Sometimes it feels like we should just break up. Sure, there are times when things seem to be working out. You could even argue that there are times when we are really enjoying ourselves. But when you think about it, deep down, it hasn’t been the same in years. We don’t get excited like we used to. We don’t get goosebumps in anticipation. Where did it all go wrong?
Now if you need to copy and paste this into a text to get rid of a clingy girlfriend / boyfriend / parent, then please do so. But the above describes how I am feeling about watching Ireland take the field these days. I just can’t remember the last time that I was truly excited to see the Boys in Green go out there. It just always feels like there is a disappointment around the corner.
The Trapattoni years brought us to our first major championship in over a decade. But even when we got there, we were embarrassed and brought crashing back down to earth. The most disappointing aspect – we didn’t even make a mark in the tournament. Most of our performances were abject and forgetful. Others were embarrassing.
Since then, we have removed a manager and replaced him with a duo that most Irish fans were excited about. Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane would surely jump this old machine back to life. But to be honest, there has been little on the field to suggest that the glory days are around the corner. We have had some better performances, some glimpses of a more exciting future, but nothing concrete. Aidan McGeady’s brace against Georgia has been the highlight so far of O’Neill’s tenure. We will need more though to really get us all excited again.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing and nostalgia can at times overstate the importance of things. Even with that in mind, I still yearn for an Irish performance of old, a performance that will make us believe fanciful things again. The most recent time where we believed we could take on anyone was after that infamous night in Paris where we failed to qualify for the World Cup. Even though we did not win, there was still the sense that Ireland could do something. We had a footballing nation with much more power and resources than us on the ropes and swaying. It is not so much the result you remember, but the fact that the performance was so good that you began to believe. Sure, they are not exactly truthful thoughts, but you would believe that Ireland could compete with anyone.
Its been a long time since Paris. Every major obstacle since then has knocked us off our path. The attention in the Irish camp over the past months has been mostly on the management team and not on what is happening on the pitch. Even if the players are discussed, the same debates dominate (should Hoolihan play…..). We need something to kick-start it all again. A game against the World champions would have perked the ears of former Irish teams. A chance to prove people wrong. A chance to slay Goliath. A chance to get the fans back home excited again.
Wastepaperworthy 