The Ireland manager has been in fine fettle all week; teasing journalists for not getting his sense of humour, chastising young whipper-snapper Jack Byrne for being a bit too cocky and even threatening to join the Good Friday drinkers for a pint at half-time.
The build-up to Ireland’s double-header against Switzerland and Slovakia is perhaps the first time in two years that Martin O’Neill has had a chance to really relax and enjoy his role in charge of the national team.
"Like Ireland, Vladimir Petković’s side are better than the sum of their parts and will prove decent opposition in what should be a competitive outing considering both sides will be looking to impress their respective coaches"
And while there is nothing competitive to play for over the next five days, this week’s training camp is most definitely the start of Euro 2016 in the minds of manager O’Neill and his trusty side-kick Roy Keane.
The manager is, no doubt, using these ten days or so to get to know his squad a bit better from a personal point of view considering the Euro panel will be spending the best part of a month in each other’s company from the end of May until their involvement in the tournament ceases.
Most, if not all, of O’Neill’s final 23 are in Dublin this week, with the possible exception of injured duo Shay Given and Marc Wilson and getting the balance right for the tournament is going to be key.
It might be a bit of an understatement to say that Ireland’s pre-tournament preparations have not always gone to plan with the Saipan scenario still simmering, while the Euro ennui in 2012 certainly did not help matters as the team were bounced home after a disastrous group campaign.
And with that final 23 in mind, the manager has been very crafty with his squad selection for these two games, bringing in some fresh faces to challenge those who may only have one foot on the plane to France this summer.
Whether the manager thinks that he is going to find someone to break through into his Euro squad is hard to tell, but players like Harry Arter and Alan Judge are obviously doing enough at club level to, at least, raise questions in O’Neill’s and several established midfielders’ minds.
Should the manager have no injury concerns come the end of the season, it is very difficult to see where a new face or two could sneak into the reckoning and it really is only that midfield department that could see a surprise inclusion.
But if O’Neill is to find a diamond in this rough, he will not have to look much further than Brentford playmaker Judge who possesses all the attributes to become a regular in the Ireland squad, whether this summer or beyond to the 2018 World Cup campaign.
Making your international debut at 27 is no longer an exception as Rob Elliot (debut at 28) and Harry Arter (25) have proved in recent years, and if anything, Judge’s club experience will ensure that there are no real nerves or doubts to consider as he looks to impress in either or both matches.
The Brentford midfielder has been a revelation again this year playing in a more advanced role, just off the striker, and with assists and goals in his locker, the often-called ‘Irish Messi’ can prove just as effective as the established Wes Hoolahan and might just give the manager a real selection headache in May.
But with Hoolahan’s place in the squad all but assured, Judge will really have to set the stadium alight tonight to make the manager debate whether there is room for two such players in the final 23, where he would have to sacrifice, perhaps, David Meyler or Stephen Quinn who both bring versatility and experience to the squad.
Of the other midfielders brought in to the squad, Stephen Gleeson will be keen to show what the international side have been missing since his last cap back in 2007.
The Birmingham City man can certainly do a job in the heart of the midfield and will probably be handed the role that his cousin Glenn Whelan currently possesses in one or both of the matches.
Gleeson’s chances of making it in the summer are certainly slim, likewise Bournemouth’s Eunan O’Kane, but again, players like Meyler and Quinn will need to put in a performance in these matches and training during the week to stay ahead in the pecking order.
Jonny Hayes making it to the final 33 was probably the biggest surprise of the week with the Aberdeen man himself suspicious of the initial call up.
But it is no secret that the manager has a soft spot for an old-fashioned winger and Hayes’ arrival will certainly make James McClean and AIden McGeady remain focused this week.
The defensive unit is surely full up at this stage in term’s of Euro squad numbers but injuries are always likely to cause a withdrawal or two and the recent panic talk of bringing Damien Delaney back into the squad has spurred the manager into action by taking another look at Shane Duffy and Alex Pearce, while Matt Doherty is potential cover for a full-back crisis.
O’Neill’s relaxed approach this week has resulted in the manager confirming that Darren Randolph and Rob Elliot are both set to start one game each, which is a real signal of intent for the plans for the summer.
Randolph surely holds the number one jersey at this stage, however, Elliot’s performances at Newcastle this season have almost forced the manager to have a real think about this one.
David Forde knows only too well that the number one jersey can easily become the number 23 and while his inclusion will certainly have helped his confidence, considering he is currently warming the bench at Millwall, the imminent return of Shay Given to full fitness will certainly cause a bit of commotion when it comes to that third goalkeeper’s jersey in June.
Remarkably, Keiren Westwood was bumped from the provisional squad, considering he is playing regularly for Premier League hopefuls Sheffield Wednesday.
The once natural successor to Shay Given can feel hard done by, considering his club form has been excellent for a couple of years, but it would appear that the manager feels that he has reliability issues.
Tonight’s opponents, Switzerland, are also going to France this summer and have drawn a quite favourable group alongside the hosts, Romania and Albania.
The Swiss were well-beaten twice by England in the group but proved very consistent in their remaining games, winning seven out of eight to qualify.
Like Ireland, Vladimir Petković’s side are better than the sum of their parts and will prove decent opposition in what should be a competitive outing considering both sides will be looking to impress their respective coaches.
Petković appears a very tough taskmaster and has dropped captain Gökhan Inler from his squad due to his lack of club football at English Premier League leaders Leicester.
Switzerland could easily be put into that category of team that would be of a similar standard to Ireland and more importantly, they should have proved similar to what Sweden might offer in June as they have one real world class player in Xherdan Shaqiri.
However, it looks as though the Stoke City star will not be risked as he is struggling with an injury, while Stephan Lichtsteiner is also set to miss out.
But the Swiss do have some decent players to test the Irish, in particular Granit Xhaka in midfield, while players like Watford’s Valon Behrami are well known.
And Everton’s Shani Tarashaj, who is out on loan at Grasshoppers, is rated highly and may start in attack, alongside either Admir Mehmedi or fellow Bundesliga striker Haris Seferović.
Compared with your regular friendly international, there is a good chance that the opening 60 or 70 minutes might prove quite entertaining, before the emptying of the respective benches, and the Ireland manager will be looking for players to stand up and take their chance.
And despite the non-competitive nature of the fixture, this Irish team will be looking to maintain that momentum that saw them gain qualification in November and put on a show for what should be a decent crowd at the Lansdowne Road venue.
