It was the beginning of a new era but ultimately more of the same as Ireland got off to a disappointing start in Heimir Hallgrímsson’s reign in a 2-0 defeat to England last weekend.
The Boys In Green have had a torrid record in the UEFA Nations League and that continued with a flat performance in Dublin which showed the gulf between the Boys In Green and Europe’s elite.
There were hopes Hallgrímsson’s appointment would be a sign of change but it was sadly more of the same on the pitch as Ireland were outmatched in nearly every facet of the match.
Caoimhin Kelleher was Ireland’s star performer between the sticks on a night where their lack of prowess in the final third truly showed.
Irish pundits were unimpressed with former defender Damien Delaney labelling the performance ‘passive’ while the English media did not hold back in their own assessments of the Irish approach.
Ex-Chelsea star blasts ‘garbage’ Ireland team
However, among the most cutting critics was former Chelsea and Celtic star Craig Burley who was incredibly blunt when giving his take on the current Ireland side.
The Scotsman ranted about the treatment of Lee Carsley by some of the British media for his refusal to sing God Save The King prior to kick-off, while also urging them to not take positives from their comfortable victory.
According to Burley, who was speaking on ESPN, Ireland were so ‘garbage’ that England would embarrass themselves by taking encouragement from the win.
“Those newspaper headlines were embarrassing,” Burley said.
“People in England have embarrassed themselves this week big time.
“You can’t gauge the new manager playing in League B of the Nations League… Ireland are garbage! Absolutely garbage! Then they’ve got Finland and Greece.
“We had some renowned journalists who were talking about Lee Carsley not singing the national anthem. He played for Ireland. He’s not a singer. He’s a football coach. They embarrassed themselves.
“They also embarrassed themselves by lauding this performance. They are in League B of the Nations League.
“Ireland… most of their players are not even playing at the top level. They had 29 percent possession at home. They got battered. They are absolutely gubbins – they are garbage!
“And yet we are still seeing these stupid headlines in the newspaper.”
While Burley was cutting, Ireland offered little to suggest he was miles off with his assessment after what happened on Saturday evening.
Hallgrímsson’s men have little time to lick their wounds as they look to welcome Greece – who beat them home and away in the Euro 2024 qualifiers – to the Aviva Stadium.
That said, victory for Ireland would do a lot in terms of banishing the memory of last Saturday and prompting some much-needed optimism into Irish football.