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Tuesday conjures memories of Henry and national outrage

"Should have cleared it. Should have cleared it. Should have cleared the ball." The tone of Roy K...



Tuesday conjures memories of H...
Soccer

Tuesday conjures memories of Henry and national outrage

"Should have cleared it. Should have cleared it. Should have cleared the ball." The tone of Roy Keane's voice went to a high pitch as he told Ireland to 'get over' the Hand of Henry, the outrageous interception by France striker Thierry Henry in Paris 8 years ago which led to the William Gallas goal which eliminated the national team from the World Cup play off. 

It's hard to believe it is 8 years since that night in France which will live in football infamy. Back then Keane was managing Ipswich Town and took the FAI to task for their public utterances of injustice. Today, Keane is an FAI employee, assisting manager Martin O'Neill in what we all hope is a defeat of Denmark and a ticket to the 2018 World Cup in Russia. 

It's easy to forget how well Ireland played in Paris; it's also easy to forget the incandescence which surged through the nation after Henry's sleight of hand smashed any notions of fair play. 

The 0-0 draw in Copenhagen on Saturday puts Tuesday's second leg on an absolute knife edge, with the away goal now something to be worried about. Ireland will have to create more, and the tie is tailor made for Wes Hoolahan, and perhaps Shane Long. 

The Republic of Ireland's record in play offs for major finals is mixed, going back to the mid 1960's, when Spain edged us to qualify for the 1966 tournament in England. 

Losing in Belgium in 1997 was painful after a magical moment by Ray Houghton. Iran in 2001 was an easier challenge, negotiated despite the madness of playing in front of 100,000 fans in a claustrophobic Tehran tinderbox. There have been some white flags raised - we had no answer for Patrick Kluivert and the Dutch in Jack Charlton's last game back in 1995. There was the trip from hell to Bursa, where Turkey edged us for a place at Euro 2000. 

Recently, Estonia and Bosnia Herzegovina have been put to the sword, but what is needed now is a landmark Lansdowne Road moment for Irish football reminiscent of the win over World champions Germany in 2015, or Holland in 2001. 

O'Neill and Keane have done exceptionally well to guide a group of players that lack the star quality of the Charlton era to the brink of a World Cup. O'Neill is a cup final manager, a man for the big occasion, evidenced by his track record at Leicester, Celtic and recently with Ireland. The win in Wales was classic O'Neill - motivation, spirit, tactics spot on. We need one more night like it. One more. Let's hope the fans play their part. We don't want penalties. As a sporting nation we wouldn't be able to cope. We want a win. We want the ghost of Henry and play off agony to disappear forever. 

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