Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrímsson has already delivered on his earliest promise

The 42

8 hours ago

IRELAND BOSS Heimir Hallgrímsson has already delivered on his earliest promise.
In August last year, at a fans' forum event before his reign officially got underway, he said: 'It's going to be down to the squad to win the games, not the individuals.
'I think the first impression of the players is really good team players, really good characters, maybe a little bit too nice.
'Sometimes you need a bastard in your team. I am looking for him.'
Essentially, Hallgrímsson was saying that he would add steel to the team.
And already, the difference is palpable.
The Icelandic coach's tenure began in disappointing fashion, with back-to-back Nations League losses against England and Greece.
But Ireland have not been beaten at the Aviva Stadium since that opening window.
Hallgrímsson has also picked up four wins from nine games. By contrast, it took Stephen Kenny 12 matches to secure his first victory.
Now, there is a sense of confidence and momentum within the squad.
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There was frustration last night at the Aviva that the winning run did not continue. But the hosts can take positives from the fact as late as the 81st minute, Ireland were beating an opposition 41 places above them in the world rankings, and who went into the fixture 20 games unbeaten.
The caveat is the strength, or lack thereof, of the side Senegal put out.
They were missing players such as the ex-Liverpool attacker Sadio Mane and Tottenham's Pape Matar Sarr.
Other high-profile performers like current and former Chelsea stars Nicolas Jackson and Kalidou Koulibaly were kept on the bench.
But the visitors still had plenty of talent within their ranks – Ismaïla Sarr, who scored the equaliser, featured in all 38 of Crystal Palace's Premier League games this season.
So Hallgrímsson was positive in his post-match press conference, and that reaction is justifiable when all the circumstances are considered.
Nearly a year into his reign, it's clear that Ireland are developing a distinctive style under the manager.
While they weren't always effective last night, it is clear that being strong on set pieces, particularly in an attacking sense, is an integral aspect of Hallgrímsson's philosophy.
Under Stephen Kenny, there was an attempt to distance the team from what some observers would regard as Ireland's traditional strengths — physicality and route one football, which virtually every manager before him, going back to Jack Charlton, embraced to a certain extent.
Hallgrímsson is more in the Martin O'Neill/Giovanni Trapattoni mode than Kenny. The latter had great faith in his players, which some would argue was misplaced, whereas the former duo didn't put the same trust in Ireland's footballers but did each qualify for a major tournament.
There were plenty of instances last night of long throws, hopeful balls forward or defenders booting it away to safety rather than trying to play out from the back — tactics that were less conspicuous in the Kenny era.
Ireland's squad largely comprises players who operate at either bottom-half Premier League clubs and Championship sides — you could argue that it is only since Hallgrímsson took charge that they are beginning to play like a lower-level Premier League or Championship team.
The Icelander, of course, has also benefited from his predecessor's willingness to blood young players. The trio of Adam Idah, Troy Parrott and Jason Knight now have 97 caps between them. That is also a sometimes underestimated but significant factor in the team's improvement of late.
But it seems as if Hallgrímsson has persuaded the players to accept their limitations rather than reaching for the stars.
Southampton's Will Smallbone hinted as much in his post-match interview, acknowledging it had been 'different' under Kenny.
'If you look at Irish teams in the past, they've always been built very big on set-pieces and making the Aviva a really tough place to come to, so I think that's what we've got to get back to.'
At times, especially in the first half, it felt like Ireland were controlling the game without the ball. There were long stretches where Senegal dominated possession without really looking capable of scoring or even threatening the opposition defence.
This new approach is also a recognition of where Irish football is, in the broader sense, in 2025. The problematic lack of resources, the absence of top-class academies and the inability to rely on English clubs to develop 16-year-olds anymore means the likelihood of producing world-class stars on these shores will decrease in the short term.
Within that context, it is easy to see why any manager would consider it unwise to embrace any policy other than staunch conservatism when it comes to the men's senior team.
Hallgrímsson may not have unearthed the definitive 'bastard' yet; rather, he has produced a team full of them.
Ireland have become horrible to play against once more, meaning top countries will no longer relish coming to the Aviva.
However, if this pragmatic approach falls flat and the Irish side fail to qualify for the World Cup, of course, Hallgrímsson won't have the same credit in the bank as Kenny's youth-oriented, expansive style afforded him. And in that hypothetical scenario, it's easy to envisage the 18-month contract the coach signed last year not being extended.
But if the Boys in Green ultimately book their tickets to the USA, as they did in '94, there won't be too many people complaining.