FORMER IRELAND INTERNATIONAL and RTÉ pundit Richie Sadlier is “very firm” in his opinion that the FAI should relieve Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane of the national team reins, but believes they remain “too expensive to be sacked” in the short to medium-term future.
Of Ireland’s nine games since play-off humiliation to Denmark last winter, they have won just once in a friendly versus the USA in June. They have scored four goals in those nine games, and have failed to score in their last four outings. O’Neill’s men have averaged 36% possession in the same period, managing just under 1.9 shots on target per game this calendar year.
A nothing-to-play for Nations League stalemate with Denmark saw Ireland fail to hit the target altogether as the Boys in Green dropped into the third tier without recording a victory.
For many, including Sadlier, is was too much to bear.
“Entertainment-wise you’re talking rock-bottom stuff”, the former Millwall striker told RTÉ, “but if you’re looking for signs of progress or signs of change, or any kind of sense that things are going to get better under the current management, there was virtually nothing at all.
“You’d be concerned about the post-match comments from the manager. I know he’s got to stress the positives and give the indication that he’s the one who can improve things, and that we should get behind him and the team with him in charge, but I’m running out of reasons to believe that things will get better.
I don’t think anyone is buying it anymore. Very few people I’ve spoken to — supporters, former players, other managers — are talking about Martin O’Neill as someone who has what it takes to get more out of this current group of players.
“Last night was a culmination of everything we know about how Martin approaches the job. Keep Martin and Roy in charge and we’ll continue to get performances like that.”
"Keep Martin and Roy in charge and we will continue to get performances like that. It is time for a change."
— RTÉ Soccer (@RTEsoccer) November 20, 2018
Strong words from @richiesadlier as he thinks Martin O'Neill can no longer get enough from the @faireland players https://t.co/kQRNwCFi0O pic.twitter.com/1fNJ7DerLk
Sadlier agrees that 2018 has been a “dismal” year for Irish football on the international front.
“It began with the manager attending job interviews with Premier League clubs,” he recalled to RTÉ. “Shortly after that, he signed a contract extension which we were led to believe he had committed to verbally two months earlier.
“We’ve won one in nine games. We’ve had a string of bad performances. Last night was a low point but it wasn’t the only one.
“Declan Rice’s appearances were the high point but that was cancelled out by his decision to step away from the squad.
“What needs to change? I think if you don’t make any kind of change, nothing will change.
Martin and Roy are too expensive to be sacked. That’s just the reality. So I think we’re going to have to get used to them being in the job. I don’t know what will change while they stay there because he [O'Neill] is a manager who gives very little public indication in his comments that he believes he needs to do differently or that he could do better. He doesn’t take a huge amount of responsibility for things that don’t go well in this Irish squad, so I can’t see things changing very quickly.
Asked to clarify that he no longer felt O’Neill and Keane were the men to lead Ireland into the upcoming European qualification campaign, Sadlier copper-fastened his stance.
“That’s absolutely my opinion,” he said. “I would be very firm in that opinion. Things went very badly wrong in that play-off against Denmark — and things can go wrong in any game. But then you’re looking for, ‘What has changed? Where has the upturn been and why?’ And, ‘What role have Martin and Roy played in that?’
“There has been no upturn, there has been no steady progress. There are no signs of improvement at all in terms of the performances, the results.
“We didn’t have a shot on target again last night. There’s no balance between trying to defend resolutely and be an attacking threat. Yeah, time for a change.”
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