Republic of Ireland

The Republic of Ireland qualified for the European Championships for only the second time in their history. Their only previous appearance came in the 1988 Championship held in West Germany. With only 8 participants Ireland were drawn in a group with the Netherlands, the Soviet Union and England. After beating England 1-0 in the opening game and gaining a point against the Soviet Union in the second they needed a draw against the Netherlands to progress. However, an 82 minute strike from Willem Kieft sent the Dutch through instead. The Dutch went on to lift there first, and only, international championship. This was the start of Ireland’s most successful period of football (1988-1994). However, recently under the guidance of Giovanni Trapattoni there has been a resurgence of optimism in a team brimming with talent. They failed to make it to South Africa in 2010 because of a Henry handball but the play-offs this time saw no heartbreak as they demolished Estonia 4-0 in Tallinn. The Irish come into the tournament on a string of positive results with their last lost coming in March 2011 in a friendly against Uruguay. In the last two years of competitive games they suffered defeat only once, a 3-2 defeat by Group B eventually winners Russia. Trapattoni relies on the energy and commitment of his players. Every game is highly competitive, which explains why the Irish topped the charts out of the qualifying teams on fouls committed during the qualifying period. In 12 matches they committed 176 fouls and suffered 160. That is a foul in the match just over every 3 minutes. The Republic of Ireland’s main man is their all-time record goalscorer, the never static, Robbie Keane. Still only 31, Keane has played for 10 clubs, scoring goals for all. In 115 caps for Ireland he has netted 53 goals, none more memorable than his goals against Germany and Spain in the World Cup in 2002. Another of Ireland’s key attributes is goalkeeper Shay Given. The Villa keeper has 121 caps for Ireland, the most of any Irish player. His command of the box is still strong, as is his ability to prevent shots from making the net bulge. In front of Given would have sat John O’Shea and Richard Dunne. The steadfast pair have been rocks in the heart of Premier League defences for many a season now. With their uncompromising and basic style they have been highly consistent performers and often underrated. However, an injury to O’Shea has made him a doubt for the tournament. Trapattoni has a collection of established stars to select in the middle of the park. Glenn Whelan (Stoke) and Keith Andrews (West Brom) appear to be the favoured pair with Darren Gibson (Everton) and Keith Fahey (Birmingham) pushing for a spot. Out on the wings the creative pair of Damien Duff and Aiden McGeady prowl. One other midfielder has recently forced his way into the Irish squad and will be unlucky not to get a starting shirt. James McClean has been one of the standout players of the Premier League this season. His performances for Sunderland have gained plaudits galore for his strength, power, pace and scoring ability. Out on the left wing he is a rougher Gareth Bale. The Irish certainly have a tough task ahead of them. Spain, Italy and Croatia await the “Boys in Green” in Group C. Their opening game in Poland against Croatia needs to be a victory. A draw against Spain would be a good result. The final game against Italy could decide who progresses to the quarter finals along with the World Champions. So, Trapattoni’s men will need to battle hard to go further than the group stages this summer. However, they evidently have that in abundance. Add to their fighting spirit a goalscorer in Robbie Keane and the Republic of Ireland become a tricky opponent. The prospect of an England v Ireland quarter final is somewhat mouth watering.