Ireland-Colombia at Craven Cottage: Better Than Celine Dion

Many predicted that Ireland's trip to London to take on Colombia in a friendly international would be a damp squib, played in front of a tiny crowd with little motivation on either side. This tends to be the way with end of season friendlies, and of course, this line of thinking was also fuelled by the fact that the game could not be played in Dublin - Croke Park was laughably getting ready for the arrival of Celine Dion. However, Ireland fans can take solace from a number of positives which emerged from the event, a one nil win which was Giovanni Trapattoni's first victory in charge of the senior team.

First of all, the game itself was far from the predicted damp squib. The choice of Craven Cottage was inspired. London is, of course, home to quite a few Irish ex-patriates, who showed up in good numbers and filled three of the four stands. Having said that, it was London's Colombian community (who knew?) who really made this a great spectacle, filling the Putney End and bringing huge enthusiasm and colour to proceedings. That is not to suggest that Ireland's fans were lacking in the former. The arrival of Trapattoni has brought huge optimism to Irish football, and this was evident in the re-emergence of old chants dating to the glory days of Jack Charlton and Italia '90, such as Olé Olé (One of the highlights of the evening was the round of applause given to the Colombian fans who, having started a Mexican wave at their end, chose to continue it when it came back to them having done its first circuit).

The fact that the game was played in a city with a large Irish community obviously added a certain novelty factor to the evening too, and historic Craven Cottage, with its quirks and its intimacy, felt like a (smaller) Lansdowne Road perhaps fifteen years ago, before the malaise in Irish football set in. Just under nineteen thousand people attended; not quite a sell-out, but enough to provide a great atmosphere in a small venue, and certainly more satisfactory than a half full Croke Park (unless you work for the FAI, that is).

Secondly, as is rarely the case in friendly games, both teams actually showed great commitment in winning the game, rather than just going through the motions before picking up their match fees. The Colombians were, as one would expect, technically proficient, playing a slick one touch passing game and hitting Ireland at pace on the break. On the balance of play, Colombia never deserved to draw, never mind lose this game. They had a number of clear-cut chances in the first half, with Dean Kiely making a number of crucial saves in goal.

For their part, Ireland gave this everything. It was very apparent that Trapattoni wanted desperately to secure a win here to go about mending shattered Irish confidence following the disastrous reign of Steve Staunton. Hence, the team approached this friendly more in the mindset of a competitive knock-out game than a friendly, with last gasp tackles flying in early in the first half. While this may not have been the prettiest thing to watch, one can certainly understand Trapattoni's rationale - Ireland need to learn what it is like to win again.

On the pitch, there were some positives from an Irish point of view. While being outplayed in the first half, with the midfield being utterly bypassed, they defended well as a unit (save for one or two characteristic slips from Paul McShane). Richard Dunne was imperious, as ever. John O'Shea was solid at right back. The big plus came from Damien Delaney, getting his second cap at left back, who looked utterly at ease in the position; comfortable on the ball, solid in the tackle, and willing to get forward. Crucially, he is a naturally left sided player, and it appears that Ireland may have solved a conundrum in this problematic position.

The midfield was more perplexing. The centre was utterly bypassed in the first half. Indeed, Liam Miller was anonymous for the entire game. Stoke's Glenn Whelan played a deeper role, and had limited success in trying to dictate the game. Presumably, Andy Reid will take this position on his return to the team. Andy Keogh looks a very accomplished footballer, but should never have been played on the right wing. Aiden McGeady continues to show flashes of supreme flair while on the ball, but never seems to make the correct decision with his final ball. As one of the very few Irish players who can legitimately beat his man (and who was being tracked by two Colombian defenders when he got the ball in the second half), Ireland will probably have to endure his inconsistancy going forward.

Up front, one saw Robbie Keane perform his usual trick for Ireland - running around incoherently, gesturing at the referee when a decision did not go his way, and being utterly frustrating. He is a different player in a Tottenham shirt. Kevin Doyle is the polar opposite of Keane; utterly committed, professional, hard-working, but ultimately, never a real goalscoring threat, and lacking in the deftness of touch or vision to create something out of nothing.

The hero of the night, and one who epitomised the spirit in which the game was played, was Dean Kiely, making his second appearance for the Ireland team after a five year hiatus. Kiely saved Ireland on numerous occasions in the first half, but at the same time played the game with a smile on his face, acknowledging the chants of the Ireland fans and sharing a joke with them on occasion, such as turning to the fans in the Hammersmith End (behind his goal) and visibly grabbing his heart after one particularly close call.

This is not to suggest that his conduct on the pitch was not professional or committed; it was. The point is that it has been a long time since Irish fans have seen players enjoying themselves while wearing the green shirt. In fact, it has been a long time since Ireland fans have been able to enjoy a game in which their team participated, and ultimately, that is what this spectacle proved to be - thoroughly enjoyable, thanks to a great turnout on both sides, two committed teams, a couple of good individual performances, and a positive result. Trapattoni is not leading a revolution, but games like this can make watching Ireland a more appealing prospect again. Certainly, this was more appealing than watching Celine Dion at Croke Park.