MARTIN O’NEILL INSISTS he is anything but downbeat at the halfway stage of Ireland’s bid to qualify for Euro 2016.
Last month’s 1-1 draw at home to Poland left the Boys in Green two points off both the second automatic qualifying spot and the play-off place with five matches played.
The Ireland boss will be hoping his British-based players come through the final stages of their club campaigns unscathed and avoid injury between now and June — when the Aviva Stadium hosts Group D rivals Scotland six days after a high profile friendly against England.
With a significant chunk of his squad plying their trade in the Championship, O’Neill will be particularly interested to see which clubs secure play-off spots as those who miss out are set for an additional month without match practice before the international fixtures.
He has discussed how best to prepare with his management team and will plan accordingly in the coming weeks.
“While the picture won’t be absolutely definitive by the weekend, it will certainly be much clearer,” he told the media in Dublin today. “I had a conversation with Roy (Keane) and the coaches about what we’re going to try and do and we’ll have another conversation after the weekend.
“There are players who will have a bit of time off from the 2 May and won’t play again, so it’s a matter of when we should get them in. But it’s the same essentially for Scotland.”
The Derryman, who says he is “excited” by the upcoming fixtures, also revealed that he is yet to speak to FAI chief executive John Delaney about extending the two-year deal he signed back in November 2013.
And while he has no plans to step down, the 63-year-old admitted that he would consider his position if Ireland went down without a fight.
“If we went out with a whimper in the competition I would have to have a look at myself,” he said. “But if we perform, show the drive and determination that we showed against Poland and for most of the qualifying campaign then I would certainly have a look at it (staying on).
“I think it (the job) is almost exactly what I expected,” he added. “It takes a bit of adjusting but it’s absolutely fine and of course if we could qualify for France, it makes it all worthwhile.”
