Daniel McDonnell: Don’t let Euro 2024 problems make you think Ireland aren’t seriously missing out

Dear reader,

This newsletter is being composed on a train, the hub for most Euro 2024 activity.

I’m going to give it a few more days here before penning a postcard on the general tournament experience.

You’ve probably already read or heard a fair bit about how Germany 2024 has turned out to be a bit of a logistical nightmare for those relying on public transport reliability – 2006 really is a long time ago – and there’s a piece to be done around why that’s happened without it sounding like an entitled journalist complaining about queuing.

Don’t let the negativity fool you into thinking that Ireland aren’t missing out on something. I was walking back from the stadium in Cologne in the early hours of Thursday morning (yes, the trams did break down) and it was easy to relate to the Scottish fans strewn around the city savouring the absence of disappointment.

Today at the Euros: Day 8. Can Netherlands stop the man with the mask?

I got chatting to a bunch of young lads in their early 20s who were only able to afford a trip for the opening two games but it was their first chance in their lifetime to travel abroad to a tournament following their country – take the Covid Euros out of it and Scotland’s last competition was France 1998 – and their focus was mainly on the football and the festivities.

For that Scottish generation, it’s their version of Poland in 2012. I can recall a few stuffy trams on that occasion too; there might even have been an FAI official or two crowd surfing around them.

My first port of call this week was the meeting of Turkey v Georgia which turned out to be the game of the competition to date. I wrote about it in this piece – the wild, unfiltered nature of this encounter in a packed stadium was very different to the sterile feeling that can sometimes accompany tense qualifying matches. Tournament football can feel like another sport.

In the pre-match press conference, I did ask Georgia coach Willy Sagnol about the speculation linking him with the Ireland job and his answer ties in with the Tbilisi view that they expect him to stay put. I’ve received a little bit of blowback for asking the question in that setting (by that I mean around eight lads on social media, half of them using pseudonyms) and I do understand why it might seem a little jarring to do so.

Now, this is my eighth major tournament and people would be surprised how far some of the press conferences can go off script when the world’s media are present; I vividly recall a World Cup protagonist being asked to send a word to the people of Bangladesh, while the last question in Denmark’s press conference here last night was a Romanian asking Pierre Emile Hojbjerg for a few words on his Spurs teammate Radu Dragusin

It would have been unforgivable to not ask Sagnol about the situation when he has been the source of speculation for so long.. Georgia’s training camp is a bit of a distance away and he hasn’t been put up for press between their games.

The question was phrased apologetically, given the significance of what’s going on this week, but the Frenchman had no issue with it and answered politely – and diplomatically enough although he elaborated beyond his instinctive response to add an extra line about seeing himself being with Georgia for the next years.

Certainly, the relaxed vibe on the eve of the tournament is better than asking in the immediate aftermath of a game when emotions really are running high and waiting until they are eliminated is complicated for that reason. I don’t think I’ve ever met a manager who has disliked queries that suggest they are in demand. It’s better than being asked if you expect to be shown the door.

Georgia are one of the most interesting stories in the competition, though – another example of the unavoidable relationship between sport and politics – and I’ll be writing on that ahead of their next match.

I was in Frankfurt for England’s struggle with Denmark and couldn’t quite believe how poor they were. My piece was about that, but also the dynamics around Gareth Southgate afterwards. He’s got a job on his hands to lift them from here.

If you’d prefer a video discussion, then I jumped onto a call with Sean O’Connor to focus on the England angle and ask where they go from here. You can watch or listen to that here.

I’ve also been posting daily videos from Germany previewing the events of the day and trying to give a bit of flavour of the atmosphere on the ground. You can find them on our website – the latest one is here – or on our social channels. I’m not a prolific Instagram user but that changes a little during trips away so you can find me there on mcdonnelldan82 if you want to see more pictures and videos from around the Euros.

Scotland are still alive after their draw with Switzerland. My piece from that game centred around Scotland’s calamitous major tournament history. This is their 12th major tournament and they are looking to emerge from the group stage for the first time. We may only have reached six tournaments, but four of them were extended beyond the initial plan and Euro ’88 was a success too.

Speaking of Irish major tournament landmarks, Monday was the 30th anniversary of the iconic World Cup win over Italy but David Kelly’s piece is about much more than that. It’s worth your time

THE OTHER EUROS BUSINESS

There’s always a strange overlap between a major finals and the draws for the first rounds of European competitions for Irish clubs – we’ll be in the final stages in Germany when the action gets under way in the qualifying rounds of the various competitions.

It’s been a mixed bag for the League of Ireland clubs.

For title rivals Shelbourne and Derry City, a good outcome with first round ties against opposition from Gibraltar was countered by the knowledge that they face extremely difficult tasks if they advance – they’d need to pull out something special to see off FC Zurich and Copenhagen respectively. Being in season is their only friend but with a league title up for grabs, Damien Duff and Ruaidhri Higgins could probably get over departing at the second hurdle – whereas losing at the first would be unacceptable.

Duff has got more European campaigns ahead of him after signing a two and a half year extension to his deal.

It’s a different story for Stephen Kenny and St Patrick’s Athletic who could do with some European joy. A bye for winning the cup has put them into the Conference League second round where they will encounter FC Vaduz of Liechtenstein.

Sounds easy, right? This is where Kenny’s profile might just prove a curse as you can just imagine the public reaction if he was sent packing from Europe by a team from Liechtenstein. That’s not quite an accurate reflection of who Vaduz are.

They play in the Swiss second tier, where they finished third last term, as the tiny nation doesn’t have a registered league. Vaduz qualified for the group stages of the Europa Conference League two years ago – they beat Konyaspor of Turkey and Rapid Vienna to get there. Last year, they fell to opposition from Belarus at the first hurdle so Kenny will be hoping he encounters 2023 level Vaduz rather than 2022.

But, in reality, it’s Shamrock Rovers who have more at stake in Europe than any other team. After their four in a row title win last year, I wrote this behind the scenes piece that referenced how the first round of Europe in 2024 will be vitally important for their finances.

That remains the case. Ironically enough, they find themselves up against the champions of Iceland again – an experienced Vikingur team who unseated Breidablik from top dog status. Rovers do at least have the home leg second.

If Rovers get through, they’ll face Sparta Prague in the next round which should be a bridge too far but that wouldn’t matter because the Hoops would then have two more cracks at securing that all important group stage revenue.

The fact that the champions now look like they have a serious battle on their hands to regain their crown makes this campaign all the more important. With the Conference League sides up against it unless Pat’s can do something, Rovers will be also be shouldering the co-efficient burden that can make life easier for future cup winners if they have a solid year. The Euros is all about the glory but early stage European rounds are closer to a battle for survival.

QUICK HITS

Sean O’Connor got John Egan’s take on the Irish managerial picture and the development of Sam Curtis with the out of contract Sheffield United player mulling over his own future

In case you missed it, Aidan Fitzmaurice put together a piece last weekend speaking to overseas League of Ireland players with a personal angle on the Euros

READER’S CORNER

Given that Sagnol to Ireland now looks unlikely – although you should never be surprised by anything in football – it’s probably the appropriate moment to close the debate in this section around his suitability for the job based on 2014 comments around the intelligence of African players.

I do owe Rory B a chance to offer context to his previous mail (the May 31 newsletter) defending Sagnol on this matter. Rory argues that Sagnol’s character should not be judged by one sentence, adding that it’s ‘low’ and ‘baseless’ to assume it caused him issues with future employment. Rory B adds that he has lived in Ghana and has two mixed race children and finds criticism of Sagnol to be reflective of a ‘white saviour complex’ that he finds ‘childish and patronising.’

All comments are welcomed at dmcdonnell@independent.ie or via @McDonnellDan on X