‘It does make me proud' – Jim Crawford on helping Irish football's young guns develop for the future
As Jim Crawford sits back in the FAI's press conference room, the two TV screens behind him are showing the Ireland U-21 squad he announced yesterday morning ahead of the June double-header against Croatia and Qatar, the group's last camp before Euro 2027 qualifying kicks off in September.
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RTÉ News
15 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Robbie Brady buoyed by Irish growth amid World Cup dreams
The renaissance of Robbie Brady's career has even taken the Dubliner a little by surprise. In 2021, his time at Burnley came to an end and there were fears that the trajectory would be only downward. The FAI provided a fitness plan before a season with Bournemouth in the Championship was hampered by injury. Preston North End took a fancy to Brady in the summer of 2022 and while the first season saw regular first-team football, he began to fade from the international picture, Stephen Kenny looking elsewhere despite Ireland's struggles. Brady could only control his own form at Deepdale, but admits it was a challenging time as he was outside the tent for the entire Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. "You have to keep a level head and keep that belief in yourself," he told RTÉ Sport's Tony O'Donoghue. "It was all about getting myself back in good shape and contention. I never stopped believing I could do that." Did he think he may have played his last game in green? "At one point I did. I think a lot of people had written me off and thought they might never see me again, and maybe a couple of times I thought that myself." With Kenny exiting the Irish hotseat, Brady's former team-mate John O'Shea was brought in to steady the ship before a permanent appointment. Brady's previous contributions in an Ireland shirt, plus his consistent form at wing-back for Preston saw his re-introduction to the international arena. A little over 12 months later and the 33-year-old has penned a new deal with Preston – a 12-month deal signed last month – and was crowned the men's senior player of the year earlier this week. Heimir Hallgrimsson has liked what he has seen, with Brady's value clear for all to see with his goal and assist in a vital 2-1 defeat of Finland last year. "I felt I had a good time last year with Ireland. I didn't expect to win it (the award), but I'm delighted I did." Brady doesn't gloss over the "sticky period" Ireland endured over the past few years, suggesting the game-management and the know-how in getting over the line was lacking. Momentum has been building following back-to-back Bulgaria wins in March, and Hallgrimsson's side have now won four of their last six matches, with a chastening night at Wembley also in the mix. Brady says the mood music in the camp – a point also made by striker Adam Idah this week – is changing. "It's the confidence each one of them has in themselves is a little different to previous years. They have a lot of belief in themselves and a lot of them are playing fantastic football at club level. "Putting a few results together and getting a bit of momentum is so important, especially at international level. "It's difficult when you're not picking up results, it's dampening for the supporters. What it means to people when we are winning, you can sense it, you can feel it. The whole mood changes, not only in the camp, but outside it." Tonight's friendly against Senegal follow by a meeting with Luxembourg are the latest games allowing Hallgrimsson find out a little more about his squad, and in particular those on the periphery of the team looking to stake claims for starting berths with September's World Cup qualifiers against Hungary and Armenia on the horizon. The Icelander is bidding to lead the Boys in Green to a first World Cup since 2002. Should he manage to achieve that, a huge travelling support would be expected to flock to North America. Brady – the match-winner against Italy in Lille and an early goalscorer in the 2-1 defeat to hosts France – has happy memories of Ireland's last appearance at a major tournament at Euro 2016, and has allowed himself to think of what next summer could look like. "It's exciting thinking about it," he said. "What a lift it would give everyone, to be part of a tournament like that. We have seen in previous tournaments, the fans have travelled in mad numbers. If we could manage to quality, it would be absolutely incredible."
Irish Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Almost a year in and Heimir Hallgrímsson's message is sinking in
First, there was his January plan and a tantalising prospect of a winter trip to the Caribbean to blood players, mainly from the League of Ireland. Heimir Hallgrímsson floated that one around the time of his appointment last July. The financial reality of his employers, the FAI, put an end to that idea, which he had hoped would have given him extra time on the training pitch. The Ireland manager has often expressed his frustration at the lack of 'boots on the ground' time he gets with his players - a situation exacerbated when his hopes for a May training camp were dashed. So how has he managed to get his message across in the short space of time that he has had to date with them? Keep it simple! For many of the sessions he does get, there are restrictions on workloads because of proximity to club games and the tight turnaround between international games. Yet his experience at international level - with Iceland and Jamaica - has taught him the most efficient ways to communicate his philosophy, and how to tailor his methods to suit the personnel involved. So he has seen improvements and he has been able to identify areas in need of improvement. Hallgrímsson said: 'I would say we have taken a step both defensively and in attack, we have tried to simplify things, some things we like to repeat all the time. 'Some things the players are starting to understand, what to think when you win the ball, where to look, our identity is clearer and clearer every camp we play and we try to hammer that home. 'As I have said often, going to a club, playing for your club for three months and then coming in for a week with the national team that's the most important thing, to try and sink in how we should think as a team, defend as a team, what are the principles here. 'That's the most important thing in a national team, that the principles are 100 percent. 'If you don't have the basics, then details don't matter. We try to hammer in the basics, in our principles defending and our principles in attack. 'Hopefully we see it, but we see it when we analyse the game, show them the clips of the good things that are happening. 'It's because they are thinking now more and more the same way.' He added: 'We wanted to have a camp in May to add knowledge to more players, see new faces and rock the boat. 'We've been more or less picking a similar squad so when we lost out on the May camp we still opened spots for new players to come in.' After the March play-off success against Bulgaria, Hallgrímsson is eager to keep Ireland's winning start to 2025 going and to keep momentum building into September's World Cup qualifiers against Hungary at home and in Armenia. However, he said: 'I wouldn't mind losing both these games if we won both games in September if you are thinking about it that way. 'Obviously we want to win all of our matches and we go to every match to win it. We have a good squad now and we are going to go for it, for sure.' One newcomer who hopes to play his way into Hallgrímsson's September plans is Stade Reims midfielder John Joe Patrick Finn. The Icelander recalled how Finn - Spanish born and also eligible for Cameroon - quickly assured him of his commitment to Ireland. 'Yeah, we obviously watched him and analysed him before I went to meet him. My question was is he thinking Ireland or is he thinking something different,' said Hallgrímsson. 'That was probably the first question before we spent more time on him. 'He wanted to commit to Ireland, I think he had two or three other nations to choose from and that is something as an Association we need to look at because there are going to be a lot of dual nationalities in the future. 'And then coming into the camp, I think he was in a good condition, it was unlucky coming in they lost a play-off match so they got relegated on the last day of the season. 'But a good kid, he obviously has to grow a little bit more as a player to be starting for Ireland, but we thought it was a good moment to look at him, to see him and he's done well in training. 'But we see he needs to improve in certain areas and that is the message to take home.'
The 42
11 hours ago
- The 42
'This one means a little bit more to me' - Robbie Brady's admirable Irish comeback
TURN THE CLOCK back to St Patrick's Day, 2017, as Robbie Brady picked up the FAI's senior men's player of the year for the first time. Brady won it for his exploits across 2016, which reached a heady peak with that headed goal against Italy on a tear-soaked night in Lille. A subsequent penalty against France at the last-16 phase at Euro 2016 made Brady only the second Irish player to score more than one goal at a major tournament – Robbie Keane, obviously, came before him – and by the time he was collecting his award, Brady had recently turned 25 and was back in the Premier League, signing for Burnley in a club record deal. If this feels like a different era, it's because it was. Back then, the FAI's awards were a live broadcast held in RTÉ studios, whereas now the ceremony aspect has been junked in the Association's era of austerity, and a few hardy souls in the FAI have battled to retain an awards programme at all. And so when Brady won the award for a second time for this week, the announcement was made by John O'Shea at a team meeting ahead of Friday's friendly against Senegal. The only camera in the room belonged to the FAI, who captured Brady's brief acceptance speech. Advertisement 'This is brilliant, I didn't expect to win it. . . shows how shite youse have all been if I'm winning this!' Brady sat beside Heimir Hallgrimsson for Thursday's pre-match press conference, and reflected on his second award win. 'This one means a little bit more to me', he said. '2016 I was a lot younger and playing really well at the time. Not that I expected to win then because I was in a really good team, but I was in really good form. 'To come back now, after a little time out, the group and staff have helped me to get back to a level where I feel comfortable. I am playing some good football at the minute, and really enjoying it, so it means a lot to me.' A little time out is an understatement. Injury meant Brady played just three times for Ireland between he made just three appearances for Ireland between June 2021 and March 2024, missing the entirety of the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign. One of those injuries came in a March 2021 friendly against Qatar, which sidelined him for so long he was left as a free agent after his contract at Burnley expired. Thus during the summer of the first Euros since 2016, Brady was training alone with the Irish team's fitness coach at the AUL complex close to Dublin airport. He eventually signed for Bournemouth in October, and then had to go on trial to convince Preston to sign him the following summer. It was a good decision on Preston's part: Brady's made a hundred appearances for the Championship club and signed a new contract at the end of this season. 'Listen, it is just about working hard and getting back to what I can do myself', says Brady. 'I've loved every minute of being back in here, under a spotlight. 'Obviously there are doubts around that time when you are not getting a call-up. I wasn't fit at the time but I knew if I could get myself fit and looked after my body, and I got back playing, the rest was down to me to perform. I managed to do that and I never lost belief that I could get myself back. It was down to a fitness thing. I don't think you just forget how to play football. If I'm fit I can perform and I've managed to do that since I've come back in.' He has also established himself as integral to Hallgrimsson. The Irish manager decided to omit most of his Championship players from this squad, given their regular season ended a month ago. There are three exceptions: Jason Knight and Max O'Leary – whose seasons were extended by play-off involvement – and Brady, who is the only Championship player included whose season ended on 3 May. 'First of all he is a good footballer, but for us with his experience, his knowledge, his character, his leadership skills, it is really important for us to have a player like him because we have such a young squad that is lacking the experience we need to play on the big stage', says Hallgrimsson. 'We are really fortunate to have him. [Matt Doherty] as well, similar age, similar experience, so all teams need quality players and leaders like him.' Now 33, Brady knows his second act as an Irish international will not be infinite, which gives an urgency to World Cup qualifying later this year. 'There's no lying about it, I'm not getting any younger. But, like I said, the team we have now, it's a physical young team, and it suited me to come in and sort of play the role I've played. It's been great for me. 'We'll be looking forward to this tournament, we'll be looking to start well and hopefully qualify. But yeah, I'll be looking at this as probably the last, there are no secrets about it.'
