Kerr sets sights now on Israel
Republic of Ireland boss Brian Kerr will now focus his attention on Israel as the hard work recommences on qualifying for next year’s World Cup finals.
In terms of preparation for the Easter Saturday showdown in Tel Aviv, Kerr could not have asked too much more of his players, who again rose to the challenge of facing a team ahead of them in terms of world status.
In the past 12 months, Ireland have held their own against Brazil, the Czech Republic, Romania, Holland, France and now Portugal, conceding just one goal in those six matches.
There is an underlying resilience about Kerr’s side, and in conjunction with industry and invention, they have become a very difficult team to beat, especially at Lansdowne Road.
Portugal found that out to their cost, with a team that has so far scored 20 goals in their World Cup qualifying campaign restricted to nothing more than set-piece chances and long-range shooting, ultimately losing to Andy O’Brien’s first goal for his country.
With just over six weeks to go to the game with the Israelis, Kerr was happy enough as he said: “It’s about Israel now, getting organised and making sure we are prepared for it, that we have planned well for the game and the arrangements are right.
“These few days were important in bringing players back and refocusing them on the job ahead, and I think they understood there was excitement about the match and the occasion.
“The ground was full, and although it was a wet night, there was enthusiasm around the place and that people wanted to be impressed – and they were by some of the football they saw from both teams.
“So it has helped because they have had three months at their clubs and they would not have been thinking about the international scene too much.”
Such is the willingness and desire to play for a winning Ireland side, only Roy Keane pulled out of the main squad, with just 15 players used overall last night, leaving 11 bitterly disappointed.
Kerr knows he faces a tough task in terms of squad, and then team selection for the Group Four clash against Israel, adding: “Every decision is hard. If you make decisions too flippantly or too easily then they can be wrong. But it is part of the job to make the hard decisions.
“I know I am glad we have better options now than when I started, which obviously makes the decisions tougher. The players have been committed and when they have been given a chance, they have tried to grasp it and do their best.
“They have shown that by the numbers that came in in the hope of getting a few minutes on the pitch.
“We used 15 out of 26, so it was tough on those that did not play, but we have tried to be fair and give people a chance if at all possible and we will again in the future.
“But it is about getting results, winning points, being in contention and getting fans to come to the matches.”
In Damien Duff, Ireland have a player the supporters would probably be willing to pay top dollar to see as he excites a crowd, as he did last night in earning his 50th cap with a performance which proved he is one of the world’s best.
“He was sensational at times,” confirmed Kerr.
“The honesty of his work rate was very apparent for the team, and whenever he got on the ball and whichever side of the pitch he was on, be it left or right, he was fantastic.
“At the European Championships in Portugal, there were not many better wide players than (Luis) Figo and [Cristiano] Ronaldo, and Damien is in that bracket at the moment.
“His performances are consistently good at international and club level, but this was more than just about Damien.
“The all-round performance was good, there was great work-rate, great honesty, we had to be resourceful in our defending and concentrated and disciplined, so it was not just about one individual.”
The only goal of the game came in the 21st minute, with O’Brien heading home from six yards after John O’Shea had flicked on an Andy Reid corner.
It is now just one defeat in the last 15 matches for Ireland, keeping spirits high, yet Kerr said: “I don’t think this result will have a major influence on morale because that has always been very good.
“But the performance should reinforce the players’ confidence in their ability to dig in at times, but to also understand we can play a bit against the best teams.”
