Three Thousand Versts of Loneliness

Two great strikers who badly needed a boost netted goals for their respective clubs over the weekend.  Fernando Torres bagged two spectacular efforts as Liverpool defeated league leaders Chelsea, 2-0.  And David Healy notched his first strike for seven months , as he debuted for new club, Doncaster Rovers, following a move on loan. Great news for Northern Ireland.  Perhaps it might give Sir Dave the confidence to grace Windsor Park with a goal next week, when Morocco visits for a friendly match? Except that that won't happen.  Because after selecting Healy all through his barren patch, Nigel Worthington has left him out now that the guy has got a club and hit the net.  Maybe Northern Ireland's leading goalscorer will be grateful for the opportunity to concentrate on getting his club career back on track.  Maybe it's just another eccentric decision by the manager.  

Don't get your hopes up - captain for the night Stephen Craigan look forward to his fiftieth cap. Will it be déja vu all over again for Northern Ireland in Maribor?  Two years ago, in an Autumn World Cup game, Slovenia won 2-0 in the fortress city, condemning Nigel Worthington’s men to an uphill battle for qualification. Back then, in a gloomy, angry post I condemned the manager for allowing his team to ’regress to the mean’.  It’s a process which I contend is still ongoing. The belief which Lawrie Sanchez instilled in his group of players, the discipline and the professionalism he inculcated, did not disappear immediately after Worthington took over.  Instead it dissipated gradually, like sand running through the Ballymena man’s fingers. Now, following seven matches without a goal and ten without a victory, the side is right back where it started when Sammy McIlroy - enthusiastic, likeable, but tactically naïve - resigned and Lawrie Sanchez took over. Worthi...

It’s just short of a month since Spain lifted the World Cup , but international football is already set to return for the 2010/11 season.  For the original Ireland team, it will be a relief to get back to onfield action, after a summer dominated by other issues. Nigel Worthington’s men are in Montenegro for a warm-up friendly, in advance of September’s European Championship opener against Slovenia.  And warm-up is the operative word.  Temperatures in Podgorica are set to soar into the mid thirties today. The value of these type of occasions is a matter for debate.  Club managers are resentful when players are taken away, in the middle of last minute preparations for the new season, and senior players often pull-out of games which are perceived to be meaningless. Nigel Worthington will argue that it is a useful chance to blood inexperienced squad members before a qualifying campaign, where they might well be needed.  It’s also an opportunity for seasoned pl...

The East Londonderry MLA, David McClarty, has suggested that a football museum should be included in plans to find the Northern Ireland international team a permanent home. It is an excellent idea. Whether Windsor Park is redeveloped, or a new stadium is built, the IFA has a rich history dating back to 1880. It is one of oldest associations in the world. There is a fascinating story to be told about the overachievement of its representative teams, as well as the critical part Northern Ireland played in the development of the game. Famously, William McCrum, a goalkeeper and businessman from County Armagh, is credited with the invention of the penalty kick. Then there is the gallery of star players who have represented Northern Ireland, from Elisha Scott to David Healy, and the most celebrated of them all, George Best. For many years Northern Ireland was the smallest country ever to have qualified for the World Cup. In 1958 Danny Blanchflower’s team reached the quarter finals. An...

Northern Ireland produced a battling performance last night and held on for a draw in Chorzow. But Worthington’s men will regard ruefully two moments when Burnley striker, Martin Paterson might have helped clinch victory. I cannot criticise the team which secured an unexpected point, but when the final group standings are assessed in mid October, it might not prove enough. It was frustrating to concede an equaliser just ten minutes before the final whistle, but in all honesty, with Poland camped in our half since the indomitable Lafferty’s 37th minute goal had put Northern Ireland into a shock lead, there was an air of inevitability to what happened. Up until the Rangers’ forward netted, the men in green, in my opinion, had create the better chances. It was ironic that going ahead actually encouraged our players to temper a pressing game which had hitherto proved successful. Davis, who was impressive, out of position, in the first half, was largely anonymous during the second. C...

One of the most galling experiences which can befall a Green and White foot soldier is to witness the rest of the Army mobilise, whilst he prepares to stay at home. Such is my fate this weekend, as Northern Ireland fans, including O’Neill , travel to Chorzow in numbers. Poland provides the World Cup opposition on Saturday evening. The military metaphor is well established, but I sincerely hope that supporters, eager only to watch their team and enjoy a fun holiday, see no ‘action’. I’m confident that Polish and British authorities alike, in concert with fans’ groups, have put together sufficient safeguards to ensure that everyone returns home safely and without major incident. Although I will witness this game only on television, it represents merely the first of a triumvirate of crucial matches which face Nigel Worthington and his team. Next Wednesday Northern Ireland takes on group leaders Slovakia, at Windsor Park, in a game which it is vital that we win. Although an improbabl...

Fewer than thirty hours remain until Northern Ireland faces Poland at Windsor Park and still ‘Three Thousand Versts’ has not recorded its habitual pre-match lament of pessimism ‘assessing’ the team’s chances (or lack of them)! Do not fear, it’s not that I’ve been filled with overwhelming confidence for this World Cup clash. On the contrary, I’m quite sure that Nigel Worthington’s side will receive another walloping from the Poles tomorrow. Slovenia on Wednesday should be a different matter, but by then our hopes of qualifying for South Africa 2010 could be dead in the water. If it were not enough that Poland fields a strong team which recorded a resounding 3-0 victory during its last visit to Belfast, Northern Ireland’s task has been made yet more difficult by the absence of a number of key players . The squad has been depleted both by injury and by costly suspensions incurred in the match against San Marino. A comfortable victory in that game may have put Northern Ireland joint s...

Is this perhaps the most ludicrous piece of MOPEry yet recorded? David Healy has been subject to death threats after some Celtic fans construed a comment he made in an interview, following his goal against San Marino, as a sectarian remark. Let me provide a verbatim transcript of what Sir David actually said. “I am pleased the famine or the drought or whatever people would call it is over. I am pleased with the score sheet and pleased that we won.” Confused? I don’t blame you. It takes ingenuity to find offence in such an innocuous observation. But if you’re bitter enough, self obsessed enough, deluded enough – then you MIGHT manage it. Listen carefully. The rationale of these idiots is that a proportion of Rangers’ supporters sing a bigoted, anti-Irish song entitled ‘The Famine is Over (why don’t you do home)’. David Healy is Northern Irish and comes from (presumably) a unionist background; ergo by using the word ‘famine’ the striker was alluding to the anti-Celtic, sectarian...

Having demanded that Nigel Worthington’s Northern Ireland team deliver a convincing win against San Marino, I suppose I should acknowledge that the players fulfilled their remit. Admittedly the team from a ‘hill in northern Italy’ were probably the worst outfit to grace Windsor Park in quite some time (and that includes Irish league sides). Still, you can only beat what’s put in front of you. For half an hour it looked like Europe’s worst team could precipitate a new low in Worthington’s troubled reign. From kick off, Northern Ireland dominated possession, but took a while to break down a side that defended in numbers and rarely offered even a token foray in counter-attack. Eventually Grant McCann squared a cross from rampaging full back George McCartney and David Healy scrambled home his 35th international goal, to his obvious relief. After San Marino fell behind, it quickly became evident just how bad the team actually was. For a start, they could not tackle. Northern Ireland ...

Tonight Northern Ireland play San Marino, and although Nigel Worthington insists that a scrappy goal accompanied by three points would satisfy him, anything less than a handsome win will do little to persuade supporters that the manager is up to the job. Worthington was quick to assure fans and media that his charges had performed adequately, despite being defeated 2-0 by a woeful Slovenian outfit on Saturday. He is fooling no-one. Thus far his team have secured one point where seven were eminently winnable. Had Northern Ireland achieved a successful start to the World Cup qualifying campaign, then certainly, three points by any means would be the priority. Instead, Worthington is presiding over a team which is low in confidence, low on goals, low on points and badly needs to get its season kick-started. Coming off the back of a remarkable European Championship group, there was always a danger that Northern Ireland’s next matches could be anti-climactic. Although there were stron...

Doctors do not generally give great credence to mooted ‘miracle cures’ or non medical interventions. Often they explain supposed success for such methods by pointing out that people simply do not stay sick indefinitely, they get better, or regress to the mean. The reverse is also true. If someone is feeling unusually buoyant, healthy, full of beans, they will return to a more stable plane. Normal service will resume. Such appears to be the case with the Northern Ireland football team. After three years of extraordinary results, optimism and confidence, the international side has regressed to its mean of mediocrity. What is more, the manager, Nigel Worthington, appears quite happy to allow this regression to continue unabated. He believes Northern Ireland played well on Saturday night , as the team slumped to an abject 2-0 defeat against indifferent opposition. Admittedly Maribor was not an easy place to secure three points. The Slovenes kicked, hacked, shoved and elbowed North...

After the weekend’s bitter disappointment, Northern Ireland have an opportunity to get our World Cup 2010 campaign up and running when we face the Czech Republic at Windsor Park tomorrow night. Once again we will be required to line up without influential front man Kyle Lafferty, and increasingly it looks as if George McCartney will be another absentee. If McCartney misses out, even Nigel Worthington should have the tactical nous to reshape the back four in relatively effective fashion. Jonny Evans can move to left back, which apart from covering McCartney’s absence, also allows Hughes to resume his successful centre back partnership with Craigan. Chris Baird or Gareth McCauley would then be asked to take up the right back berth vacated by their captain. The manager will probably choose McCauley, because I imagine he will think it foolhardy to pick a conventional 4-4-2 midfield, rather than selecting Baird as stopper. In fairness, on this occasion he might be right. With Damien...

Having predicted possible disappointment in Bratislava , I should not have felt so devastated after Northern Ireland lost 2-1 in their opening World Cup qualifying match against Slovakia. This defeat was particularly galling, however, because the Slovakians were eminently beatable and Nigel Worthington’s men’s display was blighted by below par performances, lapses in concentration, ill discipline and basic tactical errors from the manager. I expressed the opinion on Friday that Worthington had two likely formations available to him, and of these two formations, 4-5-1 would eliminate any realistic possibility of returning to Belfast with 3 points. I argued strongly that a second striker would be needed in order to support David Healy and prevent the Killyleagh man becoming isolated and ineffective. Our hapless supremo did select a second striker (Paterson), but unfathomably decided to play him on the left wing, thus ensuring that not only did Northern Ireland line up 4-5-1, but they...

Come Saturday night we will know a lot more about Northern Ireland’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup in South Africa. Come Wednesday night the Green and White Army will have a fair idea whether it is even worth dreaming about an African odyssey come the summer of 2010. Put quite simply, if Northern Ireland lose the first two matches of the campaign, then the rest of the group games are merely for FIFA ranking places, we’re not going to the World Cup. Failing to qualify for South Africa would not, of course, represent abject failure for Nigel Worthington’s squad. Realistically, it would be a fine achievement to top the ‘group within a group’ which also includes Slovenia and Slovakia. Overwhelmingly the Czechs and Poland will be favourites to progress, but in the European Championships we regularly defeated opposition of a similar standard (and better, the eventual champs for goodness sake!) at Windsor Park. Naturally, expectations have risen commensurately. However, North...

Northern Ireland’s prospects of a successful start to the World Cup qualifying campaign suffered a heavy blow before the squad even departed for Bratislava. Influential young striker, Kyle Lafferty, misses the first game and is a serious doubt for the second, after suffering a back injury. The opening match is an away fixture in Slovakia on Saturday and then Worthington’s side face the Czech Republic in Belfast next Wednesday. Lafferty was noticeably missed when Northern Ireland competed against Scotland at Hampden Park two weeks ago. He provides physical presence, height, a deft touch, an ability to hold up the ball and goalscoring threat. The player is an ideal foil for David Healy and neither Warren Feeney, nor Martin Patterson can offer the qualities which the Rangers’ forward brings to the team. Northern Ireland’s home form during the previous campaign was outstanding. Despite an ability to grind out draws against good quality opposition, away form has been our Achilles heal...

There have been moments, I will admit, when as a Northern Ireland fan I have felt shame at the conduct of some people who would also describe themselves as supporters of the team. These moments have generally been endlessly analysed and recycled by those for whom the very fact that there is a Northern Ireland football team causes grave offence. There is certainly no need to revisit them here. On more occasions I have felt a great deal of pride to number myself amongst a fanbase which is simultaneously passionate about their team and good natured toward opposing supporters. All those glorious nights at Windsor, for example, when a wall of noise has made Northern Ireland seem indefatigable and England, Spain, Sweden or Denmark has succumbed to the combined efforts of team and crowd. At away games in Czech Republic, Spain and Poland the home crowds have applauded the vocal support offered by the Green and White Army after matches have ended. The applause is always reciprocal and oft...

David Healy, a man known for his mild mannered self-deprecation and sportsmanship. Were the stories that he had been involved in an incendiary sectarian gesture toward Celtic supporters ever likely to bear much scrutiny? His agent has been outlining the events leading to the striker's mime of playing a flute which reportedly sent a section of the Celtic faithful into a rabid frenzy of outrage . As Sir Dave took to the touchline he was subjected immediately to a sustained barrage of abuse. A chant querying what Healy was doing on the Twelfth was struck up and he wryly mimicked playing an orange flute. In any sane person’s view it’s called responding to abuse with some good natured banter. Less excitable Celtic fans seem to agree. If Nil by Mouth, the ‘anti-sectarian’ football group has anything to investigate here, it is simply why a footballer playing for an English team should be subject to barracking simply because of his perceived background as regards Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland eased to a comfortable 4-1 victory against Georgia last night after an anaemic encounter at Windsor Park. The first half saw the bulk of the action with strikers Lafferty and Healy showing real quality, sharing three goals between them. Lafferty’s contribution was especially impressive. He delivered a hard-working, energetic display capped off by two goals, one a neat slotted finish and the second a fine headed goal. The young forward has pace and skill as well as the height to impose himself in the air. Healy’s goalscoring haul in the European Championship campaign was marked by a presentation by UEFA president Michel Platini prior to the match. Northern Ireland’s talisman had a mixed night though. A long range effort in the first half gave Healy his 34th goal in a Northern Ireland shirt, but in the second half his attempt to clear Georgia’s penalty kick saw the Fulham player score the first own goal of his international career. Other notable contributors were ...

Northern Ireland succumbed 1-0 to Bulgaria last night in a predictably lacklustre friendly at Windsor Park. Martin Petrov, who was the pick of the Bulgarian side, forced a Johnny Evans own goal following a characteristically forceful run from the left flank. Despite chances for Kyle Lafferty and Steven Craigan, Northern Ireland were unable to respond and indeed at times Bulgaria looked more likely to add to their lead. On the occasion of a friendly match such as this it was inevitable that Nigel Worthington would take the opportunity to experiment with different personnel and indeed three substitutions were made at half-time, with three more to come. Two of these substitutes were gratuitous nonsense as Linfield’s Thompson and Mannus were introduced in order to court the acclaim of their club supporters. Whether Worthington would have learned anything which he should not have ascertained already is arguable. Perhaps the most concerning aspect of last night’s opening exchanges was th...

Having secured a contract which will encompass the 2010 World Cup’s qualifying campaign Nigel Worthington has reconvened his charges to face Bulgaria in a friendly tomorrow night. The Northern Ireland manager is on somewhat of a hiding to nothing with this match. A home win against Bulgaria in a friendly match will not precipitate wild celebrations at Windsor Park, but a defeat may well raise fresh doubts over Worthington’s tactical acumen. Reserve goalkeeper Michael McGovern has a broken finger and is unavailable, but Northern Ireland’s most notable absentee is Motherwell centre back Steven Craigan who will be in action for his club tomorrow night. Craigan’s previous omission from matches in Latvia and Iceland left the Northern Ireland defence desperately weakened and precipitated a successful campaign to have the Dundonald man reinstated. Leaving out such an experienced defender has undoubtedly been one of Worthington’s most serious mistakes during his brief tenure so far. This...