Search icon

Sport

22nd Nov 2018

Matt Doherty discusses the ‘old school’ managerial style of Martin O’Neill in very revealing interview

Paul Moore

Matt Doherty

“You can’t have that, especially at international football.”

After Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane parted company with the FAI by mutual consent, the search is on for a new managerial team that will attempt to guide Ireland to Euro 2020.

An abysmal year saw Ireland crash out of the World Cup at the playoff stages to Denmark and get relegated to tier C of the Uefa Nations League.

Goalkeeping coach Seamus McDonagh and assistant coach Steve Guppy have also parted ways with the association.

At present, Ireland are enduring their worst run in front of goal in 22 years and speaking on 2FM’s Game On,Wolves defender Matt Doherty offered some insight into life under O’Neill’s tenure.

Despite an incredibly consistent run of form in the Premier League for his club, former Bohs man Doherty was unable to cement a position for the national team during O’Neill’s time as manager.

Speaking with presenter Hugh Cahill, Doherty described the pre-match preparation as ‘bizarre’ and said that there were matches when O’Neill’s tactical game plan was ‘less clear.’

“Everyone thinks there wasn’t a game plan every time, that’s not entirely true. Sometimes there was, sometimes it was less clear,” Doherty said on 2FM’s Game On.

“Compared to the set-up I have at Wolves, you could class it as old-school. When you were away with Ireland, you didn’t really have that much coaching. It was more of five-a-side, or 11-a-side game, and that would be it. The day before a game you would do a few set-pieces here and there and then go into the game. You are kind of thinking to yourself, ‘what shape are we going to play?”

“You’d have a few players thinking ‘we’ll play this shape’, or someone else thinking something else. You can’t have that, especially at international football, people not really sure on what their role is the next day. It is bizarre, but like I said, it didn’t happen all the time. There were odd occasions when it did happen.”

The defender also had some kind words to say about the good times during O’Neill’s stint as Irish manager.

“He has brought great nights to Irish football. He’s brought moments where I have been watching at home, not in the squad, as a fan also. Some of the times he has made the hairs on the back of the neck stand up. So he deserves credit as well, ” he added.

Topics:

Football,Ireland