Martin O’Neill was a few questions into his post-match press conference when one caught his attention. Speaking to the assembled press after a crushing 5-1 defeat that ended Ireland’s hopes of reaching the World Cup was never going to be the most agreeable engagement, but things were going fine up until now.
He visibly bristled when asked if Ireland’s luck had run out. His uncertain tone prompted the journalist to try again. Encouraged to elaborate, he ventured that O’Neill’s approach was reactive and somewhat hopeful, too dependent upon the opposition making mistakes. At some point his team were going to be caught on an off-day and a result like this was perhaps inevitable.
In response, O’Neill came out fighting. “That’s simply not true. Simply not true. I didn’t win those trophies I have, both as a player and a manager, [because of] luck. Everyone gets entitled to a little bit of luck so I totally disagree with you.” It’s a subject that’s come up before, and the Ireland manager didn’t take kindly to it then either.
Both Brian Kerr and Keith Andrews have previously suggested that O’Neill benefited from some good fortune and a favourable route to the finals. Those claims were eagerly refuted, with O’Neill pointing to his record in the game as proof of his ability. Unfortunately those trophies and successes he cites are over a decade ago now and his performance in recent jobs is far more modest, and relevant to the discussion, than he would like people to think.
In general terms O’Neill is certainly a capable manager – someone who ensures organisation and focus.. He has always prided himself on getting his teams to be more than the sum of their parts. A motivator able to get inside the heads of his players and inspire great loyalty, he knows what makes people tick. However, as his career has progressed, O’Neill has become ever more rigid and set in his ways.
The legacies he built at Leicester City and Celtic feel increasingly remote. Much as he would wish it to be otherwise, a decade is an incredibly long time in football. Back then O’Neill was an eager, sprightly presence on the touchline and spoke engagingly about football. He’s 65 now and somewhat pinched and crotchety. Retreating into an attritional style of play, his methods feel increasingly outmoded.
His four years as Aston Villa manager, when he was entrusted with substantial funds to turn the club into Champions League contenders, was arguably the turning point. Granted a great deal of freedom by the owner to overhaul the team, he rendered it diligent but deeply uninspiring. Plenty of money was wasted on average footballers unable to take Villa to the next level.
A chance to compete with the big clubs it needed someone with more imagination and savvy to see the transition through. Grit, discipline, a clear grasp of the basics and some sheer bloody-mindedness can take a team so far, but no further. It was the same at Sunderland, and again with Ireland. The desire to play it safe and not give cheap goals away is more entrenched than ever before and can make for some utterly joyless matches.
O’Neill would no doubt contend that he’s under no obligation to entertain and that results matter more than anything else. In the purest sense he’d be right, but a lot of good will can be ground down by such turgid displays. When this approach ultimately ends in failure, supporters are entitled to wonder if the suffering was worth it after all.
With an Ireland side lacking any outstanding individuals, reaching the World Cup was always going to be an uphill task. They got closer than many expected before being obliterated at the last. Perhaps O’Neill’s squad weren't capable of more but we will never find out. They were rarely entrusted with the chance to play football rather than merely sit deep and hope to profit from set pieces.
A two-year contract extension for O’Neill, and his assistant Roy Keane, was notionally agreed last month. Although there are some mitigating circumstances, this latest result has given everyone pause for thought. The scoreline was made worse by Ireland having to chase a couple of goals, leaving them exposed on the break.
Yet that situation can be traced back to the complete absence of adventure with which they approached the first leg in Denmark, barely venturing out of their own half unless absolutely necessary. O’Neill insisted that his team would never die wondering, but in the end it feels an awful lot like they did.
