MX23RW : Wednesday, December 18 03:37:38| >> :600:316150:316150:

Michael O'Neill vows to restore pride in playing for Northern Ireland

O'Neill: 'We need to restore pride'
© PA Photos
Micahel O'Neill vows to restore pride in playing for the Northern Ireland national side.

Newly-appointed Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill has vowed to restore the pride and belief in playing for the national side.

O'Neill, who succeeds Nigel Worthington, left his post at Shamrock Rovers and made the move into international management.

The 42-year-old claimed that the international scene needs refreshing and has also aimed to stop youngsters switching allegiances to Republic of Ireland.

"Northern Ireland has a strong football tradition but one that needs to be refreshed with some more contemporary success," O'Neill said.

"That is my primary objective – to restore a sense of belief and pride in what it means to represent Northern Ireland so that our players will want only to play for their country.

"That is how it should be. There is a huge amount of work to be done but, with the right direction and the necessary passion, good progress can be made."

O'Neill won back-to-back League of Ireland championships and became the first to guide an Irish side into the group phase of European competition.

ID:11643: cacheID:11643:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:1952:
Written by
Sam Hughes
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Michael O'Neill
Read Next:
Michael O'Neill appointed NI boss
>
Read more about Michael O'Neill Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool15113131131836
2Chelsea16104237191834
3Arsenal1686229151430
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest168442119228
5Manchester CityMan City168352823527
6Bournemouth167452421325
7Aston Villa167452425-125
8Fulham166642422224
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton166642625124
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1672736191723
11Brentford167273230223
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd166462119222
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham165472129-819
15Crystal Palace163761721-416
16Everton153661421-715
17Leicester CityLeicester163582134-1314
18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1612131136-255


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!