'It's going to happen very soon' - O'Shea desperate to find winning formula for Ireland

John O'Shea has yet to pick his team for Saturday's clash with Belgium, and he has not changed too much inside the camp, but one thing is certain, the interim manager is attempting to create a winning mentality within the squad.

A thankless task, perhaps, given the fact that O’Shea has only two games and little more than a week to turn around the fortunes of the national team, however, the former Manchester United defender appears fully invested in making his time count.

With just a couple of training sessions under his belt with the squad, it would appear that the new man in charge is getting the right response from the players who all appear to be showing the intensity that O’Shea has asked for this week.

Working alongside Paddy McCarthy, Glenn Whelan and Brian Kerr, O’Shea admitted that he does not have time to make wholesale changes to international week, however, his continuity from the last regime also allowed him to hit the ground running, while he also praised the backroom set-up, which was one of main focuses during the Stephen Kenny era.

Another thing that was often emphasised during the latter stages of Kenny's tenure was the belief from within the camp that these players are very close to learning how to win, and it was a message that O’Shea was happy to reiterate at Wednesday's press conference.

"That’s what I spoke to the players about initially, in terms of what it takes to win matches at international level and to qualify for tournaments," said O’Shea.

"The knowhow of getting over the line in a big game, to get the three points and to get a win is growing, and it’s going to happen very soon."

And for O’Shea, it all starts with the defence – his specialist subject as it happens – and the importance of keeping