Three games to go, in second place, five points ahead of our nearest challenger, the signs point ever closer to a first appearence on football’s biggest stage since the dazed, confused, and emotional Summer of 2002.
At the heart of this is one Richard Dunne. Once called the ‘honey monster’ he now stands as a figure of defiance to all who might consider this Irish team an also ran incapable of lasting the pace on the dim, cold road of qualification. A qualification tournament is the real deal in terms of international football. Finals may be misleading, after all Juventus wanted Gary Breen after the finals in 2002 and Irish fans mistakenly and almost criminaly suggested that Roy Keane was a dispensible commodity following that same tournament.
Yet facts are facts, just as Keane dragged Ireland kicking and screaming towards that same world cup so Richard Dunne seems to be doing the same for its current incarnation. That said, he equally embodies the spirit of his manager, Giovanni Trapattoni, in playing his part in a team that is above individual talent and based on a collective effort that favours collegiality over individuality, the machine working together rather than as individual cogs. On Saturday night he rose majestically at both ends to play an ever increasing part in this campaign.
Dunne was a spectator as Given, Duff, Keane, Finnan, and Reid rose to noteriety in 2002 now he is the uncrowned leader of that team. While Keane struggled with fitness, Duff with form, and Finnan and Reid with injury Dunne led the charge yet again on Saturday night with a grim determination reminiscent of Keane, McGrath, and many others who, in the past, embodied not only their own will to take their place on the biggest stage but also the will of a whole team.
We said in 2002 that the Irish team was at its lowest ebb in terms of talent available yet now it may be even less so. There are many talented players arriving on the scene yet there is, at the same time, a dearth of experience at the top level that can only be cured by the experience of getting there and fighting for it. To achieve that goal, to turn inexperienced talent into capable class one needs leaders, people who know the feeling of being there but not competing, of being so close but not succeeding. Richard Dunne, along with the ones who share his experience: Duff, Keane, Reid, Finnan, Kilbane and Given, who on many occasions has been the only line of resistance, are the rock not on which a plan for some far away future will be drawn but a present guiding hand on which those much younger will rely to perform here and now.
Just as Keane, Staunton, and Quinn were their rock in the past so Dunne and his generation are the new rock on which the hopes of our present youth will flourish. Gone are the days of four year plans, this group of players have no time to lose.
Three games to go, in second place, five points ahead of our nearest challenger, the signs point ever closer to a first appearence on football’s biggest stage since the dazed, confused, and emotional Summer of 2002.
At the heart of this is one Richard Dunne. Once called the ‘honey monster’ he now stands as a figure of defiance to all who might consider this Irish team an also ran incapable of lasting the pace on the dim, cold road of qualification. A qualification tournament is the real deal in terms of international football. Finals may be misleading, after all Juventus wanted Gary Breen after the finals in 2002 and Irish fans mistakenly and almost criminaly suggested that Roy Keane was a dispensible commodity following that same tournament.
Yet facts are facts, just as Keane dragged Ireland kicking and screaming towards that same world cup so Richard Dunne seems to be doing the same for its current incarnation. That said, he equally embodies the spirit of his manager, Giovanni Trapattoni, in playing his part in a team that is above individual talent and based on a collective effort that favours collegiality over individuality, the machine working together rather than as individual cogs. On Saturday night he rose majestically at both ends to play an ever increasing part in this campaign.
Dunne was a spectator as Given, Duff, Keane, Finnan, and Reid rose to noteriety in 2002 now he is the uncrowned leader of that team. While Keane struggled with fitness, Duff with form, and Finnan and Reid with injury Dunne led the charge yet again on Saturday night with a grim determination reminiscent of Keane, McGrath, and many others who, in the past, embodied not only their own will to take their place on the biggest stage but also the will of a whole team.
We said in 2002 that the Irish team was at its lowest ebb in terms of talent available yet now it may be even less so. There are many talented players arriving on the scene yet there is, at the same time, a dearth of experience at the top level that can only be cured by the experience of getting there and fighting for it. To achieve that goal, to turn inexperienced talent into capable class one needs leaders, people who know the feeling of being there but not competing, of being so close but not succeeding. Richard Dunne, along with the ones who share his experience: Duff, Keane, Reid, Finnan, Kilbane and Given, who on many occasions has been the only line of resistance, are the rock not on which a plan for some far away future will be drawn but a present guiding hand on which those much younger will rely to perform here and now.
Just as Keane, Staunton, and Quinn were their rock in the past so Dunne and his generation are the new rock on which the hopes of our present youth will flourish. Gone are the days of four year plans, this group of players have no time to lose.
Posted in Comment, Republic of Ireland