Kevin Doyle: Ireland will need Seamus Coleman from the off in in Prague 

Kevin Doyle believes Heimir Hallgrimsson needs Seamus Coleman’s leadership from the off in this evening’s World Cup play-off clash with Czechia in Prague. 

The winners of this evening’s tangle will face either Denmark or North Macedonia in a play-off final at home this Tuesday, 31 March.

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Former Republic of Ireland striker Doyle, who has shared many dressing rooms with the Killybegs native, says the Everton man’s experience and guiding hand was crucial in the team getting their World Cup dream back on track. 

Ireland got their qualifying campaign off to a nightmare start with a 2-2 home draw against Hungary in the opening qualifier, followed by a shock loss away to Armenia.

However, Coleman would come back into the mix in a desperate throw of the dice prior to last October’s trip to Lisbon to face Portugal.

Ireland suffered a late loss that evening but they’d follow that up with a narrow home win over Armenia as the tide slowly began to turn. 

And a superb 2-0 win over Portugal in Dublin catapulted Ireland right back into the play-off mix. 

And a famous 3-2 win away to Hungary with Troy Parrott completing his hat-trick in the most dramatic of fashions late on, pushed Ireland onto this evening’s play-off tangle. 

Doyle says Coleman has been central to that revival. But he also says Hallgrimsson deserves praise for taking a player that’s played very little club football this season back into the mix. 

“I could see why Heimir Hallgrimsson left Seamus Coleman out,” said Doyle. “He wasn’t playing for Everton. And I can see why the manager probably thought, listen, he's not active.

“Seamus, he's not going to be around forever at his age, so if you're not playing, maybe you need to move on a little bit. But he soon realised he needed that leadership experience.

“Portugal away was his first game he was back, he was brilliant. In the stadium you could see Seamus constantly talking, constantly organising, keeping people on their toes. 

“He didn't look like a player who wasn't fit, didn't look like a player who wasn't playing week in, week out.

“We're a small country, we don't produce hundreds of players. I admire Seamus, but I'd give credit to the manager for bringing him back as well.

"When he's not playing for Everton it's an easy one just to move on and dismiss, but the fact he goes, right, he realised I was wrong and he had him back in here.

“Seamus repaid him and didn't throw his toys out of the pram for not getting on with it and performed brilliantly. I’d be picking him.”

The fact that Coleman has been able to deliver for his country despite being as inactive as he has been for the Toffees is hard to fathom. 

But Doyle says while his ex-teammate has had his issues with injury, his general fitness and lifestyle away from the pitch means he can quickly get back up to speed. 

“He's a really good professional, Seamus. He doesn't look like a fella who needs games to get fit. He always has, but I suppose that's how he lives his life off the pitch, he looks like a whippet.

“From the fitness side of it, it's not an issue, so that helps. Injuries, obviously, is a different story, but from actual fitness and running, he's a fella who, not playing games, it doesn't look like it affects him. Then his experience, his head, would make up for a lack of fitness too.

“He can gain a yard or two here, knowing when to or not to go forward, when to stay, just years of high-level and knowing what to do. Listen, he's going to do it for 90 minutes, but Seamus is a proper, proper athlete.

“He got taken off with 10 minutes to go against Portugal and we ended up conceding, and you think, ‘Why did we take him off?’

“But again, experience and a man who's a really proper professional. It doesn't matter if he's not playing games, he's doing enough in training and looking after himself enough that he keeps himself in the right shape.”

Coleman’s contract with Everton expires this summer and it’ll be interesting to see if he’s offered an extension. He’s 37 now and while he’s had a brilliant 17 seasons on Merseyside, some suggest it might well be time for a change in direction.

David Moyes has already said there will be a job on his coaching staff waiting for Coleman, whenever he does decide to hang up his boots. 

And Doyle says he has the right temperament to go that direction, for club or country, if he sees fit. 

“Seamus Coleman as a future Ireland manager? It depends deep down whether he wants to or not, first of all. You have to want to, but if he wants to, I would definitely recommend it, because he's not afraid to speak up.

“He's not afraid to speak his mind. He's obviously very passionate to still be playing so late at his age and to be so fit. He obviously cares deeply about football. He has all that experience. It would be an awful waste of experience if he didn't use it.

“It's up to him and you never know. He has the tools, I would think, to be a good manager, coach, wherever, if he wants to.”

 Kevin Doyle was speaking via Casino.org Ireland. This evening’s clash is live on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player with a 7pm kick-off.