As domestic and international affairs come to a close for 2016, barring Dundalk's two upcoming European games, it's a refreshing relief to be able to look back on the year with an enormous sense of satisfaction, and especially to anticipate next year with a sense that the upward trajectory will continue. Football fans from around the country will have had wish lists for the year back in January and it's quite likely that those wishes have been fulfilled in the intervening months, not least by Ireland's first successful negotiation of a group stage at the European Championships.
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| Photo credit: Reuters |
Once the frenzied partying in France and at home had dissipated, thoughts turned to the qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup and whether we could reach back-to-back major tournaments for the first time since 1990. So far, the quest to reach Russia has exceeded expectations. While we were rather fortunate to leave Serbia with a draw, Martin O'Neill's side still had to show plenty of resilience to claim a point after going 2-1 down having scored in the very first minute. The performance at home to Georgia was subdued but nonetheless we found a way to victory, which is more than what Wales could manage when they hosted the Georgians. Our first ever meeting with Moldova yielded three more points, and while it wasn't a vintage display, that night in Chisinau was about getting a job done. Also, only for a fortuitous defensive aberration, we'd have won 3-0, which is never a poor result on the road in a UEFA qualification campaign...well, it would be rather average if it came against Gibraltar or San Marino.
It was last Saturday in Vienna, though, that Ireland's qualification campaign really grew wings. Despite being a massive letdown at Euro 2016, there was still a perception that Austria were arguably the strongest team in the group. They certainly had been favourites when the draw was made in July 2015, but some unfavourable results in recent months had exposed them as rather vulnerable. Last weekend, they were pitiful. They were also embarrassing in their gamesmanship, with 6'8" striker Marc Janko repeatedly culpable of trying to con the weak Russian referee Sergei Karasev while leaving a few sly body parts in on the commendably honest Shane Duffy.
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| Photo credit: Ryan Byrne/Inpho |
For all Austria's failings, though, Ireland were excellent. O'Neill deserves kudos for changing tack at half-time from playing for a point to seizing upon the mediocrity of the opposition, which James McClean duly did shortly after the interval. Harry Arter gave a fine account of himself in his first competitive international, while Wes Hoolahan again made a decisive impact with the pass to the increasingly influential McClean, even though the Norwich veteran had a shaky match overall. Our defence was superb on the night. Robbie Brady had another fine game, although he'll have nightmares over the daft booking which rules him out of the Wales game in March. Duffy and Ciaran Clark, both of whom have had their critics, gave the best performances of their international careers. Darren Randolph was a calming, assuring presence in goal. Seamus Coleman was immense, the captain again proving that the armband inspires rather than intimidates him. It's just a pity he plays for Everton, though, which means that he's incredibly unlikely to ever sign for Liverpool!
As if the result in Austria wasn't fantastic enough, the subsequent draw between Wales and Serbia leaves us in a dream position for the remaining qualifiers. Four of our last six games are at home, and the away trips see us travel to face a thorny yet limited Georgia side and make the short hop across the Irish Sea to Cardiff. They certainly appear to be far less daunting trips than going to Turkey or Ukraine, for example. If we can defeat Wales in our next outing, we'll have a seven-point lead over Chris Coleman's side and be virtually assured of at least a play-off place with half of the qualifiers still to be played. When has an Irish team ever been in such a strong position to get to a major tournament?
The key question now is whether we can take advantage of the kind break that the fixture list has given us. Up to now, draws have generally been perceived as acceptable results, but with such a genuinely realistic chance to top a qualification group for only the third time in our history, our ambitions need to be set higher. In each of our next five qualifiers, draws won't do. O'Neill needs to set his team up to take the initiative from minute one and put further daylight between Ireland and the chasing pack. It might not be Ireland's Plan A historically, but it should become Plan A throughout 2017 if the great work up to now is not to be wasted.
It's not just on the national team front that Irish football has been riding the crest of a wave, either. The League of Ireland, which for so long has had serious credibility issues due to the maladministration of so many clubs, has enjoyed its best PR for many a year for one main reason: Dundalk FC. It seems mind-boggling that it's only been four years since the Lilywhites needed to overcome a two-legged play-off just to stay in the Premier Division, which they have now won for the third consecutive season. The turnaround in fortunes under Stephen Kenny has beggared belief, as has their fortunes in Europe this year.
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| Photo credit: Reuters |
When League of Ireland clubs enter the qualifying rounds of European competition in July, they'll generally survive one round before bowing out or fail to even progress beyond the first hurdle. In 2016, Dundalk emphatically knocked out Champions League mainstays BATE Borisov to earn a play-off against Legia Warsaw, who needed some good fortune to prevent the Louth club from becoming Ireland's first ever Champions League group stage representatives. Far from feeling sorry for themselves, though, Dundalk have worked miracles in the Europa League group stage instead. They stunned AZ Alkmaar with a late equaliser in Netherlands before a monumental win over Maccabi Tel Aviv in Tallaght. They may have lost twice to Zenit St Petersburg, but on both occasions the final score was 2-1 to a team whose resources would comprehensively dwarf the combined budgets of every League of Ireland club.
What makes Dundalk's continental exploits all the more praiseworthy is that they have not picked up results simply from 'parking the bus'. They have been enterprising in their approach while also remaining disciplined at the back for the most part, aside from a couple of fateful errors in the games against Zenit. Most impressively of all, they have been competitive against clubs of far superior resources while playing a scarcely believable 19 matches in 67 days, during which time they fended off a stern challenge from Cork City to retain their league title yet again. Game after game, they got on with the job of trying to accumulate wins and accepted the inhumane hand that they were dealt. Could you imagine players from an elite European club being asked to play so many games in such a short timeframe and not throwing their toys out of the pram? 19 games in 67 days is no bother for full-time architects like David McMillan.
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| Photo credit: Inpho |
Dundalk's exploits have done something which is rather hard to achieve in League of Ireland circles, namely unite almost every football follower in the country in genuinely wanting them to progress. With two matches remaining in Europa League Group D, they stand every chance of advancing to the knockout stages, but they will realistically need another win to finish second. When they welcome AZ to Tallaght at the end of November, Kenny's side will also face a fresh challenge in being expected to win the game. In their previous European fixtures, there was no pressure on the Lilywhites whatsoever, but with qualification tantalisingly within their grasp, a third-place finish which exceeded pre-tournament aspirations would now be regarded as an anti-climax. Plus, while they have both of their games against runaway group winners Zenit behind them, the Russians could field second-string line-ups in their fixtures against AZ and Maccabi and effectively throw those games. How sickening would it be if Dundalk were to miss out to the Dutch or Israeli club on account of Zenit playing their kids and reserves? It's the Russian club's prerogative to look after their own affairs, having earned top spot in the group, but still it would leave an awfully sour taste.
Of course, there is still the distinct possibility that Ireland won't qualify for the World Cup and Dundalk won't make it out of the Europa League group stage. However, the mere fact that we're favourites to top our qualifying group with 40% of the campaign gone (with four of our remaining six games at home), and that the Lilywhites are in with a genuine shout of making the last 32 coming to the business end of the group stage, is a cause for immense satisfaction. Even though nothing has been achieved yet, there has rarely been a more heightened feel-good sense within Irish football circles. 2016 has been a dream year for football fans in this country. 2017 has the firm potential to be even better again.
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