How Ireland became a force in international football

During the course of the week prior to the international match against England, one Irish paper enquired, in reference to Johnny Giles, "how long do we have to suffer this man"? It was a comment that typified much of the media's disposition to the irish player-manager and it is best placed in context by the following statistics.  By Eamon Dunphy

Since Giles took over the managerrship of the Irish team in 1973, Ireland has won nine games, lost eight and dtawn nine. It had scored 34 goals and conceded 28. Of .the games which Ireeland lost during this period, three were against some of the strongest teams in the world - Russia, France and Brazil Àand . we lost just a single game at home Xa friendly against Spain.

In the five years prior to the appointtment of Giles as manager, Ireland won a mere three games, 'lost 19 and drew seven. It scored 25 gdals and conceded 58 and during this time it won not a single match at home:

In fairness to Giles' predecessors, it should be noted that many of these games were played. '00 Sundays when most players would' have played for their clubs the' previous day.

Nonetheless, Giles record is impresssive. He has improved dur success rate from _ i 0 per Rent t034 per cerit and reeduced our failure rate from 65 per cerit to 30 per cent. Insteati of being almost a joke in internatiori~l football, Ireiand is now a formidableopponent for even the most illustrious teams, and in spite of his multitude of media detractors, Giles is largely responsible for this .change in our footballing fortunes.

Against England, a part time manager and a part time assistant (the English manager and his six assistants are all full time) fielded a team comprised of one third division player .IKearns) three second division players (Lawrenson, Grealish and Ryan) one player appearring curreritly on the reserve side for this club (Mulligan) and two others who play for the bottom two teams in the English first division (McGee and Givens).
They played against the elite of supposedly one of the world's leading football nations (England must still be among the top eight teams), and yet there were many dismayed' that Ireiand could only draw. That dismay is more a tribute to Giles than a detraction. Beecause Ireland was able to compete on equal terms with England, not on the basis of equal ability - although Brady, O'Leary and Lawerenso n were superior to anything England had to offer - but because of better organisation and team Work - both managerial inputs.

There are several players on the Irish team who enthusiastically agree with this analysis. Liarn Brady said, "Giles knows more about the game than anyybody else I have ever come across. In additioh to that he can communicate his ideas to other players. Most of the managerial disasters in English football occur because those who know about the game can't communicate and those who can communicate don't know about the game. Giles both knows the game and is able to communicate".

The draw against England was a conn. siderable achievement, given that Ireland was missing its most experienced forward, Steve Heighway, and its 1110st experienced midfielder , Giles himself.

Heigh way has been a disappointment for Ireland, Giles thinks, largely because as a winger he thrives while his own team presses forwatd and languishes when the pressure is reversed. With ireeland, Heighway has been more of an onnlooker as, in the absence of outstanding, all-round talent, the team is often under pressure in defence.

But there. must also be question marks over Heighway's motivation and commitment. It was he who declared himself unfit to play for Ireland against England, although one would assume he would have beeri particularly anxious to compete against many of his elubmates. Several of the Irish players are convincced he lacks commitment and have been impatient with Giles for persisting with him. In recognition of this, Giles was planning on a serious di~cussion with Heighway prior to the .Englarld game. But it didn't happen because Heighway didn't even bother to show up.

The selection of M'E.Cee and;Civens as the two central front runners was pro bably a mistake in retrospect for they are two of a kind and Given esspecially requires a grafter t8 work beeside him: Givens always maintains that his happiest international partnership has been Ray Tracey, now with the Shamrock Rovers team. Tracey is one of the tireless, persistent breed of. player, who makes openings for the more inndividualistic genre such as Givens. Stapleton of Arsenal might have been a better choice as partner for Givens from the outset and this may have been in Giles' mind when he brought Stapleton on for McGee in the second half.

The midfield battle was always likely to be easier against England than it. has I been against Northern Ireland. England played just two men in midfield, Brookking and Wilkins, against the three Irish players, Brady, Daly and Grealish. Therefore the tight marking, which Brady in particular experienced against [Northern Ireland, was" never likely to 'g pose a problem.

Brady has had a difficult season with Arsenal for nowadays he is a marked "man, having to cope throughout each match with an opponent whose sole job is to keep him out of the game. Before the English match Brady said:

"it is easy for a fella to mark you out of a game, especially if he doesn't want to play himself. This happened with McCreary in the Northern Ireland match. He didn nothing creative throughout the entire game and yet emerged as a star. Against England it will be "different. There is no marker in the English midfield and Brooking esspecially likes to play continental-style football, which will suit me ideally as it "I will give me more room."

"England are in for a shock" The players can't help underestimating us because of the press build-up but this team is better organised than they are and we will be able to blunt their greattest threats" For instance, Dave O'Leary will mark Keegan out of the game. He did it two years ago at Wembley and he has improved as a player since then. The English midfield will pose few problems for us. Neither Brooking nor Wilkins have been playing particularly well this season and their wingers, Barnes and Copple will be well looked after by Paddy Mulligan and Jimmy Holmes."

It was this latter aspect to the game that most concerned the Irish camp beefore the match. Barnes particularly was considered a threat and it was wonderred how Paddy Mulligan, now unable to command a place on the West Brornnwich Albion first team, would cope with him.

Giles wasn't bothered. "Mulligan's pace is highly deceptive and his reading of the game is so good that he is always in good position and he is excellent in coming forward into attack. Our straategy is simple. We must work at oUI game, do the right things and make the likes of Keegan, Barnes, Latchford, etc. worry about their markers coming forrward into attack, rather than the reverse." "

He is not a man for detailed briefs on opponents or drawing board strategies, unlike his former mentor at Leeds, pan Revie. Nor is he a fiery motivator. Rather, his tactic is to make sure that each player knows what is expected of him and be sure himself that each player can do what is expected of him" One tends initially to be sceptical of the seeming casualness but the strategy is little more than ensuring that the team gets things right on its own account. "Revie could afford to consider deeply the opposition's strengths and weakknesses for he had a squad of first class players, which most managers don't have and which incidentally he didn't have when he became the English manaager. I can't afford to worry too much about the problems England will pose for I have to worry about us doing the right things from the start."

Giles added, "We have got to sort out the problems that appeared in the Northern Ireland match. Basically, then, I think we lost our composure because of the pressure we were under. We were expected to win easily, which is an unnusual situation for us to be in and the emotion of the occasion didn't help.

"We were also unused to the kind of tight marking we e~perienced against Nothern Ireland. You normally don't get this in an international match. That game was more like a first division Engglish game. I think we all learnt from that experience but, more relevantly, the English game will be different, more like an international, with the pressure on them rather than on us".

The match went very much accordding to expectations from Ireland's point of view. The Keegan threat was blotted out completely by Dave O'Leary, from the tenth minute of the game onward. Lawernson also had the measure of Latchford. Only once did Barnes beat Mulligan, usually his flying sortees down the left wing were halted or he was diverted into a tangle across the pitch. Although Copple received high commendation from Ron Greennwood after the match, he never made any head way against Holmes.

Brady displayed his remarkable foottball genius, virtually for the first time in an Irish jersey. He was by far the most creative player on the pitch and he allways threatened danger when he got the ball in space. He flourished in the abbsence of tight marker but surely lacked the presence of another midfield playyer of his calibre beside him.

Daly is skilled and adventurous but not in the same class, while Grealish is worklike, if diligent. Because Giles gave Brady the freedom to roam where he wished, Grealish and Daly were obbliged to cover the midfield against Brooking and Wilkins. This they did consistently throughout the first half but for most of the second Brooking was permitted to saunter into advanced positions unattended - Daly's fault.

Brady's one weakness is an inclinaation to get into false positions from time to time throughout the game and this was particularly marked against Northern Ireland. The fault was apparrent against England as well, for he wanndered across to the right hand side of the pitch repeatedly - he is much better on the left - and he came too deep too often to receive the ball.

He lost most of his concentration towards the end of the game - during the last half hour he gave away the ball at least six times, when Ireland desperaately needed to keep possession and reelieve the persistent pressure.

Giles observed afterwards: "I found when I was Brady's age that my conncentration waned towards the end of a hard match and remember this was a very tough match for Brady, for he was both the midfield general and creator. When you get exhausted, the first casualty is your concentration unless you attune yourself to keep your mind on the game in spite of tiredness. This comes only with experience and Brady will acquire it in time."

Whichever of Giles attributes as a player may have diminished with time, it is still apparent that the Irish team needs his experience and abiliities. For Brady was expected to do too much against England and he didn't have the class around him to relieve him of the pressure. This was particularly so during the last half hour. Had Giles been on the pitch he would have taken the ball, slowed down the game and given Ireland the "breather" it badly needed.

"Brady will be the best mid fielder in the world in a few years time", said Giles. "There is no one else around with his range of skills and with maturity he will attain the vision and discipline to make him truly outstanding".

The forwards were a disappointment.

Apart from the questions around the selection of McGee and Givens together, neither they nor Gerry Ryan made the openings up front to create chances. Too often the ball had to be held in midfield in the vain expectation that one of them would get into space. This remains the great problem area with the Irish team.

Giles rejects the contention that the forwards are that bad however. "You must remember we have scored a lot of goals over the last few matches. We scored three goals in each of the games against Russia, Uruguay and Denmark and we scored four goals twice against Turkey." Nevertheless, we don't have the forward power to capitalise on our strengths at midfield and at the back and this may prove expensive for us in the later stages of the European chammpionship when the pressure is on us to score goals.

While the chances of Ireland qualifyying for the finals of the European Chammpionships are dimmed by the two draws at home against Northern Ireland and England, the prospects of the team achieving notable success over the next four to six years are favourable.

Brady and O'Leary are indubitably world class and Lawernson is only marrginally behind. They are in their early twenties. Daly is adequate in midfield as is Holmes at left full back. These five will be the backbone of the side for the next several years and Giles is hopeeful that there are players on their way up who can complement their talents.

On the Monday morning bank holiiday after the England game, Giles was watching some of these potential innternationals at a trial match at the Shamrock Rovers ground. There were at least four players there of outstanding ability, none more so than 16 year old Richie Bayly, who has been playing on the Shamrock Rovers first side. He has enormous talent as well as a good head for the game. Others of note are Terry Byrne, Alan Campbell, Rod Collins" Brendan O'Riordan and Fran Gavin.

Giles is in the process of building up international youth and under-21 teams so that players will be seen through their foot balling career from the beginnning. It is for this reason that Giles has insisted on the appointment of assisstants for these teams - this caused conntroversy and his temporary resignation last year. The appointment of Ray Tracey and Eamonn Dunphy to these positions will be announced shortly.

In a laconic moment prior to the England game Giles remarked, "I've been offered £80,000 tax free for a year to take charge of a side in Saudi Arabia and I could earn 200,000 dollars a year in America and I could have stayed on with West Bromwich Albion for as long as I liked. Instead I've opted to come back here to Shamrock Rovers and everybody is wondering what I'm gettting out of it.

"I'll tell you why I came back. I have a certain ability in football and I think I can apply that ability to building up one of the best club and international sides in Europe, almost from nothing Èat least on the club level. I'm going to do that, not for any altruistic motive, but because I know that if I succeed I will get greater satisfaction personally than if I went for softer options now.

"But it sometimes gets very dissheartening when everyone of my motives are called into question, let alone when there is such a general lack of appreciation in the media about what we are trying to do, however faltingly ".