Pat Dolan column: Heimir Hallgrimsson was never Irish football's problem ... but he might well be the solution
This win is vindication for the quiet work Heimir Hallgrimsson has been doing behind the scenes with the Republic of Ireland.
by Pat Dolan, Garry Doyle · Irish MirrorIt was some Finnish.
And it was some night.
Amid all the knockers, all the people putting the boot in, I am so pleased for Heimir Hallgrimsson.
All the muppets saying it was not a great game - ignore them because I thought this was a magic performance.
Certainly it was magic from Robbie Brady.
On his 67th cap, he rolled back the years.
Suddenly it was like Euro 2016 all over again.
When a big moment was needed, he delivered.
Just like he did in Lille against Italy.
He was immense.
All those years when he did not recreate the magic of Euro 2016, they seemed to disappear in an instant when he banged in that winning goal.
He had a magnificent game.
He had an assist and then a wonderful strike to seal the victory.
That was Brady at his best.
And this looked like Ireland getting back to their best.
When you consider where they were - trailing 1-0 - on the back of two defeats from two Nations League games, they could have fallen apart.
Let’s think back to where they were at half time.
What a desperate moment it was for Nathan Collins.
His first time having the privilege of wearing the armband for his country ended with him gifting the opportunity to Joel Pohjanpalo who then scored.
To be fair to the man now playing his football in Serie A, with Venezia, it was a no nonsense and smart finish.
But when you are an Irish team desperate for a good start, desperate for a win, it was just an extraordinary moment for our young captain who is so hungry to start leading this team to victories.
To be fair to Ireland, there was nothing between the teams in that first half. They were unlucky to be 1-0 down.
But when you examine the quality of the finish by Pohjanpalo - a man who helped Venezia get promoted to the top level of Italian football when he scored 22 league goals from 33 Serie B appearances, you see what quality can bring to a team.
Joel has started his Serie A season well, having already scored two goals.
Even if he knows it is going to be a long hard season at club level, with Venezia bottom of the table after seven games.
But contrast his start to the season with Evan Ferguson.
Joel is starting for his club, Ferguson is not.
Joel got a chance to score. Ferguson did not.
And it is clear the young Brighton and Ireland striker is so desperate for a big moment.
He nearly had it on 22 minutes.
When Brady delivered the free kick, Collins was onside but was judged to have headed the ball back when it had gone out of play.
Make no mistake, that was unfortunate.
We can talk about bad luck, but no one is interested in fortune - just results.
That is why this one is so important for Ireland.
The team has been in a slump.
Their confidence was on the floor.
They looked to be dead and buried.
And then they climbed out of the grave.
Despite that disastrous goal in the first half, Heimir clearly did his job at half time.
He gave a great team talk at half time, then made smart substitutions and Festy had a big impact on the right, setting up the winner.
Hallgrimsson must have wondered, considering all the criticism he has bashed with, what he has walked into.
Results will decide how long he stays.
But I tell you what, Heimir Hallgrimsson is not the problem in Irish football.
I hope he is the solution.
Good coach, good guy.
And this was a good result.
It is a long time since we wrote those words.
And it is lovely to be able to do so again.
We have had so many bad times.
It is great to have good ones again.
Next is Greece on Sunday.
The last thing we need is a Greek tragedy.
Now we can dream of a Greek classic.
We can be confident of making a breakthrough even if Greece did smash England when Evangelos Pavlidis scored those two goals, including the remarkable 94th minute winner.
They needed a win.
But we needed it more.
And maybe Lee Carsley is a little envious now that Heimir is in the best job of the world whereas Lee has the Impossible Job.
Let’s hope Ireland can build on this.
Football has always been a results business.
But Hallgrimsson has walked into a mess and we hope he can make it work.
Some of the cowards who have put the book into this genial Icelandic bloke.
He has been in the job five minutes.
Give the man a chance.
And I tell you what.
When he was under pressure and had to deliver, he did just that.
We have lost twice in that venue to Finland.
But this win is just what the country, the team, and the manager, needed.
Roll on Sunday.
Irish football is back, baby.
We can hold our heads up high. Liam Scales is an underrated warrior; Brady our 32-year-old comeback kid.
It is great to see him back to his best.
And great to see Irish football people smiling again.
We have been down too long.
Let's all hope this is the start of something … not the Finnish.
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