camondunphy

AFTER a little more than a year watching him at work, we still don't know what to make of The Dentist.

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One step forward has always been followed by two steps back.

We were supposed to be evolving into a team who made things difficult for our opponents.

But when you look at the first half of Saturday's game against Hungary, the reality is that we didn't lay a glove on them.

Instead, the Hungarians played their way through us until belatedly, The Dentist got his boys together and told them to show some teeth.

That's what Ireland did in the second half.

Anyone who knows anything about football knows that we should have been pressing them 30 yards from their own goal.

In the first half, we were nowhere near them. But in the second half, we were pressing them from everywhere.

That was where the momentum came from. That was why we ended up coming back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2, the first time we have recovered from a two-goal deficit to force a draw in a competitive match since 1983,

So, the penny has to drop with The Dentist some time soon.

If he goes out and shows Armenia ‘respect’ this evening then he will be guilty of b****xology.

This is a poor Armenian team — and not just because Portugal beat them 5-0.

They have not won since last November.

In the meantime they have lost 6-1 away to Georgia, 3-0 at home to Georgia and 5-2 to Kosovo.

Of course they will be organised. They won't be a pushover.

But Ireland should win.

No question.

But if we are to return home with three points then the coach needs to get some basics right.

For starters, you have to pick the right team.

Matt Doherty at left back was a disaster.

Evan Ferguson as a No9 instead of a No10 was a mistake.