 |
| Andrews Agony |
Last night wasn't pleasant for any Irish supporters apart perhaps from that guy at work who always knew Ireland would lose 4-0 to Spain. Over the last few months the country has been taken away in a wave of optimism that believed our shortcomings going forward would be more than compensated for by an efficient defensive system which had managed to keep clean sheets when it mattered most during the qualifying campaign.
That notion has been mercilessly burst by one football powerhouse, the World and European champions no less and another football nation who we can perhaps aspire to be more like in the future. Considering the current club standing of our best players and the football infrastructure in Ireland itself something which at times seems entirely irrelevant to the performance of our national team qualification for the championships was actually a terrific achievement.
The most disappointing element of our performances during the championship has been conceding goals early in each of the four 45 minute segments of football so far. Mental fortitude is something which this team has prided itself on and to consistently fail to break through the crucial first 15 minutes will be a fact that will haunt veterans Richard Dunne and Shay Given. To the fans seeing the team consistently fail to keep possession in the fashion they had managed to while qualifying will be the most puzzling element. Trapattoni's performance at the championships will also come into question. If he is to survive the whole of the next campaign he must privately acknowledge that he made mistakes in selection and potentially in the composition of his squad. Hindsight can be twenty twenty but the management team must surely have been aware that Spain's ability to reclaim possession would force Ireland to target their fromtmen in the air. Robbie Keane for all his assets has not been renowned for winning headers and holding up the ball while Simon Cox who plays in a slightly deeper role is regarded as quite a similar player to Keane. The style of play as per usual will also have been a complaint. Truthfully a team composed of players from LA Galaxy, Stoke and Wolves were always likely to struggle against the superstars of Spains. They shouldn't be criticised for that. The positives to be taken away are quite clear through a strong qualifying campaign the relationship between the team and fans has been repaired. The younger members of this squad and many beyond it will no doubt use the disappointments of this tournament to ensure it isn't there last.
The most important positive could be the financial windfall the Euros has provided already and could still provide (a win against Italy is worth a further €1,000,000 in prizemoney). A national academy costed at €10 million was apparently top priority in 2007 when the FAI first moved their headquarters to Abbotstown. This facility similar to the French academy at Clairefontaine would be a brilliant start to putting a football infrastructure in place in this country to help nurture the next Damien Duff. Today there is no sign of this academy and players looking to reach the top level still head to the UK cap in hand at 16 or younger. Investment in our League of Ireland clubs can bear real fruit for the sport in the country too, just look at the effect Shamrock Rovers run in Europe had. Despite the FAI's perilous financial position if a chief executive can earn €430k per annum and a management team 2 million euro per annum surely the money earned from this championship should help make football a genuine industry in the country. If not couldn't we ask Denis.
If Robbie, Damien, Shay or Richard decide after Monday that they have played their last game for Ireland they should be proud of their achievements in green, they are all self made men. I really hope the Italian game gives them the right send off if thats whats going to happen.
No comments:
Post a Comment