World Cup (play-off) fever has a hold on us ahead of Thursday’s game in Czechia, so is it safe to mention the unmentionable?
Thierry Henry.
The Stade de France
That handball.
Almost 17 years have passed but of course you remember former FAI chief executive John Delaney issuing a request to Fifa president Sepp Blatter for the Republic of Ireland to be the 33rd team at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Revelations of a €5 million payment from the world governing body to the FAI not to pursue legal action also followed.
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VAR was probably born in that Parisian moment, and while the controversy soon faded it has left a mark on the psyche of Irish football. What will it take to truly heal, especially when the wounds only deepened with that 5-1 demolition by Denmark in the 2017 play-off?
Thierry Henry's handball with Paul McShane by his side. Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Ireland had produced one of the performances of a lifetime in the French capital and were 16 minutes away from a penalty shootout before Henry’s ruinous opportunism in extra-time.
Another enduring image of that night was Henry’s sham attempt at sportsmanship, sitting solemnly on the turf alongside a bereft Richard Dunne after the final whistle blew.
Close to two decades on, though, it is not Paris and Henry and that handball which is the lingering regret for Dunne.
“We didn’t go through because of the first leg,” he says of the game in Croke Park. “That is what cost us.”
Long before the blanket defence became a scourge at GAA headquarters, Giovanni Trapattoni had mastered the art.
A deflected Nicolas Anelka strike in the 72nd minute broke Ireland’s delicate resistance in Dublin. Robbie Keane brought the sides level in Paris before Henry and William Gallas had the final say.
“Life pans out how it pans out,” Dunne tells The 42. “I suppose what stays with you the most and would be a regret is that we didn’t play in Dublin like we did in the second leg. We were more cautious, we were probably afraid of the opportunity that we had.”
Such acceptance has taken years to process. Dunne reflects now on a point when the likes of himself, Shay Given, Kevin Kilbane, John O’Shea, Keith Andrews, Glenn Whelan, Damien Duff and Robbie Keane were close to the prime of their playing careers.
“That night [in Paris] we thought we’re not going to sit off, we’re going to defend from the front and we’re going to be on the front foot and we’re not going to allow them any time. That is what gave us the foothold in the game, to be positive when we had the ball. It was a positive mindset, not just sitting back and waiting for something to happen.
“We forced them into mistakes and unbalanced them, that’s exactly what this Irish team has to do, we can’t allow the Czechs to settle and feel comfortable.”
A couple of years later there was a far more enjoyable play-off experience in much different circumstances against Estonia to reach Euro 2012. A 4-0 win in the first-leg in Tallinn sealed progression to a first major tournament since the 2002 World Cup.
“Like a lot of things in life, you have to experience the failure to understand what it means,” Dunne says.
France players celebrate their goal in the first-leg in Dublin. Cathal Noonan / INPHO
Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO
“It was an opportunity not to be missed. And because we’d missed out on the World Cup prior to that, it was 100% focus, 100%. We knew exactly what we had to do. It was all about no mistakes. Just fucking go for it. Don’t wait for the second leg. Just go and fucking do it. You know what I mean? It was just the belief.
“You can go into a play-off and a lot of the time you go in with the idea that you just can’t lose, we had the mindset that we’re going to win.
“We lost that French game because of the first leg, and the biggest thing is the fear of losing will always hold you back. You’ve got to play your game and believe that you can win because that fear will only hold you back.”
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Dunne wasn’t sensing any reservations when he bumped into Heimir Hallgrímsson at Tallaght Stadium recently. “Just speaking to him, he understands what Ireland needs to be. We’ve made some stupid mistakes and not got the basics right in some games but in recent games that looks to be getting eradicated.
“That’s what’s needed to get a foothold in the game because from there confidence will grow and the players will be able to express themselves. If Ireland play to their maximum they’re more than capable of beating the Czechs.
“As long as you keep putting the ball in the box, the opposition will make mistakes.”
Ireland players celebrate qualification for Euro 2012. Cathal Noonan / INPHO
Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO
Troy Parrott is the man Ireland are hoping can be there to take advantage, and Dunne’s praise of his fellow Dubliner is succinct.
“He knows where the goal is and he knows how to worry defenders. He’s one of those players that’s probably not the quickest, he’s not the strongest, he’s not dominant in the air, but he’s still a handful in every aspect of the game. He’s not a striker that you can work out as a defender because he can always adapt his game, he’s clever and can adapt to catch defenders out.”
Henry, of course, took that literally, as Ireland’s World Cup fate is once again in their own hands heading towards a play-off.
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'It's fear that holds you back, that's what you regret. Ireland have to believe they can win'
IS NOW A good time to bring up Paris?
World Cup (play-off) fever has a hold on us ahead of Thursday’s game in Czechia, so is it safe to mention the unmentionable?
Thierry Henry.
The Stade de France
That handball.
Almost 17 years have passed but of course you remember former FAI chief executive John Delaney issuing a request to Fifa president Sepp Blatter for the Republic of Ireland to be the 33rd team at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Revelations of a €5 million payment from the world governing body to the FAI not to pursue legal action also followed.
VAR was probably born in that Parisian moment, and while the controversy soon faded it has left a mark on the psyche of Irish football. What will it take to truly heal, especially when the wounds only deepened with that 5-1 demolition by Denmark in the 2017 play-off?
Ireland had produced one of the performances of a lifetime in the French capital and were 16 minutes away from a penalty shootout before Henry’s ruinous opportunism in extra-time.
Another enduring image of that night was Henry’s sham attempt at sportsmanship, sitting solemnly on the turf alongside a bereft Richard Dunne after the final whistle blew.
Close to two decades on, though, it is not Paris and Henry and that handball which is the lingering regret for Dunne.
“We didn’t go through because of the first leg,” he says of the game in Croke Park. “That is what cost us.”
Long before the blanket defence became a scourge at GAA headquarters, Giovanni Trapattoni had mastered the art.
A deflected Nicolas Anelka strike in the 72nd minute broke Ireland’s delicate resistance in Dublin. Robbie Keane brought the sides level in Paris before Henry and William Gallas had the final say.
“Life pans out how it pans out,” Dunne tells The 42. “I suppose what stays with you the most and would be a regret is that we didn’t play in Dublin like we did in the second leg. We were more cautious, we were probably afraid of the opportunity that we had.”
Such acceptance has taken years to process. Dunne reflects now on a point when the likes of himself, Shay Given, Kevin Kilbane, John O’Shea, Keith Andrews, Glenn Whelan, Damien Duff and Robbie Keane were close to the prime of their playing careers.
“That night [in Paris] we thought we’re not going to sit off, we’re going to defend from the front and we’re going to be on the front foot and we’re not going to allow them any time. That is what gave us the foothold in the game, to be positive when we had the ball. It was a positive mindset, not just sitting back and waiting for something to happen.
“We forced them into mistakes and unbalanced them, that’s exactly what this Irish team has to do, we can’t allow the Czechs to settle and feel comfortable.”
A couple of years later there was a far more enjoyable play-off experience in much different circumstances against Estonia to reach Euro 2012. A 4-0 win in the first-leg in Tallinn sealed progression to a first major tournament since the 2002 World Cup.
“Like a lot of things in life, you have to experience the failure to understand what it means,” Dunne says.
“It was an opportunity not to be missed. And because we’d missed out on the World Cup prior to that, it was 100% focus, 100%. We knew exactly what we had to do. It was all about no mistakes. Just fucking go for it. Don’t wait for the second leg. Just go and fucking do it. You know what I mean? It was just the belief.
“You can go into a play-off and a lot of the time you go in with the idea that you just can’t lose, we had the mindset that we’re going to win.
“We lost that French game because of the first leg, and the biggest thing is the fear of losing will always hold you back. You’ve got to play your game and believe that you can win because that fear will only hold you back.”
Dunne wasn’t sensing any reservations when he bumped into Heimir Hallgrímsson at Tallaght Stadium recently. “Just speaking to him, he understands what Ireland needs to be. We’ve made some stupid mistakes and not got the basics right in some games but in recent games that looks to be getting eradicated.
“That’s what’s needed to get a foothold in the game because from there confidence will grow and the players will be able to express themselves. If Ireland play to their maximum they’re more than capable of beating the Czechs.
“As long as you keep putting the ball in the box, the opposition will make mistakes.”
Troy Parrott is the man Ireland are hoping can be there to take advantage, and Dunne’s praise of his fellow Dubliner is succinct.
“He knows where the goal is and he knows how to worry defenders. He’s one of those players that’s probably not the quickest, he’s not the strongest, he’s not dominant in the air, but he’s still a handful in every aspect of the game. He’s not a striker that you can work out as a defender because he can always adapt his game, he’s clever and can adapt to catch defenders out.”
Henry, of course, took that literally, as Ireland’s World Cup fate is once again in their own hands heading towards a play-off.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
embrace the moment FAI Republic Of Ireland Richard Dunne world cup playoff