MARTIN O’NEILL SAYS he was viewed as an “outsider”, called “a Northerner”, and became a “figure you tend to hate” during his reign as Republic of Ireland manager.
O’Neill raises the issue in his new autobiography, ‘On Days Like These’, and addressed it further in an interview with Steven Beacom in today’s Belfast Telegraph.
The Co. Derry native said that Roy Keane, whom he appointed as Ireland assistant boss upon his taking the managerial seat in 2013, eventually arrived at the same conclusion about the external perception of O’Neill’s background.
Referring to Ireland’s 5-1 World Cup play-off second-leg defeat to Denmark at the Aviva Stadium in November 2017, O’Neill told The Belfast Telegraph: “The Denmark result became a point for the Republic media to throw everything at you in terms of criticism. It was kind of storing up a little bit.
The truth is this: there were a number of times that I was called ‘the Northerner’ or ‘the outsider’ and I was treated in many ways the same way as [Giovanni] Trapattoni eventually became: one of those figures you tend to hate. I think that was it.
“My persona didn’t seem to fit with them throughout the time,” added the 70-year-old, “and I’m even going back to heavy criticism in the early stages of our 2016 European campaign when we were in the same group as Germany, Poland, Scotland and Georgia.
“When we only drew with Scotland in Dublin and we still had plenty of matches to go, the criticism was very heavy at that stage but we made it through.
“I think if you are viewed as a bit of an outsider to begin with then it’s hard, regardless of results being okay, to win them back again. That would be my thoughts on it.”
O’Neill, who was also joined by Keane when he took the reins at Nottingham Forest following his Ireland sacking, said that his assistant manager was initially reluctant to believe that O’Neill was viewed differently because he was from the North, but would later agree with his manager.
The two-time European Cup winner also denied that he has an “arrogant streak”, but acknowledged that such an impression may have contributed to his allegedly not being accepted by portions of the media or the Irish football public.
“I mention this in the book: when, initially, I said to Roy Keane I was considered a bit of an outsider and he wasn’t so sure to begin with but as time wore on, he was absolutely convinced of it.
“At the end of the day I’m maybe not blameless. I think they felt I had an arrogant streak about me. I think that’s been called a few times but that’s absolutely and utterly far from the case.
“The result against Denmark was treated as if it was the first match of the group rather than a play-off game to get to the World Cup.”
