IRELAND'S HALL

To hell with the begrudgers we're lucky to have Heimir at the helm of our team

- 

MATT DOHERTY'S goal on Thursday was the most important one for Ireland in Bulgaria since Gary Mackay's beauty for Scotland in 1987 which sent us to the Euros.

Fair play to Ireland for their performance in Plovdiv - and well done to the manager.

We have become experts in this country in ambivalence. Nothing impresses us any more.

We went to Bulgaria with a mission — stay in Group B of the Nations League. We were 1-0 down after six minutes. We came back. We equalised.

Then Doherty showed extraordinary bravery to make it 2-1.

But why can't we see it for what it was?

The negativity from clowns who have never won anything as a manager gets on my nerves and it reminds me of why managing Ireland is a really tough gig.

I am desperate for the Boys In Green to do well.

Not just because I love my country - but also because I love Heimir Hall grimsson.

What an impressive guy he is.

Some people ridicule him because of his low key journey and his emotional intelligence to get on with people. But in his tenure so far, which, unsurprisingly has been a little up and down, it is clear Heimir is a decent, hard-working guy who wants to improve us.

He was probably shocked when he walked into the Ireland job in terms of the expectations.

A long time ago we were innocent in this country.

We are now a society that has so much and seems to have lost what the world used to love about us, an infectious enthusiasm, an ability to look at the glass half full.

Perhaps this management team will never be world class but in Heimir we have got a really great human being.

He wanted to be a scientist when he was at university.