Maybe, in a kinder world, football ceased after the 16th of November. The last thing Irish fans would ever have to witness was the scenes of jubilation following Troy Parrot’s win in Budapest: the last feeling provided by the topsy-turvy currents of the sport was one of utter delight. Journalist Dion Fanning confessed that, in the days after the game, he found himself watching the goal back whenever he found his mood slipping ever so slightly. Such emotions have been rare for supporters not only in recent years, but probably across our entire history of competing in international football. In an attempt to caveat my own feelings, I added to my last match report a warning regarding our next game; after all, we’re not in the World Cup just yet. But this didn’t come as genuine concern, more an attempt to avoid jinxing what had been one of the great sporting moments of my time following the mighty green jersey. “Surely”, the little voice of doubt goes, “surely it can’t go on like this”.
To paraphrase former Ireland captain, manager, and staple among football memes, Mick McCarthy, maybe it can. But if that is to be seen, it will come on March 26th against the Czech Republic. Despite lacking the obvious dangermen of Portugal and Hungary, the Czech are not to be taken lightly. The squad boasts a wealth of experience in club and international football alike. The solidity of the group, the amount of time spent playing together, is often a deciding factor in games such as these. A lack thereof has been a consistent hindrance to Irish sides since the Stephen Kenny era began. This has been corrected somewhat across this qualifying campaign, but this next fixture will be an excellent litmus test for the group progress under Hallgrimson. The pressure to achieve rather than simply avoid underachieving is markedly different, and one that this group of players has yet to be faced with. Players such as Coufal and Soucek have handled this pressure at their clubs, with the rest of the opposition having their own ventures into tournament football at the last two European Championships. We’ll be hoping that our own can do the same.
Luckily for us, the Irish players are going into this fixture with that elusive X-factor of confidence. Yes, confidence in the Irish men’s football team. Stranger things have happened. Confidence and good forms for their clubs. No, really, I went over our defence before I wrote this. Twice! And I don’t only mean Caoimhin Kelleher, who is so brilliant that by now it’s reductive to even bring that up. His Brentford teammate Nathan Collins has overcome a shaky start to the season, growing in stature for a side that has surprised many in staging a push for a place in Europe next season. Jake O’Brien has shown similar form for Everton, missing only one game for David Moyes’ men in what has been a strong campaign for the Toffies. Outside of the Premier League, Liam Scales and Dara O’Shea have been in great stead for Celtic and Ipswich, helping their teams in their push for SPFL and Championship success respectively. If Seamus Coleman starts, he will be the only veteran of our trip to Hungary not carrying a decent run of form into the game, but then again Coleman turning out for Ireland is the equivalent of the Avengers thawing Captain America out of a block of ice after seventy years: ie, ready for action anyway.
Midfield is one area in which we lack obvious, discernible quality, but players such as Molumby and Cullen have never been found wanting for effort in their performances, and that’s unlikely to change in this next round of fixtures. Finn Aziz has earned some goodwill from your Deputy Sports Editor after his contributions against Hungary, but I say that only to establish that this goodwill is easily lost, so he may consider himself warned. And then comes the matter of Troy Parrot. Once again, he’ll be tasked with acting as the main focal point of attack, with Evan Ferguson set to be absent due to injury. One must have some degree of sympathy for Ferguson; despite his relatively poor returns at Roma, he is yet to underperform in an Irish shirt, and these upcoming games present another opportunity for the team to reap the rewards of his efforts in earlier matches that he will not be a part of. However, many, including the man himself, will feel that Parrot will be able to supply the necessary firepower. His form at AZ Alkamaar has been steadily improving since his exploits against Portugal and Hungary, a fact which will surely breed that ever-elusive quality of confidence in the side. Should he reproduce the same magic in the final hurdle of qualifying, this summer’s tournament will hopefully see both of our promising young strikers lining out, a tantalising prospect especially considering the team hasn’t had a consistent goalscorer since Robbie Keane’s retirement (or since Shane Duffy stopped being thrown up front in the dying minutes of games).
Assuming we are to win, either Denmark or North Macedonia await us in the final. While not wishing to be disparaging towards North Macedonia, the smart money would be on Denmark to be awaiting us on March 31st. While this group isn’t as strong as other Danish teams of recent years, they are not to be taken lightly: no chance to advance to a first World Cup in 24 years should be. However, as rare as it may be, the wind is at our backs. The hopes and expectations being placed upon the team in these upcoming fixtures are not to be treated as a burden. Disappointments have appeared in abundance across the past ten years of following the national team; some have come as part and parcel of the sport, some have been genuine embarrassments (the 1–0 against Luxembourg in 2021 wakes me up some nights). Now comes the opportunity to break the cycle rather than succumb to it once more. Budapest may prove to be a stepping stone rather than the peak.
