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John O’Shea looks right at home on first day at the Ireland interim office

O’Shea was delighted with Evan Ferguson’s reaction to his missed penalty in 0-0 draw against Belgium

Republic of Ireland interim manager John O’Shea gives advice to Dara O'Shea during the friendly match against Belgium at the Aviva Stadium. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho

Gavin Cummiskey at the Aviva Stadium
Sat Mar 23 2024 - 20:42

It’s the way John O’Shea tells ‘em.

Post match at the Aviva Stadium, the interim Republic of Ireland manager exuded the confidence and displayed the tactical knowledge required to become manager on a permanent basis.

“I don’t know how many years ago I started planning to coach. I’ve always had the taste to be a manager at some stage. It’s a roundabout way that it happened this time but I’ve always had a taste for it.”

The former Manchester United stalwart communicates with a calming assuredness, especially when he absolved his 19-year-old Premier League striker of blame for missing two chances to beat Belgium in Dublin.

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Evan Ferguson had a fine game, O’Shea noted, immediately bouncing off powerful Belgian defenders Koni De Winter and Wout Faes after his first-half penalty was saved by Matz Sels.

“When you’ve a top striker in your team, it’s straightforward. He’s your penalty taker.”

Yet when Arthur Vermeeren handled in the Belgian box, Robbie Brady took possession of the ball, almost to give Ferguson a chance to avoid taking the spot kick. It has, after all, been 119 days since his last goal for Brighton.

“Evan would have been on the penalties, that would have been Robbie protecting the taker type of scenario,” O’Shea explained. “It was just unfortunate, Ev had a little slip just before he knocked it, so it would have put him off.

“A youngster stepping up like that, it shows the courage he has and he didn’t let it affect him. He knocked into the centre backs as soon as he could again and got his confidence going, it’s one of those things.

“He was unlucky with one where he was in a great position in the second half as well. That’s what we talked about at half-time, about the reset, going at Belgium as quickly as we could. And [we] worked a nice little kick-off, and it was a really great ball from Robbie, just a touch too high and maybe Evan could have timed it a bit better but it was a touch too high, he was unlucky but it was a well-worked move.”

Any words for Ferguson afterwards? “It was straightforward. He will be ready to go as soon as we need him to. He will have another spell five or six years down the line with a couple of months without a goal, it happens to top strikers. As soon as he gets on the goal trail he will back on a run.”

O’Shea has always been an impressive figure but sitting in the Aviva press room after a scoreless draw against a Belgian side that expects to win this summer’s Euros in Germany, he sounded exactly like the type of person Irish football needs.

Belgium goalkeeper Matz Sels saves a penalty by Evan Ferguson. Photograph: Ryan Byrne/Inpho

Before FAI director of football Marc Canham appointed Eileen Gleeson as the women’s manager last December, the association briefed the media that she would not be appointed on a permanent basis.

Like O’Shea, Gleeson was filling a gap. Then her Ireland team started winning matches and now she is in charge until Euro 2025.

Canham has spoken about the same “robust, confidential” process being in place to recruit a men’s manager to replace the caretaker next month.

“It’s a frustrating one,” said O’Shea of Ireland’s failure to score after fashioning chances for Ferguson and Chiedozie Ogbene. “You appreciate Belgium had a decent bit of possession but we felt beforehand we wouldn’t mind that as we knew the damage we could create against them on the break.

“If we take those chances when they arrive in the game, it would open up Belgium and we could exploit it even more. Frustrating one in that sense, you’re playing Belgium in Dublin, you’d take a clean sheet but a little bit disappointed in the end too.”

Before O’Shea’s media sitting, Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco was pressed by visiting reporters to explain how the fourth-ranked country in the world struggled to deal with a football nation ranked 62nd.

“Low rhythm, no sharpness,” was how Tedesco described the game.

O’Shea responded: “What, no sharpness from his team? We had the best chances, we were aware beforehand that they would go with that 4-3-3 shape.”

Afraid of anyone on the Ireland team?

“No,” Tedesco said. “I am never afraid of anyone.”

It’s been a long, underachieving period for the Red Devils’ golden generation and the young coach has yet to convince Belgians he is the man to deliver at a major tournament.

“The Euros are coming,” Tedesco added. “We need ideas. I got a lot of important information from the game. We have some big decisions to make.”

The FAI has a big decision to make themselves. Unless it has already been made. The robust, confidential process continues but O’Shea looked the part on his first night as the gaffer.

Gavin Cummiskey

Gavin Cummiskey

Gavin Cummiskey is The Irish Times' Soccer Correspondent

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