Republic of Ireland winger Jason McAteer has promised that he and the rest of Mick McCarthy's squad are ready for whatever Iran can throw at them in the second-leg of their World Cup play-off on Thursday. Although the Irish are expecting a tough match at Iran's 100,000-capacity Azadi Stadium, McAteer insists they won't be found wanting.
"We're ready to face anything, but from what the manager says we can expect nothing but a warm welcome - until maybe kick-off time, that is," McAteer told Sunderland's official website today. "This squad has been to a lot of difficult places in all sorts of testing situations over the past few years and it has never effected morale one bit."
McAteer explained that manager McCarthy has informed the players that they have nothing to worry about. "Plenty of times we've played in front of hostile crowds, which is what the Iranians are supposed to have, but we're used to it now and it can actually gee up a lot of players. The manager has been there to watch Iran's Asian play-off win and if anybody had any fears he's soon quietened them. As far as we're concerned, if Mick can go there, then we will follow," added the Sunderland player.
Filed by Amanda Fennelly
