim charge.
He has no truck with that.
Scoring goals has been a problem for Ireland for a long time now but there are green shoots of progress in that sense with 25 goals among five of their six forwards present in Dublin, and with Sammie Szmodics sure to open his account soon.
Of that sextet, Robinson has the most with nine. He is excited by the group.
“Sammie is obviously doing really well the last two years goals-wise, Adam [Idah] brings something different and he had a good end of the season with Celtic and now he’s moved there. TP [Troy Parrott] has moved in the summer and I feel he’ll push on in another way.
“We’ve got a good group of forward players and, with my experience as well playing for quite a time for a long time, I like to help the boys in positive ways, I’m quite a positive person on and off the pitch and always trying to help the boys and speak to the boys.”
Heimir Halgrímmson has taken a slowly-slowly approach to his first get-together as Ireland boss. O’Shea and Paddy McCarthy picked this squad and the Icelandic boss spent the bulk of 15 minutes at Tuesday’s training sessions setting out the cones.
That’s not to say his influence will not be everywhere. Robinson was careful with his words when asked about the wide open spaces created by Stephen Kenny’s attempted revolution in style. Halgrímmson has given notice of an intention to focus on the basics for now.
“I don't think the gaffer now is trying to run away from playing football because that is the way football is going at the moment. Everyone tries to play and we won't be no different. But I said earlier about being solid and hard to beat and sometimes it means going deeper and being solid defensively.
“But I still think, playing-wise, we still have the ability. When you're playing teams like England and the top nations, let's say, we don't want to be naive. We want to go with a solid base and hope we can get a result on Saturday. I don't think it's far off, he's just wanting us to be a bit more solid and hard to beat maybe.”
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