'A special circumstance' - Hallgrímsson checked in on Ireland players after Israel games

The Boys in Green boss says we can learn a lot from the controversial games - on and off the field. 

Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson speaks to the press on Thursday. INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Heimir Hallgrímsson admits he broke with tradition by checking in on his players after the controversy that engulfed the pair of games against Israel in the last international window.

The first of two matches in the Uefa Nations League against a country found to have committed genocide by a United Nations commission was in doubt as Ireland’s players conducted a ballot to participate on grounds of conscience.

They only did so after a 15-8 majority voted in favour to proceed but two ongoing Uefa investigations around racism and spitting ensure the fallout lingers.

The Ireland manager will assemble his players on Monday for the first time since the second game, a 1-1 draw, as they complete the campaign by visiting Austria on Saturday week and hosting Kosovo four days later.

Hallgrímsson will have both captain Nathan Collins and another leader, Séamus Coleman, in a hybrid role, returning to add experience but the Icelander suggested a siege mentality has crept in from the most contentious of camps.

There’s still no indication on whether the players will end their media blackout by conveying their feelings on the Israel debacle around this last gathering of the year.

“It was a special circumstance,” Hallgrímsson said about his ringaround to the players who are part of his 24-man squad.

“I don’t call players a lot, but I try now to go and watch them training, between games, more than I did previously.

“Sometimes, we as coaches, artificially manufacture that the world is against us so we stick together. We got that for free for three weeks in the last camp.” 

 He added: “Everybody probably processed what happened and left it. I’m happy players dealt with it their way. There were players that haven’t been taking a leadership role and stepped up [during] this camp.

“I gave them a lot of credit for just speaking up for themselves. The squad knows much more about each other and that’s really good going forward.” 

More in hope than expectation, the manager wants to leave the scars of last month behind.

“I don’t want this camp to be an extension of the last camp,” he affirmed. “We are starting later than previous ones and I asked players if they wanted to add something about what we did. If we could learn something.

“It was positive. Everybody had the same answer. It is behind us now, we are looking forward so we are not going to bring in the last camp.

“It certainly made us more united than ever because talking to the players now, everyone is looking forward to coming into this camp.” 

The former Iceland and Jamaica manager admitted there were issues to "get off his chest” when he compiled a report for his FAI employers since they dispersed from the last camp at the start of October.

He decompressed by returning to his homeland before resuming his duties by scouting players, such as Harvey Vale, Jimmy Dunne and Josh Cullen at Burnley’s Championship match against Queen’s Park Rangers “I have good people around me and they told me what I needed to do – which was to offload,” he explained.

“I did my report to the association and that was my way of getting things off my chest. There were a lot of things we had to learn from last camp; the footballing aspect, leadership aspect.

“And then, if we ended up playing Israel again, what would have we learnt from that camp. It was a tough experience and always when you are in a tough environment it's where your systems are tested.

“That is the best way to improve, working from that. You find your leaders in the tough time by seeing the true character in the tough times.” 

On the topic of enemies, which he vowed to weed out after the last camp in which he was furious at information around the vote leaking from camp, he said: “In these moments as well, you find your true friends, when you really need them.

“As a coach, you will find those that text you and call you. They don’t just call you when you win a game.

“In the same way, those who kick you when you are low, then at least, you have located your enemies.” 

Depending on how Ireland finish their group, there is a slight chance of joining Israel in the Euros qualifying group. Uefa have dismissed a request from the FAI to keep the countries apart in draws.