I couldn't believe the Irish team were booed off at half time on Wednesday night against Georgia. Surely the people who did so would have been better staying at home. It may be that it sounded worse on the television than it actually was at the game but either way it was uncalled for, unreasonable and quite simply beyond belief that it happened at all.
Let's first recall the circumstances leading up to the half time reception, just so you'll know where I'm coming from. Georgia got a very lucky goal in the first minute to go a goal up. For the next 45 minutes, Ireland huffed and puffed without much success in trying to break down the ten man Georgian defence. Ireland had, what I would consider to have been a perfectly good goal disallowed meaning that they were actually going to have to score three times to win the game. Kevin Doyle had a reasonably good call for a penalty waved away and all in all, managed as they are by one of the best defensive coaches in the world in Hector Cuper, Georgia were proving to be a difficult team to break down.
That I think is the story of the first half which led to the team being booed off at half time. There is no question of a lack of effort or professionalism on the parts of any of the players. It was a difficult game but it is fair to say that they were trying their best and as my mother always says, "all you can do is your best".
I don't pay any heed to the argument that you have paid your money and are therefore entitled to vent your anger (although considering the number of tickets being given away for last Wednesday's game, you'd wonder just how many people did pay their money). It wasn't as if Georgia were laying siege to the Irish goal for the first half or that the players weren't pressing, tracking back, tackling and doing all the other things that supporters in these parts like to see.
There is a perception out there that playing for Ireland somehow means less to the Irish soccer team than it does to the rugby team, that the players are overpaid, overhyped and don't try as hard. The first thing is that players don't get paid for playing for Ireland. They get paid by their clubs and are released to play international football. Joey O'Brien thinks playing for Ireland can harm your chances at club level while Stephen Ireland is reaping the benefits of retiring from the set up completely.
It is clear to me at least after Wednesday night that playing for Ireland means an awful lot to the players who lined out that night. That was clear in their celebrations and in the post match interviews. Whether they will continue to feel this way with the treatment they get in the media and from certain sections of the supporters, I'm not so sure. Even Andy Reid, who has every reason to feel gilted and bitter over his treatment has this week re-stated his desire to be selected and publicly wished the team well. The commitment and professionalism of the players is not in doubt. They are honoured to represent Ireland and we should be honoured to have them representing us, not booing them off the field half way through a game.
Even if it was just a couple of eejits the other night, it is still a rare occurance for the team to be treated like that by the supporters and it is not a culture which should be encouraged. We shouldn't take the commitment of the players for granted. The pride in the jersey is all well and good but if the players are being abused for their efforts, more and more will probably follow the paths of Ireland and Andy O'Brien and just stop coming over. I can't say I'd blame them either.
No comments:
Post a Comment