You cannot afford to rely on history, you have to make it.
Martin O'Neill
Showing posts with label Northern Ireland. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Northern Ireland. Show all posts
Monday, 10 September 2018
Thursday, 8 October 2015
Northern Ireland v Greece - Preview
Jonny Evans is out of Northern Ireland's potentially decisive Euro 2016 qualifier against Greece because of a hamstring injury.
Michael O'Neill's men, who need two points from two games to qualify, will reach the finals in France with victory in Belfast on Thursday.
West Brom's Evans limped out of the 2-0 loss to Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The 27-year-old could feature in the final qualifier away to Finland on Sunday.
He has remained with West Brom for treatment and will join up with the Northern Ireland squad on Thursday.
"West Brom have been excellent in terms of co-operation on that," said O'Neill.
"We always felt Thursday would be too soon but he hasn't ruled out Sunday, neither have we and neither have the club."
Evans' absence is a further blow to O'Neill, who also has three key men suspended.
Norwich forward Kyle Lafferty, whose seven goals have helped put NI on the verge of next summer's tournament, Derby defender Chris Baird and Fleetwood right-back Conor McLaughlin are all banned.
Kilmarnock's Josh Magennis could make his first competitive start for his country as Lafferty's replacement, with Watford's Craig Cathcart and Manchester United's Paddy McNair also in line to make the XI.
"I genuinely believe that we have the players to step in and deal with this game," said O'Neill.
"Obviously the injury to Jonny at the weekend was a blow but one thing I have noticed in those three days, maybe more so than in the past, is that the squad is stronger now than at any time I've been in charge."
Northern Ireland have never qualified for the European Championship finals and have not featured in any major tournament since the 1986 World Cup.
However, they have a one point lead over Romania at the of qualifying Group F and will be through to the finals regardless of their own results if Hungary fail to beat both the Faroe Islands and Greece.
Bottom-of-the-table Greece are still without a permanent manager after a deal to bring in German Bernd Schuster fell through last week.
Under-21 coach Kostas Tsanas continues to act as interim boss following the sacking of Uruguayan Sergio Markarian in August.
Greece will be without Roma defender Kostas Manolas, who is suspended, and injured Bayer Leverkusen defender Kyriakos Papadopoulos.
Thursday, 19 June 2014
Rory Talks Rio Games
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| Getty Images |
Rory McIlroy feels an Olympic medal does not hold the same importance as a major championship – but that doesn’t mean he won’t be trying to win one in Rio.
The 25-year-old announced on Wednesday that he would represent Ireland at the 2016 Games, just as he did throughout his amateur career and twice in the World Cup.
"The majors in our sport are the biggest and best prizes in the game."
McIlroy, who could have been part of the Great Britain squad, had considered not even taking part in the Olympics to avoid any controversy, before eventually coming to what he described as the “right decision”.
However, having won the US Open and US PGA Championship already in his career, he admits striking gold in Brazil still wouldn’t hold the same level of satisfaction as a winning a major.
"An Olympic medal is still not as big as a major championship but it's up there," McIlroy said. "The majors in our sport are the biggest and best prizes in the game.
"Maybe give it four or five Games down the line and maybe one day the Olympics will be able to get up to that level, but for me the four major championships are the biggest prizes in our game."
Graeme McDowell welcomed McIlroy's announcement, which could see the Ryder Cup team-mates reunited in Rio, and said he had not received any negative reaction to his choice of Ireland.
Rory McIlroy has decided to represent Ireland in the 2016 Olympics.
An Olympic regulation stated he could only represent Great Britain if three years had passed since representing Ireland, something he did in last year's World Cup in Melbourne
"I think it's great that he's put it to bed at last," McDowell said. "We are in a very unique scenario in Northern Ireland. We could easily declare for Great Britain or we could easily declare for Ireland.
"We have all-Ireland teams and we have sports which are split; obviously soccer is two teams and rugby is one team. To me, golf is always an all-Ireland sport."
Friday, 25 April 2014
Sky Deignan in Giro Debut
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| Getty Images |
Philip Deignan will make his Grand Tour debut for Team Sky when the Giro d'Italia starts in Belfast next month.
Deignan, who joined Team Sky over the winter, was set back by a shoulder injury early in the season, but he is now ready for his first three-week race with the team and is part of a solid nine-man squad for the year's first Grand Tour.
The team also features Italian riders Dario Cataldo and Salvatore Puccio alongside Pete Kennaugh, Ben Swift, Edvald Boasson Hagen, Bernhard Eisel, Sebastian Henao and Kanstantsin Siutsou.
Australia star Richie Porte, who had been tabbed as the Giro team leader, was forced to withdraw from the race earlier this month after illness cost him precious preparation time - he will turn his attentions to supporting Chris Froome in his Tour de France repeat bid.
This year's race starts with three stages outside Italy, taking in Northern Ireland and Ireland and kicking off with a time trial in Belfast on Friday May 9.
The race will move on to Italy from May 13 with the last of the 21 stages in Trieste on June 1.
On confirming the line-up Team Principal, Sir Dave Brailsford, said: "The Giro d'Italia is a fantastic race and this year provides a great opportunity for the team to go out and really express themselves on the bike.
"We've brought together an exciting squad and we can't wait, not only for the start in Northern Ireland, but to perform in front of our Italian fans."
Deignan said: "As soon as I heard that the Giro d'Italia was starting in Northern Ireland it was a goal of mine to be there, and racing there with Team Sky is a real honour for me.
"We're going with a good balance of youth and experience; we're all looking forward to it. Growing up in County Donegal I never dreamt of riding a Grand Tour here in Ireland and this is my chance. I'm going to relish every minute of it racing in front of my friends and family."
And Cataldo added: "This will be my seventh appearance in the Giro d'Italia, so it is a race that has a place in my heart.
"The race has a great history in Italy and when I was growing up it was always a dream to ride in my home country.
"Without a doubt it was the race that inspired me to start riding a bike as a young boy, so for an Italian bike rider this is as good as it gets.
"We have a strong and exciting team going into the race and we're all looking forward to the challenge ahead. For me, going home to race is always a pleasure and I can't wait to get started."
Thursday, 25 July 2013
Jason Smyth Wins World Double
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| Getty Images |
Jason Smyth put in another superb performance to complete the sprint double at the IPC World Athletics Championships in Lyon.
Smyth, who won the T13 200m on Sunday, won the 100m in 10.61 seconds - a new competition record but short of his 10.46 Paralympic world best.
The Londonderry man made a solid start and finished strongly ahead of South Africa's Jonathan Ntutu (10.61).
"Coming to major championships it is all about winning," said Smyth
"The times are irrelevant.
"I am delighted. I have put a lot of hard work to get here.
"If you look back at the race there are always things you can improve but crossing the line first is all important."
Smyth said his big target was Rio 2016 and qualifying for the Olympics as well as the Paralympics.
"I tried to do both in London and was four hundredths away from doing it," added the 26-year-old from Eglinton.
"Being so close, it would be silly not to set that as a goal going forward."
Smyth, the fastest Paralympian of all time, admitted he was still annoyed at not getting an invitation to the Anniversary Games in London this weekend.
"To be back in that stadium, with the support we had in London, it is frustrating to be missing out on that but there is not much I can do.
"When I look at what I have achieved in Paralympic sport - I started in 2005, we are now in 2013 and I have never been beaten.
"I have also made semi-finals of the European Championships and World Championships and only narrowly missed out on the Olympics.
"I feel I have achieved quite a lot and I probably don't get as much recognition as others who haven't quite done the same."
Saturday, 15 October 2011
Brian Kerr Fancies Northern Job
Brian Kerr and Jimmy Quinn have emerged as the latest contenders for the Northern Ireland manager's job.
"If they offer me the job tomorrow I might well take it," said former Republic boss Kerr, who is currently in charge of the Faroe Islands.
Nantwich Town manager Jimmy Quinn scored 12 goals in 48 appearances for Northern Ireland between 1985 and 1996.
Martin O'Neill has ruled himself out of the running while Jim Magilton and Iain Dowie have declared an interest.
Kerr's family is from Belfast and his record with the Faroes has been impressive since taking over in 2009.
The European minnows have won championship qualifiers against Lithuania and Estonia while they drew 1-1 with Northern Ireland a year ago.
I played for Billy Bingham, perhaps the best manager ever for Northern Ireland, and I've taken on many of his principles.Jimmy Quinn
Quinn was appointed joint player-manager of Reading in 1994 and he had spells in charge of Swindon Town, Northwich Victoria, Shrewsbury Town, Norwegian side Egersund, Cambridge United and Bournemouth.
The 51-year-old took over as manager of Northern Premier Division side Nantwich in March.
"It would be a dream come true to get an interview for the Northern Ireland job," said Quinn.
"I played for Billy Bingham, perhaps the best Northern Ireland manager ever, and I've taken on many of his principles.
"The way he was organised, the way he treated people, to get players to believe they were better than they were to grind out a result.
"I've taken over relegated teams or ones at the bottom of the league and turned them into winners - it wouldn't be any different for my country."
Former Northern Ireland strikers James Quinn and Colin Clarke have also put themselves forward as successors to Nigel Worthington who stepped down this week.
Thursday, 13 October 2011
O'Neill Prefers Return to Club Football
Martin O'Neill has ruled himself out of contention for the Northern Ireland manager's job.
The former Aston Villa and Celtic boss had been linked to the post after Nigel Worthington quit following Tuesday's 3-0 defeat by Italy.
O'Neill told BBC Radio Ulster he wanted to return to club management in the near future.
Shamrock Rovers boss Michael O'Neill, ex-QPR manager Jim Magilton and Iain Dowie have been linked with the job.
Martin O'Neill, a former Northern Ireland captain, has not been involved in management since resigning as Aston Villa manager in August 2010.
The former Nottingham Forest star was capped 64 times for his country between 1971 and 1984.
O'Neill, 59, said he had not been approached by the Irish Football Association.
He added that he would not dismiss the possibility of accepting the Northern Ireland manager's job at a later stage in his career.
Monday, 10 October 2011
Worthington Calls Time on North Job
Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington is to step down from his position after Tuesday night's final Euro 2012 qualifier against Italy.
Worthington has been the subject of criticism from a section of supporters following a poor qualifying campaign.
The former Norwich City boss was in charge for four and a half years but failed to secure qualification for any major finals during his reign.
Northern Ireland had won just two of their last 23 games under Worthington.
His team scored only 12 goals in those 23 fixtures.
The 49-year-old's contract would have run out on 31 December this year.
Northern Ireland harboured hopes of qualification for the European Championship finals prior to defeats at home to Serbia and away to Estonia in September.
The pressure on the manager increased following Friday night's 2-1 defeat by Estonia at Windsor Park, after which many fans called for Worthington to quit.
I feel it is only right to give the Association and players the opportunity and time to move forwardNigel Worthington
Worthington, who won 66 caps for his country as a player, succeeded Lawrie Sanchez, who left to manage Fulham in 2007.
He was in charge for 40 games, winning nine, drawing 10 and losing 21.
His side won eight of their 25 competitive fixtures, with seven draws and 10 losses.
"I have had four and a half fantastic years working with the Irish Football Association and a lot of hard work has been put in by many people over this time to help improve Northern Ireland football," said Worthington.
"I feel it is only right to give the Association and players the opportunity and time to move forward and that is why I have decided that Tuesday night's game will be my last in charge.
"It has been a pleasure and I would like to wish the Irish Football Association all the best for the future, and to the supporters who have been fantastic throughout.
"I understand their frustration over the last three games, but when you look at the incident which saw us lose the Serbia game, the individual mistakes away to Estonia, and then the game at home against Estonia, this is the fine line in football."
Supporters called for Worthington's departure during Friday night's game with Estonia
"I would like to say a big thank to the Irish FA for their support - it is a fantastic organisation with many good people doing a great job for Northern Ireland football.
"I would like to give a special thanks to the President, Jim Shaw and the Chief Executive, Patrick Nelson for their ongoing support to help take Northern Ireland football forward.
"This is not because of any pressure from the Association or the supporters - it's just a football decision."
IFA President, Jim Shaw said: "I appreciate Nigel's decision on this matter and on behalf of the Association I would like to thank him for all the effort he has put in over his four and half years to maintain and improve all elements of football at the Irish Football Association.
"Both personally and on behalf of the Association I would like to wish Nigel all the very best for the future."
Among the favourites to take the job will be former Ipswich Town and Queens Park Rangers manager Jim Magilton, Shamrock Rovers boss Michael O'Neill, and former Northern Ireland captain Iain Dowie.
Saturday, 8 October 2011
Worthington Faces Uncertain Future
Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington is no closer to finding out whether he will remain in the job at the end of the current campaign after watching his side slump to another disappointing defeat against Estonia.
Having lost 4-1 in Tallinn last month, Worthington's side were out for revenge at Windsor Park but surrendered the lead to lose 2-1 as their hopes of securing an unlikely Euro 2012 play-off place were finally extinguished.
Worthington, who has been in charge since Lawrie Sanchez's departure in 2007, is out of contract at the end of the year and saw fans call for his head for the second game in a row.
But, with a trip to Group C winners Italy on Tuesday to prepare for, he remains stoic about his position.
'The fans are as frustrated and disappointed as I am,' he said.
'That's the game and I've been in football long enough to get on with it. There's no excuses, no hiding places.
'I haven't got a clue (about the future). That's the million dollar question.
'A win is what myself and the players wanted. What other people make decisions about is up to them. I'm employed until December 31 and I've enjoyed the role.
'I'm working with a great group of players and you try and make the most of that group. I think over the course of this campaign we have.'
Worthington's side went ahead in the first half when stand-in captain Steven Davis bundled home Kyle Lafferty's parried cross and endured plenty of pressure before Craig Cathcart conceded a penalty in the 77th minute.
Konstantin Vassiljev won and converted the spot-kick but his winner, which followed seven minutes later, was a matter of serious dispute.
The finish was sublime, a rocket from 30 yards, but a linesman's flag was raised in the build-up and the hosts felt the goal should have been chalked off.
Worthington was no less incensed than his team.
'It's difficult to take, it's frustrating, it's disappointing,' said Worthington.
'My reaction was no different to that of the players. I saw the flag go up, turned round to get a drink of water and all of a sudden the ball has hit back of the net.
'There's no point in having people there to help the referee if you're not going to take any notice of them.
'But I'm not one to moan about anybody. Everyone can make their own opinions about the referee.'
Worthington was seen in conversation with the fourth official as his players protested against the 84th-minute strike, but he was unable to glean anything helpful from the exchange.
'He was as dumbfounded as I was, but it isn't going to change now so we move on,' said Worthington.
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