FOR THE MAJORITY of the conversation, John Hartson talks passionately about how good Wales were in their 4-0 World Cup qualifier win over Moldova on Monday night.
But he pauses, briefly, to veer a little off-track.
As much as he accepts Chris Coleman’s team are still basking in the aftermath of their stunning exploits in France, he is a little wary of his country having to face his former club manager further on down the road.
The Republic of Ireland don’t play Wales until March of next year but Hartson acknowledges it will be a close affair, however exciting and exhilarating Gareth Bale and co. appear to be right now.
Why? Because of Martin O’Neill.
“Wales will have the utmost respect for the Republic of Ireland because Martin O’Neill’s teams are difficult to beat”, he told The42.
“And he’s a genius. The result against Germany, the result against Italy, your win against Bosnia – only Martin produces these types of things. He really, really is…I think he’s a genius. I don’t care whether you print it. I’m not doing it to appease my ex-boss. I have that opinion of the man. I think he’s incredible – what he demands, what he gets out of every single player.
O’Neill brought Hartson to Celtic in 2001 and the striker was a phenomenon in Glasgow, scoring a bagful of goals and winning three league titles and two Scottish Cups.
But what makes him so special as a manager?
“He just gets extra from every player”, Hartson says.
“That fear of letting him down. That fear of being the one that doesn’t quite achieve. He just makes it simple.”
The ghost of Brian Clough is part of the package too. As much as the pair had a difficult relationship as a player and coach at Nottingham Forest, O’Neill has, consciously or not, borrowed from his former coach in terms of his style and idiosyncrasies.
“Martin O’Neill used to say to me: ’John, today son, when the ball comes in to you, I want you to do two things’”, Hartson says,
‘Put your foot on the ball for me – that would be very nice of you. Stick that big arse of yours – because it’s getting fucking bigger by the way – into the defender and if you could possibly, please, just for me today, give it to a green and white shirt and get yourself in the box – that’s all you’ve got to do. Don’t have 10 million things in your mind when the ball is coming into you – ‘Am I going to flick it? Am I going to play it first time?’ Put your fucking foot on that ball, allow us as a team to come up the pitch, hold a few off like you do – that’s why I fucking paid 6 million pounds for you, son – this is what you do’.
This is Martin talking to me in front of the whole dressing room. ‘And if you could just give it to a Celtic shirt’. And I said ‘Is that all I’ve got to do? Really? Of course he wants me to get in the box, he wants me to get across defenders, he wants me to win my headers, he wants me to bring people into play but that was my instructions. And he’d tell everyone the same. He’d tell Neil Lennon: ‘Don’t hit 40/50 yard passes. Give it 5 yards. Do what you’re good at, son. You never score a goal. You never make a fucking goal – just give it 4 yards’. Very Clough, very Clough”.
John Hartson was speaking at the launch of eir Sport’s European Football coverage. eir Sport will broadcast all six of Dundalk’s Europa League group games on a free to view basis. The eir Sport pack is the only place to view the rest of the Europa League action including all of Manchester United’s games and every Champions League game.
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