Green Manifesto

It’s a sunny Tuesday out in Portmarnock where the Ireland team are holed up before flying out tomorrow to Kazakhstan for the first of their World Cup 2014 qualifiers. Having spent the morning training in nearby Malahide, three of that game’s starting XI – Simon Cox, Sean St. Ledger and Keiren Westwood – are doing a photo-shoot for the Republic’s new Three-sponsored home strip, which, footie fans, makes it into the shops on October 5 ahead of Germany’s visit to the Aviva. Shane Long’s also been roped into modeling duties, but manages to escape before I can wave a tape recorder under his nose.

“It’s a bit like Christmas getting to see the new kit,” Simon Cox enthuses. “I like it – it’s nice and simple with no unnecessary squiggles or stripes.”
He’s lucky he wasn’t playing in the ‘90s when snowstorm-patterned shirts and bollock-hugging shorts were the norm.
“Yeah, and moustaches!” he laughs. “We’re lucky in terms of what we get to wear nowadays.”
Sean St. Ledger is more concerned with fiscal matters.
“What’s the money in Kazakhstan? The tenge? How many of them are there to the pound?”
According to the ever-dependable online Universal Currency Converter, 239.869.
“Why can’t they just have euro?” he rues.
Keiren Westwood meanwhile is feeling a little unloved.
“There’s no new goalie shirt,” he says mournfully. “It does look good though!”
Sartorial matters dealt with, let’s get down to footballing business…

SIMON COX
“Delighted as a fan that we got the win. Personal level #fuming #fuckingjoke #embarrassing.”
That was James McClean’s summation of Ireland’s performance against Kazakhstan. He deleted it a few hours later, but by then the message had gone viral.
While the Sunderland and former Derry City man’s honesty is to be admired – it was a woeful performance against a country 116 positions below them in the FIFA rankings – McLean was in clear breach of Giovanni Trapattoni’s social media rules.
“We’re not allowed to tweet 24 hours before a game or talk about tactics or team shape,” says Simon Cox who’s also mad for the aul’ Twitter, but is rather more guarded in his comments. “As long as you’re sensible and don’t say anything controversial they’re happy. Taking pictures during training is a tricky one because you might inadvertently show someone with ice on their leg or bandaged up. You don’t want to give anything away.”
The striker’s first season at Nottingham Forest proved to be a frustrating one with the club finishing 19th in the Championship. All was gloom, doom and despondency around the City Ground until July when Forest was unexpectedly taken over by the Al-Hasawi family from Kuwait. Had the 25-year-old gotten wind of what was going on or did he learn about it from Sky Sports like the rest of us?
“I’d heard about this supposed ‘big investment’, but was a bit sceptical because no one knew who they were or how they’d made their money,” Cox says. “I was more enthusiastic about it when they started going for Mick McCarthy as manager. For one reason or another he’d didn’t get the job, so they brought in Sean O’Driscoll who I think has a great chance of getting Forest into the Premier League. If you look at the squad on paper it’s a very talented group of people.”
Prior to Forest, O’Driscoll had spent five-years transforming Doncaster Rovers from hoof it and hope merchants into what journalists christened “the Arsenal of the Championship.” A run of bad form eventually cost him his job but the former Ireland international is still regarded as a potential successor to Trap.
“He looks at who he’s got and plays to their strengths, which is exactly what you want at international level,” Simon ventures. “Since the new gaffer came in, we’ve been passing the ball more and feel very confident in possession. It’s a different level obviously but, yeah, he’s got what it takes to be a future Ireland manager.”
Trap’s continued use of Championship players when there are Premier League alternatives is one of the many reasons the Irish press corps have declared war on Trapattoni. Should top-flight players automatically take precedence over second-tier ones?
“That’s for the manager to decide,” comes the diplomatic reply. “What I would say is that the Championship’s very demanding. You’re playing Saturday and Tuesday throughout the season, whereas in the Premier League it’s usually one game a week unless you’re in a cup competition. They’re coming up against bigger teams and more international players, but they wouldn’t be any fitter than us. I definitely think it’s easier to stay in the Premiership than it is to get out of the Championship.”
I’m sorry for making him relive the nightmare, but on a scale of 1 to 10 how tough were Spain to play against in Poland?
“‘14’!” he laughs. “I played the first 45 minutes, which was like playing 90 minutes against a normal team. All three of their central-midfield players rotate that much it’s impossible to get close. When you think you’ve a chance of nicking the ball they just pop it off. It was like they had 22 lads on their team and we had five; it was like playing Barcelona and Real Madrid at the same time!”
Jonathan Walters said during the Euros – possibly as a dig at Trap – that it’s not unusual playing for Stoke City to switch systems four or five times in a game. How often do Forest change things?
“Well, we played Bolton on Friday night on the telly and went 1-0 up. Then they started to dominate possession in the last 15 minutes, so we went from 4-4-2 to 5-5-1. You do that because you feel the other team’s on top. It’s having the knowledge of how to play not just one system but two or three.”
Is Trap equally flexible when it comes to tactics?
“Yeah, definitely,” he insists. “Being able to play not just as a striker has benefited me at international level. In the Spanish game there was an extra midfielder, in the Croatia game I came on left-midfield. I’ve tried to adapt to the way Trap wants me to play.”
Prior to his Nottingham move Cox plied his trade at West Bromwich Albion where until taking the England job Roy Hodgson was the manager. How did they get on?
“He was a really, really nice man. He’s got two personalities – one is what you see in front of the cameras, the other is on the training-pitch. They’re completely different. He’s brilliant on the pitch; it’s very well drilled how he wants you to play. He’d always talk to the young lads and have a laugh and a joke. He’d swear like a trooper as well! He’s one of the smartest men you’ll ever meet too because he speaks four languages.”
I wish I could swear in four languages! Any young Irish players in the Championship that we – or, more to the point, the manager – should be looking out for?
“There’s a really talented right-backer at Forest, Brendan Moloney, who I think has played for the under-21s. He supplied the cross for our winner against Doncaster and could get a senior call-up if he’s consistent.”
Does his Forrest teammate Andy Reid look rueful when he sees Simon heading off on international duty?
“No, he said to me that the best thing for him was to retire from international football because it’s probably given him an extra couple of years playing at club level. He had to make a decision with all the traveling and his age; he was getting on a bit so he was happy to make the sacrifice.
“I’d never played against him, never played with him or met him before I went to Forest,” Cox continues. “He’s a great player, even now. Some left-foot. Brilliant character as well, lots of banter, always has a smile on his face. He’s still performing at the top level.”
Simon’s first tweet after the Kazakhstan game was a “thank you” to the fans who travelled all that way for their support. Are they the proverbial 12th man?
“Yeah, to see them in their jerseys… if you looked around the stadiums in Poland they were 95% green. It gives you the biggest shiver when you’re walking out and they’re singing along. You get beaten 4-0 by Spain and they’re still singing their hearts out 15 minutes after the final whistle. It’s great. It’s an honour to play and I feel really passionate about it.”

SEAN ST. LEDGER
“What was Electric Picnic like? I’d love to have seen The Cure do a three-hour set. It’s really annoying that all the big festivals – Reading, Leeds and V – take place during the season. Let’s talk about music rather than football!”
I’d love to but, alas, there are matters of major sporting importance to discuss.
June 10, 2012 turned out to be a day of mixed emotions for Sean St. Ledger as first he scored what turned out to be Ireland’s only Euro 2012 goal against Croatia in Poznan and then found himself on the wrong end of a 3-1 scoreline.
“To be honest, the goal didn’t really mean much at the time because we’d lost against a team we thought we could beat,” the affable 27-year-old reflects. “Now I’m like, ‘I scored in a major tournament – that’s alright!’”
Could the lads hear the phantom whistler in the crowd?
“Yeah, that’s why I didn’t celebrate the goal properly at first. I heard the whistle and thought there must have been a foul or an offside. It was only when I saw the officials trotting back that I realised it had been given. The whistle was really loud – a couple of the lads pulled up during the game because they thought the ref had blown. I don’t know if they got the bloke who did it. Because it didn’t affect the score it’s been forgotten, but if it had it would’ve be one of the tournament’s big talking points.”
While failing to get anything out of the Croatia game still haunts him – “We just made silly mistakes, which were punished” – Sean reckons that Spain are pretty much unbeatable at the moment.
“It’s ridiculous; you try to imagine what playing against a team that has Torres, Silva, Fabregas, Iniesta, Xavi and Alonso in it is going to be like, but you can’t. Spain are up there with the classic Brazil and Holland sides; there are no weak links. It’s not just their ability to keep possession, but also the way they get the ball back on the rare occasion they do give it away. For most of the Spain game we were chasing shadows. Normally you walk away from a defeat thinking, ‘Right, we’ve learned something we can use to do better against them next time’, but the only thing we learned in Gdansk was how bloody good Spain are!”
St. Ledger holding a down a regular Ireland place didn’t look very likely six years ago when by his own admission he made a “plonker” of himself on national TV.
“I was at Peterborough when Sky did the Big Ron Manager series that had Ron Atkinson coming in to help the actual ‘borough manager, Steve Bleasdale, who I really didn’t get on with at all,” he reminisces none too fondly. “They caught one of our big bust-ups and me being mouthy on camera. I’d love to say it was down to the way they edited it, but it was all my own fault. It was a stunt to raise the profile of the club and I suppose it worked, though not always in the way intended. I watched it with my mum and dad and felt so embarrassed. We weren’t that well off when I was a kid and they gave a lot up for me to play football, so I felt like I’d let them down. Looking back it was a lesson I needed to learn. I think I’m pretty well behaved now!”
While not a Steve Bleasdale fan – after spells at Bangor City and Leigh Genesis his former boss is currently out of the game – he’s a lot of time for Mr. Peterborough, Barry Fry.
“Ah, he’s a brilliant character,” Sean smiles. “Barry was Director of Football, the groundsman, the car-park attendant – he’s just so committed to the club. He’s one of those larger than life characters like Ian Holloway. We played Blackpool last weekend and he was running up and down the touchline kicking every ball! Beneath all the joking around he’s a fantastic manager.”
Another of his favourite football people is Sven Goran Erikkson who brought Sean to Leicester in 2011 after a spell at Preston that yielded several ‘Player of the Year’ Awards.
“What a gentleman,” he enthuses. “He’s a superb coach and man manager. You never got the big ‘I am’ from Sven. He’d been at all these famous clubs and managed England, but he was never less than 100% focused on the job while he was at Leicester.
“Sven signed me on the strength of my Ireland performances and a recommendation from Trap, which was just as well because my Preston form that season wasn’t the best! We’ve got off to a bit of a slow start this season, but there’s enough quality in the squad to mount a promotion challenge.”

KEIREN WESTWOOD
While it was the Robbie Keane and Kevin Doyle late show that made headlines in Almaty, there would have been no game for them to turn around if Keiren Westwood hadn’t made two great saves in the 40th and 78th minutes.
The 27-year-old Mancunian looks to have made the Ireland No. 1 jersey his own – something he’s yet to do at Sunderland.
“I’m on the bench at the moment, which isn’t an ideal situation,” he admits. “If anyone tells you they’re happy being a substitute they’re in the wrong profession and picking up money for no reason. I want to play football, that’s why I’m here. I like the buzz of a Saturday; there’s nothing like it when you know you’ve performed well.”
Westwood gave Trap notice he was ready to take-over from Shay Given – a lot of people think it should have happened before the Euros, not after – last November when he made a magnificent double save to deny Wayne Rooney and Patrice Evra in Sunderland’s home game against Manchester United. All was going swimmingly until he missed the New Year’s Day clash with Man City through illness. Simon Mignolet came in and played so well that he’s held on to his place.
“I often think I’d have been better off as a striker,” he sighs. “You had a situation a couple of seasons ago when probably the two best keepers in the Premier League – Petr Cech and Carlo Cudicini – were both at Chelsea together. It’s one of the few positions where you can be bang in form and not get a game.”
No-one wants to see a player injured but does Kieren ever think, “I wish Simon would get a bad dose of the ‘flu”?
“No,” he laughs, “I’m not one of them players. A cold maybe… No, I’m just going to train as hard as I can and see what happens. I’m a big believer in fate, so what will be will be. It’s brilliant to be starting at the moment for Ireland although I’m not taking my place for granted.”
Sunderland’s season turned around almost the moment Martin O’Neill took over from Steve Bruce in the dugout. What do you get from him that’s special?
“Every manager brings different qualities. When the gaffer came in he got the lads motivated. He knows what he’s doing – if you need an arm around you he’ll give you an arm; if you need a bollicking he’ll give you a bollicking – and then some! We had a good middle of the season and then got beaten 2-0 in the FA Cup Quarter-Final replay by Everton who were just stronger that night. I won’t say it killed the season, but the lads were deflated and never quite recaptured that form.”
One of Martin O’Neill’s first moves upon arriving at the Stadium of Light was to promote James McCLean to the first-team.
“He’s got no fear,” Westwood says of his talented teammate. “He’s 23 and plays like he’s a young lad on the pitch with his pals. He likes to get the ball down and take shots. Some of the stuff he tries in training is outrageous! He’s still learning his trade but, yeah, James is a special talent.”
You can’t see all of them under his goalkeeper’s jersey, but Kieren’s got some seriously impressive tattoos.
“I’ve a way to go before rivalling Daniel Agger – he’s had his whole body done, I think – but I’m working on it! There’s a place in Manchester I go to, which is really good. I started a couple of years ago and imagine I’ll be adding bits and pieces for a while to come. It’s addictive!”
Westwood watched Ireland’s Euro 2012 games from the bench, which must have been even more frustrating than being on the pitch.
“It was disappointing how things finished because we’d worked so hard and done so well to qualify. But then you go away and have a think about it and watch the final – Spain and Italy – and they were both in our group.”
Westwood’s career is a topsy-turvy one that started out at Manchester City and then found him dropping down to the Conference with Carlisle before working his way back up through the divisions.
“The low-point was not being picked up by Accrington Stanley after going on trial there,” he recalls. “I seriously thought about giving the game up, but stuck with it and am now playing international football. The gulf between the lower leagues and the Premiership really isn’t as big as you think it is. A lot of it’s down to luck and taking your chances when they come along.”
Does he dream of one day going back to Man City?
“Maybe. I spoke to them before I signed with Sunderland. I had a few options and I chose Sunderland and I’m happy with my decision. Obviously things don’t always work out the way you’d planned, but the atmosphere around the club is brilliant.”
Tony Cascarino said in one of his Hot Press columns that foreign players are reluctant to move to the likes of Sunderland and Newcastle because the cities aren’t glamorous enough for their WAGs.
“You go where the money is, don’t you? The manager’s a big thing as well. Steve Bruce enticed me to Sunderland and I’ve no complaints about the place.”
Is Joe Harte the best keeper in the Premier League?
“I’d say so. I like Joe. I played against him when he was at Shrewsbury and I was at Carlisle. I could see he was really good then. About a year later he got his move to Man City.”
As a goalkeeper you can be blemish-free all season, then make one high-profile mistake…
“… and the whole world collapses!” he says finishing my sentence. “It’s not fair at times, but that’s the world goalkeepers live in. In the blink of an eye you go from hero to villain, and you’ve the ‘dodgy ‘keeper’ thing to contend with for the rest of your career. Just look at Robert Green after that World Cup game against the United States; two years later and he’s still getting stick over it.”
Undeserved or not, the Kazakhstan win sets Ireland up nicely for the home game against Germany on October 12. Are they beatable?
“Definitely, though we’ll have to put in a good shift,” Keiren concludes. “The ‘keeper, Neuer, is really good and Lukas Podolski and Miroslav Klose have something like 110 international goals between them. We’ll be ready for them though!”

The new Three sponsored Ireland jersey goes on sale on October 5 and will be worn for the first time the following week against Germany. faishop.com pre-orders start on September 28. The players’ suits come courtesy of Paul Costelloe at Arnotts.