SEAMUS COLEMAN says the Republic of Ireland have moved on from a poor 2018 and are enjoying life under Mick McCarthy.
Coleman, the Irish captain, was speaking ahead of tonight’s Euro 2020 qualifier against Switzerland at the Aviva Stadium.
Ireland won only once in nine games last year under Martin O’Neill, who lost his job and was replaced by McCarthy.
“There are no lads back at the team hotel thinking about last year,” Coleman said.
“At the time, maybe a few lads were more conscious of having to win a few more games as we didn’t win many in the year.
“But they got on with it and there are periods in your career where you go through good spells and bad spells and that was a bad spell for us.
“But we’ve started this campaign very well and there have been no thoughts of that year.”
The Killybegs man is a fan of McCarthy’s no-nonsense approach.
Coleman, the recently-installed Everton captain, said: “What you see with the manager is what you get. We all know where we stand.
“He won’t hold grudges. If you’re crap on a Saturday he will tell you, but on a Sunday it’s about preparing for the next game.
“All the lads coming in are looking forward to it and enjoying being around the place and playing for the country and wanting to go out there and get big results.”
