O'Shea hopes for 'straightforward' contract talks
O'Shea hopes to remain a part of manager Heimir Hallgrimsson's coaching set-up [Getty Images] Republic of Ireland coach John O'Shea says he hopes negotiations on a contract extension will be "straightforward" but "all focus is on the game ahead". Last week, manager Heimir Hallgrimsson used his news conference to announce the squad for this week's World Cup play-off semi-final against the Czech Republic in Prague [Thursday, 19:45 GMT] to confirm he had signed a deal to remain in post until the end of the Euro 2028 campaign. O'Shea is hopeful he will also remain, but foremost on his mind is Thursday's game as the Republic of Ireland seek to remain in the hunt for a first World Cup appearance since 2002.
That came just a little too early in the career of the Waterford man who was not selected in the squad by then manager Mick McCarthy, but O'Shea would appear at the 2012 and 2016 European Championships during an international playing career that saw him win 118 caps. When it was raised by a reporter in Dublin on Monday that O'Shea had not played in a World Cup, he joked "hitting me where it hurts" but has urged the current squad to make their own history and for him, reaching this summer's tournament in North America as a coach would be most welcome. "I've been very fortunate in my career, but to have represented Ireland in a World Cup would have been a dream," the 44-year-old said.
"Touch wood, we're not far away from next best case. "These are the opportunities you strive for at international level. This is the next step to reach a play-off final and then what can come from that in the summer.
These chances don't come around too often and the only way to enjoy it is by winning the game. " 'We must produce a top performance' - O'Shea Miroslav Koubek took over as manager of the Czech Republic in December with the 74-year-old replacing Ivan Hasek, who was sacked in the wake of their defeat by the Faroe Islands in qualifying. The Czechs will hope the new manager bounce can carry them through to the World Cup, and O'Shea is wary of the challenge that lies ahead, but has urged his players to repeat the level of performance that saw them defeat Portugal and Hungary in November.
"You respect the group of players they have," he continued. "Bringing in the experienced coach they have and all of the players playing across Europe in the top leagues and competitions... "They have a good physical presence about them so there is nothing that surprises you.