Ireland dares to dream again under  Hallgrímsson

Last night’s crucial play-off game against the Czechs came a bit too late for this column’s deadline. Suffice to say we hope that the result went in such a way that we still have something to look forward to on Tuesday night.

Regardless of what happened, something undeniable has crept back into following the boys in green: hope. Real, meaningful hope — the kind that had been missing for years, and only truly took hold deep into this World Cup qualifying run, once Heimir Hallgrímsson finally cracked the code. And did so in the most dramatic fashion.

Dare to dream

The dream of qualifying, not to mind the actual chance of competing in a tournament seemed a long way off when we lost to Armenia 2-1 last September. An earlier draw at home with Hungary and a subsequent battling 1-0 away defeat to Portugal in October had taken the wind out of our hopes of visiting the US and Mexico come this summer. Even reversing the Armenian result on their return to Ireland later on in October could not dissuade the belief among most of us that we’d get little change out of our last two games against the groups two big sides, Portugal at home and Hungary in Budapest.

Only one man seemed to be talking with calm optimism about our chances and that was Hallgrímsson himself. He was not writing us off unlike most pundit, me included.

The changes

And whatever happened last night and next Tuesday (fingers crossed), Hallgrímsson deserves credit for at least bringing us this far, reviving a hope we may not have seen since probably the Martin O’Neil era.

So what has Hallgrímsson brought to the team that was absent during Stephen Kenny’s time at the helm, and right up till last October when we completed that unbelievable double triumph of silencing Ronaldo and Portugal in the Aviva, followed quickly after by the stunning come from behind victory in the home of Puskas against Hungary in November?

Maybe the biggest achievement from the Icelandic man has been off the pitch. It can be argued that Stephen Kenny’s team played better football than the current incumbents. But Hallgrímsson main achievement has been how he psychologically rebuilt the side to the point that they believe that they are good enough to win. The results against Portugal and Hungary would have been unachievable under Kenny. Hallgrímsson cool demeanour has worn off on the players and the composure has shown in results.

And those latest results have been important as they broke long-standing performance ceilings, solidifying a belief among the players and even the long-suffering supporters.

The players now see a clear vision for progress, while Hallgrímsson has rewarded form and performance by overhauling his selections when needed, rather than rewarding underperforming regulars.

Apparently, Hallgrímsson has leaned into detailed analysis of opponents, dissecting their strengths and weaknesses. A tactical preparation that brought much success during his Iceland term.

The FAI deciding to extend his contract into Euro 2028 shows they have bought into the stability and continuity of direction Hallgrímsson has brought to the team. Though there are some that believe that deal may be a bit premature.

The legacy of success he had with Iceland, most famously when the side beat England in Euro 2016, seems to have inspired the Irish players into believing they can do great things too. This experience and his grounded personality seem to have connected and re-energised the team, especially as results started going their way.

Not perfect

Of course it has not been all plain sailing. Hallgrímsson has faced criticism for being overly defensive, prioritising timid defensive priorities over attacking ambition, which was shown when he deployed a back five against what should be poorer oppositions, isolating strikers like Evan Ferguson to plough a lonely furrow on his own up front.

Then there were the poor opening results to Hallgrímsson tenure. Early games included heavy home losses: notably 3–0 to England and 2–0 to Greece in the Nations League. Then in the World Cup qualifiers we had Ireland only picking up one point from two matches, including a damaging 2–1 defeat to lowly Armenia, in what at best could be said to be forgettable performances, and well below the quality of play that Kenny brought to the team.

A point that we said was one of Hallgrímsson’s strengths, his ability to change his team selection when needed, can be argued that he hasn’t settled on his favourite team and only clicked on his selection in late games by luck rather than any tactical insight.

The last question on Hallgrímsson is that he has been granted a new contract while still actively trying to qualify for the World Cup. This is not Hallgrímsson fault. It is a tradition of the FAI to extend contracts before qualification is achieved and that may feel well premature depending on how we feel today after last night’s result and Tuesday should we advance.

Let’s hope all this will be an academic exercise of ‘what was wrong’ by the time these play-offs are finished.