Fractures underfoot leave Hallgrímsson feeling the need to tread carefully

'In my job, you can't win them all," says Ireland manager. But he knows a win in next week's playoff may help the healing

Thu, 13 Mar, 2025 - 23:00

John Fallon

Before Heimir Hallgrímsson can concentrate on his international remit, the Ireland manager has national skirmishes to address.

His employers’ status as punchbags of Irish sport is returning to peak levels and the men’s head coach cannot escape the crossfire.

Be it Stephen Bradley dismissing him as out of touch, shipping criticism for choosing the Late Late Show over attending a domestic fixture last Friday or supporting the centralised coaching system the league fraternity have scoffed at, the Icelander seems out in the cold.

Regardless of Hallgrímsson freshening up his squad for the upcoming Nations League playoff against Bulgaria, the contest seems secondary in the overall fraught state of Irish football. He will only become the story if his team follow up their November trouncing by England with relegation to the third tier.

Hallgrímsson could opt to apply tunnel-vision by ignoring the noise and going about his business in a fashion befitting the brief duration of his contract. Instead, the approach is conciliatory.

“It certainly seems there’s a disconnect,” he admitted about the fractures on home soil. “I really don’t understand it because if the national team does well, it will benefit the League of Ireland. And if the League of Ireland does well I think it benefits the national team.

“Whatever the issue is, we just need to solve that and work together towards the future. That’s my take on it, maybe it is naïve, but this is how I smell it.”

Actions rather than words count when a figurehead is attached to the FAI. Although Hallgrímsson stressed his view of Shamrock Rovers’ Conference League run creating a shop window wasn’t tantamount to a prerequisite for international recognition, he still apologised for any unintended offence.

There was also a revelation of his unsuccessful attempt to arrange a primarily home-based camp in January. He became the latest FAI manager suffocated by budgetary constraints.

“It would have brilliant, outside-the-box thinking,” he emphasised about the initiative that planned to encompass fringe players in the UK. “At Jamaica and Iceland, these camps gave us one or two players for the first-team squad. Everything costs money and we need to be careful here about that.

“This is one thing that needs time to sink in for those who make decisions. Maybe it came in too fast but I am hoping it will be more positive for next January.”

There’s no guarantee that Bradley or Damien Duff are amenable to the concept, especially considering an attempt to instigate a similar programme at underage level has been rejected by clubs. Still, those LOI managers will be greeted by the sight of Hallgrímsson’s smile between the March and June windows.

“If he wants to, yes,” he said about holding clear-the-air talks with Bradley, “I've already been to two clubs in the north-west last week, Sligo Rovers and Finn Harps. Hopefully we can sit down for a coffee or a pint and just speak. I have spoken to Damien and would like to meet again. But it is not me talking to them, they can talk to me as it works both ways.

"There is some jam. I think it is from the past and I would like things to be better than they are.”

That’s a low base to rise from.

For all his optimistic outlook on unifying the divided factions, disagreement is inevitable.

Many seasoned observers, for example, will argue that Josh Honohan of Rovers deserved a place in the final, rather than simply, provisional squad.

“It’s the life of a national team coach,” contended the man who managed Iceland at both the Euros and World Cup. “When I am here, people ask why am I not in England watching players? When I am in England, why am I not in the office?

“When I’m doing some public relations (like Late Late Show), it’s for us national team coaches to talk to the people. In my job you can’t win them all.

“You cannot be afraid to do something, say something or step on someone’s toes because criticism is everywhere. I can't do everything at the same time. I will not fix what is wrong with Irish football but I will definitely try. I will do the hardest work.

"Believe me, the decisions we are taking come from a good place. We are not trying to exclude someone or something."

He could do with a result on foreign soil next Thursday to quell the home discomforts.

UEFA Nations League B/C promotion/relegation playoff (both 7.45pm): First leg: Bulgaria v Ireland, Hristo Botev Stadium, Plovdiv (Thursday, March 20). Second leg: Ireland v Bulgaria, Aviva Stadium (Thursday, March 23).