John O'Shea has set the tone and players have responded

John O'Shea’s main priority at the start of this international window was to set the tone with his assembled squad.

The players gathered at the team hotel in Castleknock over St Patrick’s weekend, and the interim manager kicked off proceedings with a meeting to discuss the ten-day camp and what was expected in the build-up to the two games with Belgium and Switzerland.

O’Shea asked the players to buy into his plans, aimed at creating a winning mentality within the squad, and one week on, the new manager has been delighted with the response that he has got from all involved.

The former Manchester United defender spoke about the importance of creating a connection with the players and believes that has been achieved, and the team will go into Saturday’s game expecting to cause Belgium problems.

With only a couple of weeks to appoint a back-room team, then scout and select 26 players for this international window, O’Shea felt that the real work in his new role really began with that initial team meeting, while it will step up once the whistle goes at 5pm on Saturday at the Aviva Stadium.

"When you first get the players together and you are chatting to them for the first time, that is the key part, to set the tone for the week ahead," said O’Shea, speaking at the pre-match press conference.

"But ultimately, gametime is the crucial part," he added.

"And that’s where the preparation comes into it, the final details, which we will put in place today and then a switch off for the boys to relax and focus in on the kick-off tomorrow and the plan."

O’Shea has been in the dressing room for previous Ireland games as both a player and coach, however, this will be the first time that he will take centre stage, delivering a team-talk ahead of