Speaking exclusively to BOYLE Sports , former Premier League midfielder Jeff Hendrick has reflected on his decision to retire and has described representing his country as the "proudest moment" of his 15 year football career.
Hendrick speaks candidly about the decision to appoint Heimir Hallgrimsson, making the claim that he wasn't even in the FAI's top five choices and expects another difficult night for the under fire manager against Portugal on Saturday Night.
The ex-Ireland international has also highlighted the importance of former teammate Seamus Coleman to the squad, his thoughts on Ireland's attacking options and has some high praise for Ireland #1 Caoimhin Kelleher..
Retirement
Retirement Reaction
It was a bit different, maybe something I tiptoed around a little because of my age. You don't ever want to call it a day. For me, it was about hanging on, but I finished playing with Ireland two and a half years ago.
Not playing last year and the year before was awful, to be honest, at Sheffield Wednesday, I was stuck, unable to play. I never really got a full answer, only half an answer. That was probably tougher last year because I didn't get closure.
The offers I was getting were from clubs that wanted me, and don't get me wrong, they were still good options. But my family takes first place; it always does. It's easier when you're at a better club and still playing regularly.
However, with the offers and options I had, I wasn't willing to be away from my family because none of them were close enough to where I live. This would mean I'd have to be away three or four nights during a three-game week, which is every second week in the Championship and below. You'd probably have to do a full week away.
It might have been easier at Sheffield Wednesday if I was playing, but not playing and having to do that. Even going back in at Derby for, I think it was seven weeks, was tough.
I think the main thing that made it tough was not playing. I've had options this summer, and it just doesn't suit me or my family's life. I wasn't expecting that retirement question last week, but I had to be honest.
Obviously, I'd already finished with Ireland, and that was probably the main thing for me. When that finished, which was totally in my hands to finish as well, you do wonder what is next.
Why would I carry on playing maybe 15, 20, or 30 games, but being away from my family for a year?
Proudest Moment
My Proudest Moment
Representing Ireland was the proudest achievement of my career. Wearing that jersey, and the pride it brought to me, my family, and my friends, especially having them witness me in a major tournament, was unforgettable.
We shared some amazing nights, with great wins and even draws that felt like victories for Ireland at times. That was truly the pinnacle for me in terms of representing my country as many times as I did. Playing in the Premier League was also a massive accomplishment.
Reflecting on it now, as a kid, I always thought, ‘I'm going to be a footballer; I want to be a footballer.’ But then you go through the stages, and you see the statistics on how incredibly difficult it is to actually become a professional footballer. That journey, and achieving it, fills me with immense pride.
Heimir Hallgrimsson
Heimir Hallgrimsson
There have been ups and downs under Heimir Hallgrimsson, and for me, I think it's just unlucky how the situation played out, especially considering how long it took to appoint a manager.
That immediately created a negative perception among fans, the public, and the media. He obviously wasn't even in the top five choices, so he's coming in against the current a little bit.
People, including myself, hear the questions: ‘Who is he? What's he doing? Instead of getting behind him and saying, ‘Right, we're Ireland, let's give it a go,’ which is often where Ireland excels as a nation in football – that togetherness and spirit.
But I think with the messiness of how long it took to appoint him doesn’t help, and the qualifying group isn't that – some strong countries there.
It's difficult. As a fan now, I obviously want to cheer Ireland on and support them. I'm proud of the lads because I've played with some of them, I know them all personally. So I want them to do well, and I'd love Ireland to get to a tournament where I can go and support them.
Portugal vs Ireland
Portugal vs Ireland
Playing against Portugal is never easy. We faced them a couple of years ago, both home and away. We drew at home but lost away. In the home game, we were six minutes away from beating them until Cristiano Ronaldo scored two goals.
We thought we had kept him quiet, but he just has that knack of scoring. He's not the Ronaldo of eight or sixteen years ago; he's evolved his game but never stopped scoring. And it's not just him – they have talented players like Bruno Fernandes and Bernardo Silva all over the pitch. It's going to be a really tough night.
Seamus Coleman
Seamus Coleman
Having Seamus Coleman back is massive. Everyone knows how big he is, not just for his club, but for the country. He stepped into that role after Robbie Keane, and he's a great captain.
He's been incredibly unlucky with injuries. From my perspective, even when I was in the Ireland squad towards the end, I felt that what older players bring to a squad was being overlooked.
Sometimes, when things are going wrong or the squad has a lot of information to process in a small window – with something planned nearly every hour – it takes an older, experienced player to say, ‘Whoa, we don't need that. That's irrelevant. That's just ticking a box, which we might use as an excuse if it's not done.
Seamus has been around, he's been in competitions, he's done it at a club level. Having him there, or even having younger lads who see themselves as leaders listen to him and take on board how he speaks and conducts himself, is massive.
Evan Ferguson
Evan Ferguson
It's weird because Evan Ferguson is still at a good age. He's still young. I think just the way he burst onto the scene surprised everyone.
Brighton are a fantastic club as well, and with the manager they had, the style of play they had was exciting to see, and they were dominating games. For a young Irish lad to be breaking in and scoring goals, everyone's like, ‘This is amazing.
I really, really like Evan. He got into the squad, and I thought his movement, his finishing, he's a big lad, he's powerful. I thought, Wow.
I didn't want to say anything publicly or compare him to anyone because it's a lot of pressure on a young lad. I definitely still see him as a good prospect.
Obviously, there have been injuries, a change of manager. Then you need a run of games to get going. He tried to go out on loan to get that last year, and it just didn't happen.
But for him to go out to Italy, to work under a great, great manager as well, is good news. People say that it hasn't started off well for him, but it's a long old season. I think maybe after trying it last year, his loan move in England didn't necessarily work out. It's not working out at Brighton now. Maybe going abroad is the right thing.
I think if you look at Troy Parrott, he went abroad, it didn't really work out in England for him, the loan moves he had, but to go abroad and look at the form he's found, he looks like he's grown every month, really, in every game.
So ideally, we'd like that to happen to Evan Ferguson as well.
Adam Idah
Adam Idah
Adam Idah has moved to Swansea. There was some unfair criticism of him last season, people forgetting he wasn't a regular starter and didn't get a run of games.
I keep in touch with Adam and have a lot of time for him. Like Evan Ferguson, he has all the attributes: big, strong, physical, right foot, left foot. To score 20-plus goals last season and not be a regular was really good.
He, along with Ferguson and Troy Parrott, are the three players we should build the future around. Having three in-form strikers would be incredible for us.
“Exciting” Swansea Move
Adam came into the Ireland squad quite young, and maybe like other players, had hopes and a bit of pressure on his shoulders. For him, it's been difficult.
He was at a good club in Norwich, and they were sort of yo-yoing up and down. He found it hard, obviously, behind someone like Teemu Pukki, making it difficult for him to get a run of games. That's why he left and went to Celtic.
He had done so well that they had to sign him, but under the circumstances, he went late in pre-season and was bombed out, so he wasn't even getting a proper pre-season.
Then, going to Celtic, not fit, he was behind the curve a little bit, and Celtic were flying, so he just never got in. But for him to go and score that many goals was brilliant. I'm hoping now with him going to Swansea, they obviously like him, they like everything about him, and they pushed the boat out to get it to him.
I think it's quite exciting for Ireland because he hasn't had a run of games wherever he's been. So for me, if he can nail down a starting spot and get a run of games, because he has to learn. He won't just learn from scoring a goal; he has to learn from good performances, bad performances, and becoming robust and playing 40 games a season.
Caoimhin Kelleher
Caoimhin Kelleher
He's proven himself over the last couple of years. When Alisson was injured, and he got his chances, Liverpool didn't look any worse. He came up with big moments last year, even saving a penalty against Real Madrid.
He's really good. I like how chilled he is; his distribution, everything about him, is fantastic. We all wanted him to step into a first-team Premier League side and say, ‘Right, I'm here, I'm ready.
I can't remember how many years ago it was, but he got called into the first-team Ireland squad. We didn't know too much about him, but the saves he was making in training were incredible.
We were actually working on our press, the starting 11, and the ball would go back to him. He was whipping balls around the corner, 20, 30 yards, breaking the press, and we were thinking, ‘What the hell are we supposed to do here? Surely the team we were working on doesn't have a keeper like that.
I think he's just grown, and he's got that quiet confidence. I'm so happy that he's actually playing now and showing everyone how good he actually is.
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