“The last couple of years probably have not gone as well as I planned in my head,” said Matt Doherty after Republic of Ireland training in Abbotstown ahead of the Nations League relegation play-off in Bulgaria on Thursday.
“But you have a long career, things change, and there is going to be a period of time when you are completely out of favour. Obviously I have had that. And I have had times when I felt like the main man.”
Tottenham Hotspur terminated Doherty’s contract in January 2023 so he could join Atlético Madrid on transfer deadline day but the peak of an already decent football career was never scaled.
Atlético manager Diego Simone could not see past his fellow Argentinian, the World Cup winner Nahuel Molina, and after just 16 minutes of La Liga action over six months, the Swords native returned to Wolverhampton Wanderers, the club that paid Bohemians £75,000 for him in 2010 before selling him to Spurs for £13.4 million in 2020.
“I think for me the key is to stay in that medium ground, to be level headed, to never get too up or too down, and that has done well for me over the course of my whole career.”
Doherty’s philosophy was tested when Wolves used him sparingly last season, while the arrival of Heimir Hallgrímsson as the Ireland head coach almost precipitated the end of his international career.
Doherty started Hallgrímsson’s first game in charge, a sobering loss to England in Dublin last September, before being replaced at right back by Andrew Omobamidele for the 2-0 defeat to Greece three days later. He came on for the last 16 minutes but his decision not to sprint back to prevent the second Greek goal prompted the former Ireland defender Stephen Kelly to castigate him live on RTÉ.
Despite injury to Séamus Coleman, Hallgrímsson dropped Doherty for October trips to Helsinki and Athens. Doherty let it be known that he felt “disrespected” when a centre half in Omobamidele was picked ahead of him at fullback.
“I stand by the comments I made at the time,” he said. “It was obviously a long time ago and a lot has kind of passed since then. At the moment we have a good relationship and everything seems to be fine.”
Out in the cold at club and country, and about to turn 33, the writing seemed to be on the wall until Vítor Pereira replaced Gary O’Neill as the Wolves manager in December.
“Vítor came in and changed my position for the first training sessions and I have not played out wide since. I am almost thankful for that as the position I am playing [right of a back three], I am really enjoying it and playing well. I am getting involved in the game defensively and even in build up play.
“I always back myself to turn things around when things weren’t going well, and I have managed to do it again, so I am happy.”
Doherty was a centre-half at Bohemians until he impressed down the right against Wolves in a preseason friendly 15 years ago that earned him the opportunity to play in England. His career took off, playing over 170 Premier League games with 14 goals and 15 assists. Crucially, he started the last 17 matches under Pereira as they moved clear of relegation trouble following Saturday’s 2-1 defeat of Southampton.
The early rift with Hallgrímsson is now forgotten and he silenced a sizeable contingent of disgruntled Irish fans with a solid display in November’s 1-0 defeat of Finland. He even managed to avoid the entirety of Ireland’s 5-0 drubbing in Wembley as Dara O’Shea filled his position.
Jake O’Brien, James Abankwah and Jimmy Dunne are the latest centre backs who will challenge Doherty for honours at right back with their selections denying Coleman a return for this week’s two-legged Nations League play-off in Plovdiv on Thursday and at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday when Doherty could win his 50th cap.
“I am whatever – right back, left back, right wing back, left wing back, I will be whatever. Things are going well so I am not complaining.”
That comment prompted an encouraging response from Ireland’s assistant coach John O’Shea, with initial signs indicating that Doherty will start on the right of a back four that includes Dara O’Shea, Nathan Collins and Robbie Brady when Ireland enter the Botev Stadium on Thursday night.
Josh Cullen is a certain starter in midfield, while Andy Moran’s late call-up for the injured Will Smallbone could see the 21-year-old win a third cap.
Up front Hallgrímsson and O’Shea have to decide whether they reward Adam Idah’s 14 goals for Celtic or Troy Parrott’s 17 goals for Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, or stick with Evan Ferguson despite the 20-year-old being unable to command a start since his loan move from Brighton to West Ham United in January.
“The most important thing is [Idah and Parrott] are coming into us fit and well, and obviously confident from scoring goals and playing well in Europe and playing on big occasions,” said O’Shea. “The more that happens for Irish players the better.
“[Evan] looked very sharp in training this morning,” O’Shea added, before he expressed surprise that West Ham manager Graham Potter, who coached Ferguson at Brighton, had not started him in five matches.
“But listen, the Premier League teams, Matt will tell you, there is big competition for places and obviously [Potter] probably felt as well that there was a little niggling injury where they had to build up fitness too. Hopefully that will improve towards the end of the season and we will see Evan get more starts for the club. That will help massively.”
