How we thought the Irish players rated after a miserable night for the Boys in Green at Celtic Park.
You have to go back a long way to remember as much hype in the build up to an Irish international as there was before Ireland’s clash with Scotland tonight, which is the why the sense of disappointment is more prevalent than it has been in the wake of other defeats in the recent past.
Nobody can deny that Scotland were full value for their victory and while some Ireland players stood up to be counted, others had a night they’ll want to forget in a hurry. Here’s what we thought of the individual displays by the Ireland players on the night…
David Forde – Could do nothing to prevent what was a brilliant goal by Shaun Maloney and apart from that, he dealt with whatever came his way with confidence and assurance. 6
Seamus Coleman – Struggled to cope with the excellent Anya down Scotland’s left side and his booking summed up the frustration he must have been feeling on the night. Never really got a chance to show what he could do going forward in what was a disappointing performance from one of the players of real quality in the Ireland squad. 5
John O’Shea – Made a number of crucial interceptions when the Scots were really knocking on the door in the first half and did his best to deal with a Scottish onslaught that was originating further out the pitch. Ireland’s poor performance on the night was certainly not the fault of the central defence. 6
Richard Keogh – Lucky that Stephen Fletcher didn’t put away a chance before half-time when he had got away from the Derby man, but apart from that he delivered a pretty decent performance alongside O’Shea at the heart of the Irish defence. 6
Stephen Ward – Scotland were more threatening down the left than the right but Ward was still caught out of position on a few occasions when they did attack down his side and he gave the ball away far too easy on occasion. 5
Aiden McGeady – A game of two halves for a player who definitely seemed a little overawed by occasion in the opening exchanges. After a poor first half when he appeared to be on the verge of a red card, he stood up to be counted and delivered a couple of really dangerous balls after the break. 6
Darron Gibson – Looked for all the world like a player who hasn’t played a lot of football this season, especially in the first half when he struggled with the frantic place and Naismith dropping back to provide an extra body in the Scottish midfield. It was no real surprise when he was withdrawn for Stephen Quinn midway through the second half. 4
Jeff Hendrick – Not a night to remember for the Derby man we’re afraid. Made two rash tackles in quick succession in the first half and like Gibson, he barely got a touch of the ball in a midfield that was completely overran throughout. To compound his misery, he was beaten too easily for Scotland’s goal, but better nights in a green jersey lie ahead for a player as talented as he is. 4
James McClean – Probably Ireland’s best player in the first half but was markedly more reserved after the break. He was his usual game self and worked hard down the left without really making a telling contribution at the attacking end. 5
Jonathan Walters – Ireland’s best player on the night, although that’s not really saying a lot. Started off with a decent early effort on goal and was more of a threat than his strike partner Shane Long. Very nearly scored an own goal with what ended up being a vital interception in the second half, although it ended up counting for nothing as Scotland scored from the resulting corner. A good shift from the Stoke striker. 7
Shane Long – As you would expect, the Southampton man was full of running early doors and his enthusiasm could well have led to an early red card for Grant Hanley. Didn’t see a whole lot of the ball thereafter, although he did nearly give Ireland the lead with an instinctive header early in the second half. 5
Substitutions:
Stephen Quinn – He was combative when he came on but did little apart from ruffle a few Scottish feathers. He did, however, commit the foul which led to Roy Keane giving the referee the death scare, which, unfortunately, was the highlight of the night from an Irish perspective. 4
Robbie Brady – Put in a couple of decent deliveries from set-pieces when he came on, one of which nearly led to what would have been an undeserved Irish equaliser. Like Hendrick, he could have done a little more to prevent Maloney’s goal. 5
Robbie Keane – Not on long enough to be rated.
