NATHAN COLLINS admitted Ireland’s losing run has made him sick — and the only way to feel better is to start winning.
Collins will captain Ireland tonight as they face Finland in the Nations League looking for a rare victory.
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If successful, it would be just their second win of 2024 and the first competitive victory since beating Gibraltar 12 months ago.
It would also be the first competitive triumph against a side ranked in Fifa’s top 90 since Scotland in 2022 and first competitive away win against a top-90 side since Wales in 2017.
Collins revealed there were some tough words spoken within the camp after last month’s 2-0 loss to Greece, with players desperate to start winning.
He said: “After the last game there was a lot of talk in the dressing room between the lads, it wasn’t nice, it was a tough chat as a group.
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“You know as a group we are all sick of it and we are all getting frustrated.
“We’ve been speaking this week about how much we want to win, how much we want to get over that line, get that good feeling back into the country.
“We’re all Irish, we’re all footballers, we all want to win every game with Ireland.
“We’ve always said it’s a dream to play for Ireland. Well it’s a dream to qualify for tournaments, it is a dream to push this team to the next level.
“There has been a better feeling going into it so we are looking forward to the game.”
Boss Heimir Hallgrimsson has a full-strength squad to choose from with Callum O’Dowda — who did not travel — the only withdrawal from his original group.
And he echoed defender Collins’ view that Ireland need to find a way to get a result as he believes that one win could change everything for this team.
Hallgrimsson — whose reign has seen two 2-0 defeats so far — said: “We need to find our ways to win.
“And once we do, hopefully we can keep on winning.
“And playing without fear goes in line with confidence of knowing what you should do.
“Then you start to play without fear, when everybody is going in the same direction, knowing what is going to happen.”