Soccer:Like much of the Ireland squad and the rest of the country, Stephen Kelly's memories of major tournament appearances are fond but distant, with a hint of hazy that even clouds his recollection of his age in June 2002.
He has vague memories of USA ’94 when, as a nine-year-old aspiring centre back, he watched his hero Paul McGrath deny Italy and Roberto Baggio at every turn in a 1—0 win at Giants’ Stadium.
Eight years on, he was an 18-year-old “punter”, not 17, for Ireland’s trip east to Japan and South Korea, and was among the 100,000 that made their way down to Phoenix Park to see his new club-mate at Spurs Robbie Keane score a late equaliser against Germany in Ibaraki.
He has since captained his country and though confirmation of the 23-man squad is still some way off, he is confident his experience of Ireland’s first appearance in the European Championships for 24 years will be very different. “I’ve not, not been named in a squad since I’ve been in under Brian Kerr, almost eight years ago,” says the Fulham full-back. “Touch wood it won’t happen in the summer either.”
It would seem unlikely. Kelly was skipper for Ireland’s last defeat, a 3-2 friendly loss to Uruguay in Dublin last March and featured from the start in four of the qualifiers that led Giovanni Trapattoni’s side to Poland and Ukraine.
He’s not guaranteed a place in the first XI but being comfortable at right-back, left-back and in the centre makes make him a versatile and valuable member of the Italian’s squad. Naturally, he feels he can offer more than that at his preferred position on the right, where John O’Shea has been deployed when Richard Dunne and Seán St Ledger are fit to line out in the middle of the defence.
“I would like the manager to say I have a chance. All I can do is continue playing for my club. The fact myself and (right-winger) Damien (Duff) are playing with each other every week, that is a great thing. We are so comfortable with each other and know how each other play. It's not often on the international stage that you get that. It's something that can bode well with me.
“If the manager doesn't go with that in the summer it will be disappointing, but I will continue in the same way as I have in the campaign.”
Duff, he says, is still the main man, despite the clamour from all and sundry for James McClean to be parachuted into the team between now and the June 10th opener against Croatia in Poznan.
“Damien has done it every time he plays for Ireland and at every club he has been at. He has won Premier League titles, a fantastic player. People look at his age but Damien is as fit as he has ever been. You seem him in training with us; he is so sharp and good.
“Since he has come to Fulham, it has revitalised him. You can’t overlook him for that position. You know what you are getting with him as a winger. He has everything going forward and will give 110 per cent tracking back or going forward. He will definitely be the man and I can’t see the manager changing it. I can’t see it.”
There’s not much Kelly can see the manager changing. Save for a big call at right-back, there’s not much he’d want him to change. The squad has lived with criticism of its style of play throughout the Italian’s tenure, but results are the bottom line and having gone 12 games unbeaten, results have been good.
“I don’t think it’s hurtful,” he says, “you’re always going to have ex-managers and players criticising, commenting on how we play or how we do but we’ll take that on the chin. Every time we got out on the pitch, you want to perform to your best ability. I don’t know anybody in this team that will go out and will not go out and do your best and try your best.
“People are criticising us throughout this campaign but we’re here now and I think a lot of it was how we played and the team he picked. That’s got us to a situation where we’re in a major tournament and everyone can get behind us. It doesn’t really faze me and I’m sure it’s the same for everybody in the team.”
Kelly was promoting ESPN’s soccer coverage in Dublin this week and was joined by Kevin Sheedy and Packie Bonner, both of whom were members of Jack Charlton squads that, though successful, lacked the polish some purists demanded. The veterans, however, expressed their belief that Trapattoni’s methods could reap dividends in June. And Kelly agrees.
“Absolutely. Everybody believes. We have been a part of the system that he wants to play and we all know what we have to do. He is so stringent on the way he wants everyone to defend as a team, in how he wants his wingers to track back; probably most with Aiden (McGeady).
“Aiden was an attack-minded player but now his work rate for tracking back has gone through the roof. It's something the manager has had a big influence on. Everyone believes in what he wants us to do and we know if we stick to his plan we can achieve it.”
