The world at their feet

We’re there and for once my prediction was spot on! I had a feeling we’d beat Iran 2-0 at Lansdowne and, thanks to an outstanding display from Shay Given, that’s how it ended up.

I was too busy here to travel to Tehran, but seeing the players dancing around on the pitch took me right back to the night we qualified for Italia ’90 in Malta. We beat them 2-0 and, believe me, the celebrations were savage. The lads would’ve been mindful that they had club games to play at the weekend, but I’m sure a couple of corks were popped when the plane took off!

The most satisfied person aboard, though, would’ve been Mick McCarthy. He’d be the first to admit he’s made mistakes in the past, but tactically he got it spot on against Iran. Mick’s decision to play two up front in Tehran showed that he’s a more composed and self-assured manager than he was in previous campaigns.

Getting back to Shay – I really think he came of age over those two games. Not only is he from the same part of the country as Packie Bonner, but he dominates like him as well. He’s definitely one of my ‘Top 5 Irish Players Of The Tournament So Far’, along of course with Roy Keane who’s the main reason we’re going to the World Cup. The leadership qualities he displayed in the last game against Holland, for instance, were outstanding. He still has the odd little skirmish with people, but as both a player and a man, Roy Keane has definitely matured. Instead of running around like a headless chicken and doing his own thing, he’s aware of what’s required from the team as a whole. That’s why he demands the same high standards of the lads around him, as he does himself. He’s sometimes made out to be aloof and a loner, but in the 12 years I’ve known him he’s never been less than friendly. That said, he doesn’t suffer fools gladly or bow and jump and run when people tell him too. I wouldn’t say he’s separate from the rest of squad, but possibly he has a more defined agenda. The number one priority for Roy Keane is keeping himself well and fit, and turning in world class performances.

I tell you what – if Alex Ferguson didn’t have the respect for Roy that he has, he wouldn’t have let him play against Iran. “Fair” and “reasonable” aren’t always words I’ve used in connection with Alex but this season, especially, he’s been both. He’s a big enough man that, should Keano miss the Bayern game, he’ll go to the Man U board and explain his decision.

As for the rest of my Top 5 – he doesn’t always get the best of reviews, but I thought Richard Dunne was absolutely outstanding in the first couple of games. The same’s true of Stevie Staunton in the latter stages of the qualifying campaign. He’s taken a bit of flak for not being as quick as he used to be but – similar to myself at the end of my career – he’s compensated for that by knowing exactly where to position himself. Your legs aren’t going to get you out of trouble, so you start using your head a bit more. He’s another Roy Keane in that he’s constantly geeing the other lads up. I was forever being told to get my arse in gear by him, which is what you need.

I’m going to use my fifth choice to acknowledge one of the youngsters who was dropped in at the deep end and swam straight away, Matt Holland. It normally takes a while for players to adapt to international football, but he was brilliant from the off. It’s also good to know that if Stephen Carr’s not fit, we’ve a ready-made replacement in Steve Finnan. If he keeps improving at the rate he has, Mick’s going to have a nice little selection problem next summer!

Although he’ll have a pretty good idea of who he’s taking at this stage, I imagine there’ll be a bit of birth-cert checking over the next few months. As for young lads forcing themselves into the reckoning, there’s a big buzz around Manchester United about John O’Shea. The only thing keeping him out of the frame at the moment is a lack of Premiership experience.

I don’t want to put a downer on things, but if our involvement in the World Cup is to extend beyond the first fortnight, we need to improve in certain areas.

There’ve been too many occasions when we’ve been pulled out of position at the back. You’d have to have Ian Harte in the team for what he’s capable of going forward, but I’d worry about him against world class attackers. Present Argentina with the same number of chances that Iran had at Lansdowne, and they’d be out of sight by half-time. To be honest, we should’ve conceded a hell of a lot more goals during the qualifiers than we did. Mick’s not stupid. He knows there are frailties and will use the next six or seven months to try and sort them out.

It hasn’t all been sweetness and light this week with Jaap Stam testing positive for nandrolone. I can’t believe the Dutch lads are stupid enough to think they can get away with taking a banned substance. If it was one of them, yeah, maybe it’s a mistake, but two or three?

That extra bit of explosive power might be useful in other sports, but I can’t believe it makes you a better trapper of the ball or able to bend a free-kick round the wall. The benefits are tiny compared to the long suspension you’re going to get when you’re found out.