Ireland striker Evan Ferguson has had to drown out negative media
Ireland's Evan Ferguson scores against Finland Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy
For someone who seems to play without a care in the world, it may be surprising to hear how motivated Evan Ferguson is by negativity.
This was the week in which he got to chat in camp with the visiting Robbie Keane, a striker he’s been compared to.
So was Troy Parrott before Ferguson, but the expectation levels which accompany a Premier League rise for someone who’s just turned 20 catapults the Brighton man into unique territory.
Two years he’s been on the Ireland circuit now, save for a six-month injury-enforced spell, and it transpires he’s drowned out the external noise.
Not so much about the hype surrounding his integration as supposedly Keane’s heir, but the overall critique of the team.
Ireland have plummeted from 27 to 63 in the Fifa rankings over the past four years and their major tournament drought will prolong beyond a decade unless an upset is caused by reaching the 2026 World Cup via next year’s qualifiers.
“I don’t know - I don’t watch the media anymore,” he responded when asked if his fourth international goal, the winner in Tuesday night's Nations League game against Finland, eases the pressure heading to Wembley on Sunday.
“I used to see it a bit, especially with Ireland. It’s obviously a lot more negative than positive, so I think we just sort of said we’ll stay away and come together as a team. Whatever anyone says, they don’t play football.”
Teams developing a siege mentality in the face of flak isn’t revolutionary but this insight from the Ireland set-up was nevertheless intriguing. Particularly to see a player conditioned into that opinion so early in his international career.
Accordingly, the softly-spoken Brighton and Hove Albion attacker was asked to elaborate.
“It’s hard to turn off all media but I think anyone who is looking at Irish football knows that all talk is sort of negative about it.
“Even with the win against Finland, I’d say there’ll be a lot of negative (opinions) about it. But you just have to try and block it out and try to do your best.
“I’m not the only one that sees it. I’m sure you (media) all see it yourselves. It’s not unknown to the Irish public that, when it comes to the football, it’s always in a negative way.”
Does anything in particular grate, such as booing from the home sections of Lansdowne Road?
“I don’t know - there is nothing really that stands out,” he mused.
“It’s just more in general, I’d say. That’s the way it has been. And especially since I’ve been in, for nearly two years now, it’s always been that way and it’s stayed that way.”
Maybe so but isn’t a reversal of fortunes the potion for feegood vibes?
“That’s true. We just need to try and turn it around. It comes with results.”
Gently and gradually, they’re getting there. Two wins from the last three games, albeit against a Finnish side trailing in the rankings, has coloured the outlook.
Granted, an England team gunning for the win to clinch promotion back to their rightful home possesses the toolkit to render those notions transitory. Assessments of Thursday would have been different only for Caoimhín Kelleher saving a penalty which Ferguson was unluckliy responsible for.
Yet he, for one, believes the attacking fusion of Sammie Szmodics, Mikey Johnston and himself is developing an understanding. A burst of the former's pace and trickery from the latter conjured the solitary goal.
“You get a feel,” noted the Bettystown native.
“Sammie has played in many positions, comfortable as a striker and dropping back, so he is easy to play with.
“When Mikey gets on the ball, he’s going to try to beat his man and you just have to sort of be waiting for him.”
That he was, instinct and intelligence personified. “You still have to be in the position,” adds Ferguson for context. “It wasn’t as easy a finish as it looked - but it was good to get it.”
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