- Lifestyle & Sports
- 12 Sep 08
The Georgia game showed that Giovanni Trapattoni has succeeded in making Ireland a tougher team to score against, but more difficult challenges lie ahead.
Prior to Ireland’s 2-1 victory over Georgia, I listened to Giovanni Trapattoni talk about making Ireland a harder team to beat, and it’s obvious that that’s happened. Throughout the last couple of campaigns, it had become too easy for teams – and not great teams – to score against us. It’s very pleasing to see that we now look like a unit who are going to be far harder to break down.
The two players in central midfield – particularly Steven Reid – gave us a lot more drive, and I also thought they were very effective at breaking up Georgia’s attacks. It was good to see, because Steven has had something of an indifferent time at Blackburn, where he’s not really got involved and played enough football. But against Georgia, he looked fresh and alert, and his passing was good.
Glenn Whelan didn’t do quite as well, but again, it’s about what he adds to the team when the opposition have possession. I think that was Trapattoni’s plan; to get the two central midfielders to offer more protection to the back four, who have looked vulnerable in the two previous campaigns. In that scenario, the two wingers become more important in an attacking sense.
Aiden McGeady can always create something, even when he’s not at his best. On the other flank, Stephen Hunt is a real up-and-down kind of player, and I don’t imagine he’s ever going to perform miracles. Wingers have one of the hardest jobs now in football; because full backs are so important in the modern game, they can get a rough deal. But on the night, McGeady and Hunt made solid contributions to Ireland’s performance.
From an Irish perspective, probably the most disappointing aspect was that Robbie Keane found it very hard to get involved, especially in the first half. But overall, it was a positive start to the campaign by Ireland. Unfortunately, the Montenegro game is due to be played after we go to press, but I’d assume it will be a much tougher test, which will give us a reliable indication of how far we’ve progressed.
Elsewhere, Manchester City enjoyed a dramatic upswing in fortunes with the news that the Abu Dhabi Group are to take over the club. It can’t be anything but positive for Man City, because if they can not only compete with the biggest clubs in the world, but actually outspend them, there’s no reason why they can’t achieve a top four finish in the next few seasons. The other question is whether or not the take over is good for football.
I would look at it like this: was it good for football for Manchester United to be consistently breaking transfer records in the ’80s and ’90s? There have been many clubs who have bought success, but what Abu Dhabi have brought to the table is the possibility of a different side winning. Contrary to those who think this development is bad for the game, I think it’s refreshing that a new team will have a realistic chance of competing with the top four.
Another big story in recent times was Kevin Keegan’s departure from Newcastle. Keegan was an ambitious manager, but through his determination to put so many players up for sale, the chairman was putting a gun to his head. I’m not one of those in the media who thinks Keegan was a bit of a walk-away merchant; he’s had some incredibly good sides down through the years, and I felt he’d turned things around at Newcastle, so it’s a big loss for the club.
It’s hard to see owner Mike Ashley surviving, as it’s doubtful Newcastle supporters are ever going to take to the guy who pushed Kevin Keegan into a corner. It’s hard to know if Kev will come back to management. I hope he does, because he’s got a lot to offer.