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The Irish Sun
3 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Josh Honohan aims to seize Republic of Ireland chance after harsh lesson at Shamrock Rovers
JOSH HONOHAN has never been one for setting lofty goals - but he is about meeting high standards. The 2 Josh Honohan will be hoping to make his international debut for Ireland 2 Prior to Honahan's call up to the Ireland squad - his club manager Stephen Bradley claimed his 59 minutes against Galway United were the worst he had seen from the player His call-up was not a big shock to But his final game for Rovers before joining up with the Ireland squad was not one of his best. In fact, Bradley claimed his And Cork-man Honohan accepted the criticism knowing he has to raise his game. READ MORE ONN GAA He said: 'Look, the manager has been here for a good couple of years now and a massive reason the club has been so successful is that the manager has set the standard in the club. 'He does set high standards, he holds lads accountable and when you do come off that standard, like last Friday, he holds people accountable. 'And that's the standard he has and that's the standard I have for myself. The other night I didn't have my best game. 'The gaffer is very supportive of me, he's one of my biggest supporters. Most read in Football 'But I'm just focused now on the next game after that, trying to improve and getting back to that standard.' That his next game could be in the green of Ireland rather than the green and white of Shamrock Rovers would be a dream come true. Shamrock Rovers snap up Northern Ireland Under-21s goal-getter as Stephen Bradley gives exciting verdict In doing so, he would also become just the sixth home-based player this century to play for Ireland, after Glen Crowe, Jason Byrne, Joe Gamble, Graham Burke and Jack Byrne. And Honohan is well-aware of the lofty company, and why his own standards must be high. He said: 'The league has been improving every year, I think everyone would agree on that. 'I think you just see that first of all how much the teams have improved over the last couple of years and the players coming into the league. 'You can just do as well as you can for the club that you're playing for at the time and hope you get the opportunity. 'The league has been improving but the lads here are obviously playing at a very high level as well. 'Look, you're hopeful you get the opportunity, the manager, he's at a lot of the games, he's a big interest in the league. 'He picks the team, he picks the squad, it's his decision at the end of the day.' But even as he now settles into a squad in the Castleknock Hotel and in training in Abbotstown, he does not allow himself to dream too much. Honohan, 24, continued: 'To be honest, I do set small goals, but I don't set massive long-term goals. 'You have to do well at your club first. With Shamrock Rovers we did really well in Europe last year, that gives you an advantage, you're playing against high level teams. 'I just focus on one game at a time, and I think if you focus on one game at a time, consistently play well, and hopefully get the rewards down the line. 'You more just dream it and you just try to work as hard as you can, be disciplined and committed. 'And it sounds really cliché, but you just take one game at a time and try to do as well as you can and hope you get the opportunity. 'I'm just delighted to be here. It's a dream. Now that I am here, the aim is to do well in training. If I can make an appearance, do as well as I can, and stay here.' Few would bet against Honohan not doing that given how he has progressed through his career. Now 24, his signing for Rovers from relegated Cork City at the start of last season - the Hoops paid a fee for him - was not viewed as a statement signing. Honohan himself acknowledges that he has probably been a late developer. LATE BLOOMER He continued: 'When I came to Shamrock Rovers, I think I did an interview and one of the first things I said was that I just want to be the best player that I can be. 'I'm hopeful to do that, if you can achieve that, that's kind fo a dream, to do as well as you can. 'I never went to the UK, I've always been in Ireland. I played with Carrigaline United until I was 16 and I was lucky I had great coaching down there. 'And then I went to Cork City, the academy there, had brilliant managers there and I think that is definitely something that helped me. 'Having versatility playing different positions, I was lucky enough to have brilliant managers and coaches to help me with that in the academy. 'And then I played with Cork and came to Shamrock Rovers last year, and the standards they set, the manager, and the rest of the staff there have improved me. 'The coaching I've had since I was young has always been at a really high level, I've never been to the UK, but I've never looked at it like it was a negative.'
RTÉ News
8 hours ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
Richie Towell: Stephen Bradley's criticism of Josh Honohan's display against Galway United would have been better kept in-house
Richie Towell believes Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley should have kept his post-match critique of Josh Honohan's performance against Galway United in-house rather than commenting publicly. The 0-0 draw at Tallaght Stadium was the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division league leaders' final fixture before the mid-season break, ending what had been a five-game winning run, with Honohan now linking up with the Republic of Ireland senior squad after earning his maiden international call-up. Honohan was hauled off after an hour with his manager Bradley later criticising the defender's performance levels in the game as well as that of the team at large. "He was awful. That's the worst I've seen Josh. That's the worst I've ever seen him," Bradley told the newspapers afterwards. "He was extremely poor. It's not nice (to be taken off) but he's been brilliant for us. He's obviously got his call-up, deserved it. He's doing great, well done, but tonight he was a million miles off what he has been in every aspect. It's not good enough. "It's not good enough for us, it's not good enough for Ireland, I'm sure. It's not good enough for anyone. He's been playing at an incredibly high level, but you can't come off as much as… and it wasn't just him, it was the whole team in the first half, but Josh was really poor. I'm quick enough to give him credit and you have to call it straight, it wasn't good enough." Bradley has generally been generous in his praise of his players and the criticism after the Galway game could be interpreted as a means for the Hoops manager to remind his squad to keep standards up. However, former Rovers midfielder Towell, who played alongside Honohan, told this week's RTÉ Soccer Podcast that while a manager has every right to let his players know when he's not happy with them, criticism of players being made publicly beyond the confines of the dressing room and training ground isn't always necessary - especially with a player of Honohan's commitment levels. "Normally, I'm sure all the lads found out even before it got to a newspaper or a journalist or anything like that because I'm sure when Stephen came in, straight after the game or maybe even at half-time - he probably earmarked it at half-time - (to the players, telling them) 'get your finger out here, you're not doing good enough'. But I don't really like the public side of it, coming out and doing it, for me," the former Dundalk and Rovers' title winner said. "Listen, I understand doing that if you have a type of player who is a Big Time Charlie, who doesn't come into training on time, doesn't work hard and is kind of going through the motions. But Josh is anything but that. "He's always one of the first ones into training, anything he gets asked to do in the gym he does it. On the pitch, he works tirelessly hard and his performances have been really good. "For a young lad like Josh after getting his first international call-up, I'm sure this last ten days have been a bit of a whirlwind, his emotions are probably all over the place. "So for him to have a little bit of a dip in performance, that can be natural as well. So for Stephen to come out, and he hammered him to be fair, I don't really like that. "You can do that in-house, tell (Honohan) what you think but for me, you have a player who gives you absolutely everything, who works really hard and who's not this Big Time Charlie who thinks he's bigger and better than the team. I don't think you need to do that with a player like him. "So it's a little bit disappointing to see that because Josh has been incredible for him and he will be going forward as well." Also speaking on the podcast, former Shelbourne league winner Alan Cawley gave his take on Bradley's decision to air his criticism publicly. "I often think when managers do that, it's not just sending the message to Josh, it's almost sending the message to all the other players in the squad as well, that you're not allowing anybody to get too big for their boots and I think that was probably the reason behind it also," he said. "Even though he did that, I'm sure Stephen Bradley is over the moon with certainly the recent run of form that they've had in terms of picking up the amount of wins they have and also sitting pretty at the halfway stage."
The Irish Sun
9 hours ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Ollie Horgan happy with Galway United's ‘good point' and clean sheet against Shamrock Rovers during ‘bad run'
OLLIE HORGAN knows good habits are as easy to keep as bad habits are to break. So the assistant boss hopes Galway United's first clean sheet in 11 can be the start of something positive once again. United drew It has been a rollercoaster season for the Tribe, who had a chance to go top of the table just last month. But Horgan insisted that maintaining their good form is about getting the right habits, having experienced all the ups and down while managing Finn Harps. He said: 'Winning can be a habit and losing can be a habit. I've been there. Read more in League of Ireland 'I remember going seven games and didn't win any. And then when the knives were out, we won the next three. 'And we stayed up comfortably, albeit in a different club. It's easier said than done. 'It's always a good changing room. But when you're on a bad run, it's very difficult to turn. Confidence is something that you can't really buy. But when it turns . . . 'The last place you felt that we'd get a clean sheet was away in Tallaght. But that's the way it's happened. But it's still only a point. Most read in Football 'But we've been here with moral victories over the years with different teams. At least it's a point. 'And I don't think anyone will begrudge us the point. It's not like it was daylight robbery. It certainly wasn't. Bruno Fernandes sent message by ex-Premier League star over Al-Hilal transfer 'But we had a bit of luck maybe last weekend more so. And we stumbled over the line against Cork. 'And the training on Sunday morning was bright and breezy. And you knew that we would take a cut off it.' Horgan is correct in his view that Galway deserved their point despite offering little in attack. The visitors defended well to limit their rivals to very few chances. Horgan added: 'I felt we were organised. We kept our discipline. We gave away very few free-kicks. 1 The Tribesmen have only recorded one win of their last six league games 'Often up there you tire as the game goes on. But we freshened it up. Now, we ran our luck a little bit. 'Had we any chance on the counter? Probably very little to be blunt. But at the same time, Shamrock Rovers weren't overly blessed with chances. 'I would like to see the possession stats, but sometimes it goes out the window when you're defending deep and playing on the counter. 'We defended crosses, we blocked shots. And we dealt with even their substitutions. Rory Gaffney came on and he's been a thorn in our side over the years. 'But we dealt with him as well. Look, it's a good point. It's only a point. But it's still a good point, obviously, away from home in Tallaght.' With the international break upon us, players have also been given a week off for rest and recovery. And Horgan believes that time off at this time of the season is important. He added: 'That's set in stone since the start of the season. The lads are going away with their families and partners. You can't stop them. 'I know there's a bit of talk as regards is it right or wrong? I think, that we are all thankful of the break, especially when you're on a bad run.'
The 42
3 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
'He was awful, that's the worst I've seen Josh' - Shamrock Rovers star heads for Ireland duty on a low
STEPHEN BRADLEY ADMITTED he was considering making substitutions after five minutes of his side's 0-0 draw with Galway United last night. The first player to be hooked by the Shamrock Rovers boss was Josh Honohan 14 minutes into the second half. The defender will link up with the Republic of Ireland this weekend after earning a place in the international squad for the upcoming friendlies with Senegal and Luxembourg. Advertisement Head coach Heimir Hallgrímsson and assistant John O'Shea were both at Tallaght Stadium to see what Bradley described as Honohan's low point in the League of Ireland. 'He was awful. That's the worst I've seen Josh. That's the worst I've ever seen him. I've watched him for Cork [City], obviously before we signed him, we signed him here. That's the worst I've seen him. He was extremely poor,' Bradley said. 'It's not nice but he's been brilliant for us. He's obviously got his call-up, deserved it. He's doing great, well done, but he was a million miles off what he has been in every aspect and it's not good enough. 'It's not good enough for us, it's not good enough for Ireland, I'm sure. It's not good enough for anyone. He's been playing at an incredibly high level but you can't come off as much as… and it wasn't just him, it was the whole team in the first half. But Josh was really poor. I'm quick enough to give him credit, and you have to call it straight. It wasn't good enough. 'It wasn't [just] him. There was so much in it. You look at the first five minutes we had four or five goal kicks and Galway end up on attack off every one of them. It was so sloppy what we were doing. 'It wasn't just him.. It was the team, as a whole, it was really, really poor. We know that. We know our standards, we know our levels and Galway deserved credit. But we were poor.' Bradley said Galway were full value for their point and even with a six-point lead at the top of the Premier Division heading into the mid-season break the Hoops' boss was adamant it'd be foolish to step off the gas despite some proclaiming the title race close to being completed. 'We've been around long enough. We've won so much and achieved so much, and broke so many records, because we know that's nonsense. 'In May, talking about leagues being over. If you believe that, you might as well go home. That's not this league. That's not how this operates. It's not any league. It's not this league. First-half felt like that, felt like we thought we'd be okay. 'The players have been excellent to this point. But, like I said, the first half we were so far off what we have been. We were slow, we were sloppy in everything we did in and out of possession, we weren't seeing pictures clearly enough, quick enough. 'And again, Galway deserve credit, they deserve a lot of credit. But we need to analyse it and try and understand why we were so far off it.'
The 42
3 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
Galway United earn a draw to end Shamrock Rovers' winning run at the top
Shamrock Rovers 0 Galway United 0 SHAMROCK ROVERS STUTTERED to a stalemate against Galway United but after five successive wins it means this draw will only feel like a missed opportunity heading into the mid-season break rather than something more dramatic. The Hoops remain six points clear at the top of the Premier Division, the same advantage they had at the start of the night with Drogheda United and Bohemians leading the chasing pack. Galway were full value for the point and it's a sign of the division's strength they only jumped one place to seventh as a result. Frustrating nights like this felt like they had a greater consequence for Stephen Bradley's side last season, as their grip on the title was loosened. Now they are the pace setters and as they drove forward looking for a late winner it was more in hope than desperation. Had they managed to nick it in one of the five minutes of added time then maybe it would be looked back on as a significant night, instead it may well be quickly forgotten as players break until mid June. The best moment of the first half came on 26 minutes when Aaron McEneff ghosted into the box off the shoulder of David Hurley and produced an eye-catching bicycle kick from 12 yards after being picked out by Danny Grant's cross on the right. The ball fizzed over the bar but between the sight of his body contorting in mid air and the sweet connection it was enough to awaken the crowd from a midsummer night slumber. It felt like one of those lazy evenings, not due to any lack of industry or effort, merely activity in either box. Advertisement As the half wore on and Galway nullified the league leaders, the natural subplot to follow was the impact of Josh Honohan down Rovers' left. He links up with the senior Republic of Ireland squad this weekend ahead of the friendlies with Senegal and Luxembourg. His international debut will surely come and manager Heimir Hallgrímsson and assistant John O'Shea were in Tallaght Stadium to take in proceedings. He fed one nice pass for Graham Burke to deliver a dangerous cross after nine minutes but other than that his most telling contributions were forgettable ones; mis controlling a diagonal switch of play out for a Galway throw and then being needlessly caught offside when he was looking across the line. This is the kind of scrutiny that comes for any Ireland player, especially one who it seems is about to take the next step in his club career as clubs in the United Kingdom step up their interest. Bradley acknowledged as much this week, admitting it will be a battle to keep hold of the defender this summer, but he still had no qualms about substituting him for 16-year-old Victor Ozhianvuna on 59 minutes after a below par start to the second half. Rovers' Josh Honohan with Jeannot Esua. Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO Rovers' biggest threat before half time came from the other side when right wing back Danny Grant drove forward, then cut across the 18-yard box before forcing Evan Watts to push his left-footed shot around the post. That remained Rovers' only shot until a tame Michael Noonan header drifted over the bar on 67 minutes. Two penalty appeals had been turned down either side of the break by referee Kevin O'Sullivan. The first was a Burke shot from distance that ricocheted off Rob Slevin's thigh onto his arm, before a coming together between Burke and Greg Cunningham on 54 minutes led to the Hoops forward going down in the area. The hosts remained frustrated and John Caulfield's men resolute, but Bradley could at least turn to quality off the bench to try and find a breakthrough. As well as Ozhianvuna – who is seemingly bound for Arsenal – coming on, last season's player of the year, Dylan Watts, replaced Jack Byrne, and playmaker Danny Mandroiu got the last half hour in place of McEneff. Veteran Aaron Greene also got the nod when Noonan's race was run for the last quarter of an hour, with defender Adam Mathews also withdrawn for striker Rory Gaffney. But with Cian Byrne sitting in front of the Galway defence, and Vince Borden supplementing that defensive work alongside David Hurley and Patrick Hickey, space was congested in the final third. Galway also began to sense more opportunities on the counter and with set-pieces to add another layer of danger. Ozhianvuna had two shots from the near the edge of the box, neither of which found the target, and for the final 10 minutes it was one-way traffic. Galway, though, were doing a great job of creating a bottleneck and Rovers had no way through. Shamrock Rovers: Ed McGinty; Adam Mathews (Rory Gaffney 76), Roberto Lopes, Cory O'Sullivan; Danny Grant, Matt Healy, Jack Byrne (Dylan Watts 69), Aaron McEneff (Danny Mandroiu 59), Graham Burke, Josh Honohan (Victor Ozhianvuna 59); Michael Noonan (Aaron Greene 69) Galway United: Evan Watts; Jeannot Esua, Garry Buckley, Rob Slevin, Greg Cunningham (Robert Burns 57); Patrick Hickey, Cian Byrne, Ed McCarthy, David Hurley (Conor McCarthy 76), Vincent Borden (Stephen Walsh 89); Moses Dyer (Killian Brouder 89). Referee: Kevin O'Sullivan. Attendance: 6,204.
