It's black and white for the boys in green
Kenny Cunningham has delivered a stern warning to his Republic of Ireland team-mates: “Forget the World Cup if you give anything less than 100%”.
It is make-or-break time for the Republic and boss Brian Kerr as nothing less than two wins against Cyprus in Nicosia on Saturday and at Lansdowne Road against Switzerland next Wednesday will do.
Last month’s defeat to France has piled the pressure on Ireland, who face the prospect of losing out on a €5m bounty at least if thy fail to qualify for next summer’s finals in Gerany.
Their Group Four destiny remains in their hands and, although claiming an automatic place by topping the table appears unlikely, the Republic can still clinch a play-off spot.
They would undoubtedly be in a far healthier position if they had not thrown away the lead in three of their matches to date, notably the 2-0 advantage they held at home over Israel before being pegged back to 2-2.
In tandem, Kerr’s position would not be under such threat but for that kind of result, yet Cunningham insists it is time to focus on the positive rather than look back at the negative.
“There are always going to be regrets, but this is not the ime to be thinking about it,” said Cunningham.
“There are still two games to play and we can still qualify for the play-offs. We don’t think back to the games that have gone before because we can’t affect them.
“But two wins and six points will see us into the play-offs, and that will be some achievement from the position we are in now. Anything less and we are going to miss out.
“So we have to be positive. We have to go and win. We will focus on that and prepare as well as we can, as we always do.”
It is why Cunningham is demanding a full-blooded approach, even though Roy Keane misses both games after he recently broke a bone in his left foot, while Tottenham winger Andy Reid and Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison are suspended for game against Cyprus.
“As disappointed as we were after the game against France, things are now black and white for us. There is no in between,” insisted Birmingham centre-back Cunningham.
“We have to be really positive in our approach because we know if we don’t put in a good performance then we are out – it’s as simple as that.”
It would appear Kerr is feeling the heat after opting out of a planned media briefing on Tuesday, before underlining the word brief with a 67-second assessment yesterday.
Blackburn midfielder Steven Reid has expressed a degree of sympathy for Kerr, but has also made it clear the players want to qualify for the finals as much for themselves as their under-fire manager.
“Brian has done a great job, and you feel for him at times like these,” said Reid.
“Things have been written about the manager, but we don’t really read them. We know if we stick together then we will pull through and get the two results.
“The lads want to win through as much for themselves. We want another taste of a World Cup experience.
“We’re going into these games with great togetherness, and if we do pull together then there’s no doubt we will get the results we need.”
Kerr has 21 players to select from for the game in Cyprus, with centre-back Gary Breen staying behind with Sunderland to receive treatment for a calf strain.
