It’s not going to be easy for you, Heimir

The boo-boys were at it again at The Aviva last Tuesday night. The Republic of Ireland were out against Greece in their second UEFA Nations League tie, and like the previous Saturday’s match against England, suffered a 2-defeat.

Whereas it was Ireland-connected players in the England team and the English National Anthem that exercised the ‘Rog Whittakers’ three days earlier, this time a smaller number of them steered their vitriol towards their own.

Welcome to the sideline, Heimir. If you thought that because you were an outsider, coming to a scene completely foreign to you, you would get more than a couple of matches to try to make your presence felt, now you know there are some in the soccer population who are as unrealistic as they are demanding.

And it doesn’t matter that you have by your side John O’Shea, a legend in his playing days when togged out for Ireland, Manchester United and Sunderland.

That the new regime have a huge task on their hands is without question. It would have been something out of the ordinary had their side beaten England, or even registered a draw; but although it’s not that long since Greece won the European Championship – 2004, beating Portugal in the final – something better than last Tuesday night’s offering was expected.

Halgrímsson, O’Shea and the others on the coaching staff have got just a month to whip their team into shape, and, for the No 1, to get to know the players better.

Shape would appear to be the greatest requirement. There are now more Premier League players in the squad than in Stephen Kenny’s time. Getting them to play as a unit, something that wasn’t evidenced in either of the recent games, is likely to take up most time in the coming weeks.

Next up are two games in quick succession, both away. Finland come first on October 10th, to be followed three days later with a visit to Athens to play Greece.

If nothing’s picked up from these, the remaining fixtures – one at home to Finland and another with England at Wembley – the competition’s latter stages could amount to nothing more than a fight to stay off the bottom of the table.