Seamus Coleman says he regrets that Ireland weren’t able to put on “a show” for the fans at the Aviva last night.
However, the Republic of Ireland captain is confident they will back the team “every step of the way” in the second half of the campaign to qualify for Euro 2020.
“We got three points, we are on 10 points from 12 but we were disappointed probably with our final third play,” he said this morning as he reflected on the 2-0 victory over Gibraltar.
“Probably we weren’t patient enough at times. We probably felt like we needed a big scoreline as that’s what everyone expected, so we were trying to score with every attack instead of keeping the ball for a while in the final third, wearing them down and creating some chances.”
The captain said that, after the final whistle, Mick McCarthy made a point of reminding a subdued Irish dressing room of their healthy position atop the group table after four games.
Coleman said:
“He came in and told us, ‘I don’t know why you are so down, I know we could have performed better and all the rest’.”
“But 10 points from 12 is something he was looking for and that’s what we got. He knows we will improve against the bigger teams. I think we were disappointed because we felt like we wanted to put on a show – we’re at home, we’ve been playing on the front foot recently, we’ve been quite positive.
“So, we felt like we needed to impress a little bit more. We didn’t do that. Darren (Randolph) didn’t have much to do in the second half. It’s not like we weren’t on top. It’s just that we weren’t patient enough in the final third. And weren’t clinical enough.
The Donegal man said he regretted Ireland’s “flat” performance didn’t make for a great night for the fans.
He said: “I think no matter what level you play at, the crowd feed off what you’re doing on the pitch. At times it was a bit flat because we were a bit flat, and then when we scored the atmosphere was good. Our fans our great and that’s why I was disappointed that we didn’t put on a little bit more of a show for them, because they spent good money to come and watch us as well.
“Maybe nights like last night fans might not be going home as happy as we would like them to. But we still won the game.
“I’ve no questions about how they’ll view us going forward, they’ve always supported us through good and bad times. When we’re out there I always feel fully supported by the fans.”
“And we’ve got 10 points from 12 and it’s been a good start for us. We look forward now and I know fans will be with us every step of the way.”
Seamus Coleman was speaking in the Citywest Hotel where he launched the SPAR Better Choices Low Fat Protein Milk and Mega Milk.