'We need to stop this bleeding' - Heimir Hallgrimsson intent on finding form on the road

Heimir Hallgrimsson may have been talking about planning for the future, however, there is no doubt that his mind is very much on the here and now as he named his squad for the upcoming games against Finland and Greece.

The UEFA Nations League double header sees Ireland head to Helsinki next Thursday night, before moving on to Athens to complete the October road trip.

The new manager opted to take a backseat role for the September games, allowing coaching staff John O’Shea and Paddy McCarthy to take the lead, but it appears that the Icelandic coach is set to take control of the reins heading into the upcoming fixtures.

Changes aplenty to the squad as Hallgrimsson prepares to offer opportunity for players to make their mark and claim a jersey in the team that he is attempting to build to close out the six-game Nations League stint before heading into next year’s World Cup qualifying campaign.

Hallgrimsson would not entertain talk of a relegation battle for the remaining four games as Ireland finish their Nations League in November with a home clash against Finland and an away day at Wembley Stadium, yet he acknowledged the reality that the players need to end the habit of losing games.

"Avoiding relegation; I don’t think we should be going with that mindset," said the manager, speaking to the media following the squad announcement.

"We go play in Finland, we try to get a good result against Finland. After that it’s another situation. Two wins for the group just makes this question a little bit silly.

"So like every other game, we just go for this Finland game first to win it and we try to do it the way we think we can win it."

"[Winning], it’s really important, because at some point we need to stop this bleeding.

"Losing becomes a