PUT 'EM UNDER PRESSURE!

Dunne says Ireland stars need to feel the heat as World Cup qualifiers loom

- BY PAUL O'HEHIR

RICHARD DUNNE wants Heimir Hallgrimsson to restore the high stakes jeopardy to Ireland matches - as he feels the players will thrive under the pressure.

And the Irish legend is backing the Boys in Green to have a real crack at this year's World Cup qualifying campaign, even if expectations are low.

Former centre-back Dunne was a vocal critic of Stephen Kenny's time at the helm, slamming the lack of wins - and particularly in games that mattered.

Qualification hopes were dashed in the early stages of the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024 qualifying campaigns, with Ireland never in contention.

Hallgrimsson's contract runs to the end of the World Cup campaign, with the Boys in Green set to face either Portugal or Denmark, Hungary and Armenia.

That rapid-fire campaign will be played out across September, October and November and the preparation for it begins this week.

The Ireland squad are flying to Plovdiv today for Thursday's first leg of the Nations League promotion-relegation play-off against Bulgaria. The second leg is at the Aviva on Sunday, with the winner in League B next time and the loser facing a League C campaign.

Ireland will have another two preparation games in June with a home and away friendly set to be announced by the FAI but Dunne says Hallgrimsson's starting point is to make Ireland competitive and to hang tough in the race for the 2026 finals, with 16 European nations qualifying.

Speaking exclusively to Star Sport, Dunne said: "We need to stay involved to have a chance of qualifying. Whatever the style of football or the plan was in the last few years, it never got off the ground because the results weren't there to back it up at the start of the campaigns.

"After two or three games we were out, and it almost became easier to knock the ball around and play because the pressure was gone.