Coleman delivers but Ireland fail to fire against Turkey

There are two Republic of Ireland managers. That's according to right-back Séamus Coleman, who used the turn of phrase to describe the boss and his consigliere after the 2-1 defeat to Turkey at the Aviva.

Offered the excuse of lethargy after a long season thundering up and down the narrow confines of Goodison Park, the Donegal man refused to use it as a reason for losing, but perhaps it was the reason for his confusion in who he and his team-mates were answerable to.

Loads of excuses. It is late May. It was a non-plussed crowd. It was a game that doesn’t really matter. Long time to be together after a long old season, is that difficult?

“That depends on who you are but I feel very privileged to play for my country,” was Coleman’s unflinching response.

“I look forward to meeting up and I think everyone wants to impress the two new managers, Roy and Martin, but I don’t think they would have been impressed with that tonight.”

The two new managers. It was a respectful way of including Keane and O’Neill. Both have been managers but no Irish player ever described Marco Tardelli and Giovanni Trapattoni as the “two managers”. But again, we’re reaching after a long, largely irrelevant night.

As is the way with any game of football, it so easily could have gone the other way. The chances were there but not taken. “I think the lads realise, those kind of chances, we should be putting them away,” said the best right back in England.

“Hopefully in the next couple of games we can do that. This is our first game together, first game of the summer, so we will be looking to improve on that. As I said, I thought we played well at times. It is never nice to concede two goals but I thought we had a lot of chances in the first half.”

The main positive, again, was Wes Hoolahan. "Wes was different class tonight. That was a positive for us; get him on the ball as much as we can. Hopefully now we can improve against Italy on Saturday."

On the ball
Get him the ball like Italy will get the ball to Andrea Pirlo. Or not so much get it to him but give it back to him once he has given it to you so a rhythm can be created by him. As Italy always do with Pirlo.

“I don’t know if there are any aspects that need improving,” said Hoolahan moments after Coleman had scattered. “I thought we passed the ball well today, playing against a well-drilled Turkey team.

“If the referee gives the decision that would have been a red card and a penalty. Then obviously you go on and win the game you imagine.”

It looked like Shane Long was fouled in real time but it became more of a debate in suspended animation.

Eventually it was Hoolahan’s rocket launcher, as opposed to his cerebral shorter passes that created Jon Walters’s goal.

“It was a brilliant finish,” added the Norwich City play-maker. “He got over the top and showed good composure.”

What did Jon think of it himself?

“Great ball by Wes,” said Walters. “Took it wide on my chest and brought it back on my right. That’s what I try and do.”

He could have said: brought it back on my right and Bam! Buried it.

But he didn’t.

“It’s difficult to take when you get beat and you probably didn’t deserve to but we’ve got to move on, some tough games coming up and time to test ourselves.

“We’ve got to keep going. Play the ball a bit more, play from the back a bit more. Just up the tempo a little bit.”

Walters being of the Stoke City contingent in the squad, he is away to a wedding but will rejoin the group in America. That makes the goal more important than usual.

“Put a marker down. It’s all you can do really.”