{"id":365503,"date":"2026-03-26T03:22:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T03:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/365503\/"},"modified":"2026-03-26T03:22:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T03:22:10","slug":"irelands-mr-dependable-will-give-it-his-all-to-make-world-cup-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/365503\/","title":{"rendered":"Ireland\u2019s Mr Dependable will give it his all to make World Cup \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Largely consigned to the margins of the main storyline on what was a remarkable night for Everton at Old Trafford last November, the sight of S\u00e9amus Coleman<\/a> trudging off the pitch after just 10 minutes was anything but a trivial footnote for Ireland fans.<\/p>\n

That Monday night fixture marked Coleman\u2019s first Premier League start in six months. But it has since come to signpost the last time he played competitive football.<\/p>\n

Before that game, his only league involvement with the Toffees was as a sub in garbage time against both Wolves and Crystal Palace.<\/p>\n

The United match came just over a week after Ireland\u2019s famous victory in Hungary. But after the high of Budapest, came the low of Manchester.<\/p>\n

It was a bizarre night. Everton lost their captain to injury after only ten minutes, then had Idrissa Gueye sent off for striking his team-mate Michael Keane moments later but somehow the visitors still managed to win the fixture, 1-0.<\/p>\n

Coleman has not played since. And though he has been included among the Everton subs again recently, with the season entering its final phase he has played just 12 Premier League minutes.<\/p>\n

He also started two EFL Cup games earlier in the campaign \u2013 against Mansfield Town in August and Wolves in September. But his game-time has been limited at club level for several years now.<\/p>\n

\"SéamusS\u00e9amus Coleman’s game-time has been limited for Everton recently. Photograph: Jan Kruger\/Getty <\/p>\n

Before the United game in November, his most recent Premier League start had been Everton\u2019s Goodison Park farewell match against Southampton last May \u2013 though he was forced off injured in that game as well, leaving the pitch after just 18 minutes. That marked his fifth and final Premier League appearance in the 2024-25 season.<\/p>\n

The latter stage of the 37-year-old\u2019s career has been hampered by injury \u2013 including a knee problem in May 2023 that kept him out for almost seven months.<\/p>\n

But the twilight of his Ireland career might be about to afford him the prize of a World Cup finals appearance this summer. Having won 77 caps for Ireland, a landmark achievement might be just up ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is my biggest motivation? I think I just want to be someone who is remembered as a good team-mate, someone that works hard every single day,\u201d said Coleman in Prague on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want anyone to ever have an opportunity to say that he\u2019s not giving his all. Listen, the motivation is putting on that green shirt for Ireland, it\u2019s incredible, it\u2019s something we dreamed of as a kid and underneath it all it\u2019s representing your people, my family, my mum, my dad, my brothers, my wife, my kids, things like that are my motivation, always have been.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very proud to put on the green shirt for Ireland and never take it for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n

He has played that way since making his debut against Wales in 2011.<\/p>\n

But his Ireland career dangled over the precipice not so long ago. Heimir Hallgr\u00edmsson\u2019s decision to omit Coleman from his initial squads suggested the Donegal man was destined to slip off the international stage quietly rather than go out with a bang.<\/p>\n

\"SéamusS\u00e9amus Coleman in press conference. Photograph: Ben Brady\/Inpho <\/p>\n

But some lacklustre Ireland displays jimmied the window open again for Coleman and he was recalled to the squad for the qualifiers against Portugal and Armenia.<\/p>\n

Such was his immediate impact in the group that Coleman was fast-tracked from a squad recall to a starting place against Portugal in October, marking his 37th birthday with an assured display. He has started every Ireland game since.<\/p>\n

The Irish Times gave him an eight out of 10 for his performance against Portugal<\/a> in Dublin last November, calling him \u201cheroic\u201d and saying he remained \u201cthe team\u2019s spiritual leader\u201d.<\/p>\n

Then, just eight days after featuring in one of the most famous nights of Irish football in Budapest last November, Coleman was handed his first Premier League start of the season for Everton\u2019s trip to play Man United at Old Trafford. It was almost too perfect.<\/p>\n

And so it proved as the Killybegs man was forced off with a hamstring injury inside the opening quarter of an hour. He hasn\u2019t played since.<\/p>\n

But Coleman has stuffed so much credit in the bank at this stage that nobody would be surprised if he starts for Ireland in Prague on Thursday. In fact, more folk would be surprised if he was left out of the team rather than included at right back.<\/p>\n

Universally admired by Ireland fans, it is hard to recall a time Coleman didn\u2019t deliver a performance for his country. Supporters identify with him, Ireland\u2019s Mr Dependable.<\/p>\n

So when it was put to Coleman on Wednesday that his lack of game-time might be a concern, without missing a beat he whipped back: \u201cI didn\u2019t have many minutes before the last games.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Coleman is now in the realm of his last games \u2013 whether the curtain comes down on his international career over the coming days or months, it seem results will be the determining factor on that front.<\/p>\n

Coming off the pitch in Budapest last November, with Ireland trailing 2-1, that could have been the end. But he never believed it was going to pan out that way.<\/p>\n

\u201cI fully believed we could get back into the game and create something,\u201d recalls Coleman.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it never crossed my mind. I fully believed that the lads would get the job done, whether that was naive of me or not, but it proved not to be.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut ultimately it has to count for something as well. It was great at the time and memories that people will keep forever, but it has to count for something, and that is starting [on Thursday].\u201d<\/p>\n

Thousands of Ireland fans have travelled to Prague for this playoff \u2013 most without tickets. Coleman wants to repay their belief.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said it before the results last time, that this football team can lift the nation and we were proved right with that.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re so grateful for their support, we\u2019re so grateful that they\u2019re getting here however they can, many flights, trains, whatever way they can to be part of it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as our supporters know that we don\u2019t take that for granted and we want to give them another good night.\u201d<\/p>\n

S\u00e9amus Coleman has already given Ireland fans a few over the years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Largely consigned to the margins of the main storyline on what was a remarkable night for Everton at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":365504,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[56982,61,60,43,1842,48229,4018],"class_list":["post-365503","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-czech-republic","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news","tag-republic-of-ireland-mnt","tag-seamus-coleman","tag-world-cup"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365503","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=365503"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/365503\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/365504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=365503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=365503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=365503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}