As he prepares for the future if the aftermath of his side’s failure to qualify for the 2004 European Championship finals, the temptation for Kerr might have been to discard three or four players, but with the Irish famed for their lack of strength in depth as much as their tenacity, he could never afford such a luxury.
Still, experienced midfielder Mark Kinsella was cut from the squad, while the promising Andy Reid was given an opportunity to start alongside Graham Kavanagh in the center of midfield. However, the experiment didn’t last long as Kavanagh soon limped out of the action with an ankle injury to be replaced by Matt Holland.
Kavanagh’s departure in no way cramped Reid’s style and the left-footed playmaker proceeded to spray passes around with the confidence and style of a veteran. While no one was getting carried away with his performance given the sub-standard opposition, Reid was still highly impressive as he added a badly needed injection of creativity into the midfield blend.
Not surprisingly, both Robbie Keane and Damien Duff fed off Reid’s precise distribution, and despite several shaky moments in defense, the Irish could have scored at least three more goals. As it was, Duff scored the first after a magnificent solo run from deep in his own half, and Keane added two more to take his international tally to 18, just three behind Niall Quinn’s record of 21.
Steven Reid was also given a chance on the right side of midfield, and while he didn’t star like his younger namesake, he will come into Kerr’s reckoning next year. With no striker of international class emerging — both Gary Doherty and Clinton Morrison failed to impress last week — to complement the talents of Keane, Duff may be pushed forward into a more forward role, with Andy Reid moving to his usual position on the left.
Liam Miller, who missed the game because of injury, will be considered for the center of midfield, with Holland following his promising displays for Celtic in the European Champions League, while Steven Reid, Lee Carsley and Steve Finnan will be the main contenders for the right wing.
“Andy Reid played well for his first game,” Kerr said. “He’s been doing those things for a few years. He beats players, he can pass, he can score, but he needs the experience.
“I won’t talk him down, but I’d like people to be realistic about any young player’s performance. Some of the things said about Liam Miller, for example, have been over the top, so I think Andy had a very good game. But remember, it wasn’t a do-or-die match.”