The League of Ireland provided clear evidence to non-believers and the Government that it is transforming into a sustainable entity as a record 33,208 paid into the Aviva Stadium to watch Ross Tierney’s first-half goal secure a season-opening victory for Bohemians over their fiercest rivals, Shamrock Rovers.
“It’s a good occasion and shows what can be, but we’ve got to be very careful not to run away with ourselves either,” warned Stephen Bradley, the Rovers manager. “We can’t let people off the hook, and think ‘what we have domestically is acceptable’ when it is not.
“This is great but this is not going to happen every week. We are crying out for facilities. Not just us, not just Bohs, across the board. It has to happen if we are serious about taking the league forward.
“We’ve had positive steps, we’ve had TV come in, which is great. Today shows potential but we’ve got to be careful not to take our eye off the ball.”
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Bradley went on to criticise the Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson for suggesting that players who want to win international caps need to play outside of Ireland.
“We have got an international manager telling my players to leave to have a chance to play for Ireland,” said Bradley. “That’s incredibly disrespectful to me and everyone who works every day in this league.
“That’s the message that came out after our European run at Christmas time. They will give you soundbites but I think that really shows what they feel about the league.”
Bradley also criticised the FAI for allowing Hallgrímsson to push such a damaging narrative as Rovers struggle to keep home-grown players, and the media for not calling them out.
In December, Hallgrímsson attempted to compliment Rovers on their run to the knockout rounds of the Uefa Conference League when he said “a lot of teams in Europe are watching them [and wondering] ‘who are these guys’ going this far?’ Hopefully they will get career change from this success”.
Those comments incensed Bradley: “That our players need to move to give themselves a chance to play for the Ireland team is absolutely ridiculous. It is so out of touch with what we need, it is incredible. I actually can’t believe [the media] did not pick up on it and he wasn’t questioned on it.
“We are trying to grow a league and entice players to stay here long, and improve on every aspect. And I am talking about everyone up and down the country, from volunteers to everyone who puts everything into it. And that comes out of the Ireland manager’s mouth.”
Bradley noted that Graham Burke and Jack Byrne won Ireland caps as Rovers players as recently as 2019.
Had Hallgrímsson attended the Aviva on Sunday, in advance of the Nations League relegation play-off against Bulgaria in March, he might have learned about the real-time changes happening in Irish football.
In any other era, Rovers two 16-year-olds, Michael Noonan and Victor Ozhianvuna, would have missed playing in this nationally televised game as they would have already left for an English club academy.
Brexit no longer allows that route until they turn 18. Rovers and other clubs are filling the gap, with Noonan scoring a famous winner against Molde last Thursday in Norway while Ozhianvuna caused Bohs problems down the left wing on his debut.
[ Who is Michael Noonan, Shamrock Rovers’s 16-year-old European goalscorer?Opens in new window ]
“I just felt it was right for Victor,” said Bradley. “I’m not sure if any of you would have seen him at National League level, but he’s a really high-level player. He has signed a pro deal with the club, which means I can expose him and play him. He is ready.”
Similarly, it used to be impossible for Tierney and Dawson Devoy, Bohs ex-Ireland under-21 internationals, to be offered good enough salaries to return from the fourth tier of English football as they did last year.
[ Stephen Bradley: ‘After I got stabbed, I messed around for a year. I was angry’Opens in new window ]
“Put yourself in our position,” Bradley added. “You are trying to recruit players and sign players and that is the message coming from the head of Irish football? Imagine you are an agent sitting there with your player, ‘You can stay here but if you go [abroad] you have a chance of getting into the international squad.’
“That’s not right. No matter what they say, the comments show a complete disconnect between the national team and our domestic league.”
