Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson on his team's playoff push, Troy Parrott’s rise, and building belief, presented by Christopher Ward: 03/26/26

0:00Rog:You're listening to the Men in Blazers media network, Suboptimal Radio. I've never experienced a player scoring five goals in two games in crunch time. So he's just flying and long may that continue. For the first time in my life, I drank a full Guinness afterwards. I didn't particularly like it, but I made it go down. Drunken Irish fans all night singing outside the hotel. And I was so unlucky I had a room next to the main street. So I was listening to drunken Irish people sing. I forgive them 100%.

0:37Rog:My guest today is a manager we first met ahead of Iceland's historic 2016 Euros campaign in which he took down England on a generational run to the quarterfinals. It's incredible to reconnect as he leads the Republic of Ireland, chasing their first World Cup berth since 2002. Seismic World Cup playoff clash against Czech Republic awaits and it's a joy to welcome back Mr. Heimei Halma Grissom. Nice to meet you again, Rog. Always a pleasure. Oh, Heimei, it's amazing to see you. We have met you as manager of Iceland, then Jamaica, now Ireland. Do you have a personal policy where you only manage Ireland nations?

1:16Yeah, I think I feel the best in such an environment. No, it's just coincidence, I think.

1:23Rog:You need football and the coast. Those are the two things you demand in any contract. Yeah. And if I see the mountains and the sea, I feel good. So you know where I come from, even in an island outside of Iceland. So yeah, if that's around me, I feel comfortable. You took the Irish job July 2024. Republic of Ireland was in a tough place. They'd failed to qualify for four straight major tournaments. You were announced. I mean, you were a surprise hire in the moment, to be honest. Just the second non-Irishman to manage the team in this millennium. Shout out to Trappertoni. Tell us, the odds market, I think, had Republic of Ireland at 8 % to qualify for the World Cup when you arrived.

2:03Rog:What made you an Icelander? What a take on this job. First of all, I saw the potential in the squad. I compare it to, for example, Iceland. I think the players we have here are playing higher level than the Icelandic players that qualified. So that was one thing. And I think I connect with the mentality in Ireland. It's similar to the Icelandic one. You have to depend on yourself and hardworking people, intelligent people here. probably overestimated what I could do. But here we are, and we're really glad to be in this position we are in because we kind of squeezed ourselves into the playoffs.

2:40So we're just happy, maybe compared to other nations that are disappointed to be in a playoff, we are really happy to be in this position. So looking forward to it.

2:50Rog:I love what you just said. You actually ripped straight from one of your first interviews. You said you felt the Irish and the Icelandic cultures do overlap You said hardworking, honest people prone to singing after a couple of drinks, which I just love. But culturally, you know, football cultures are very different. How have you had to get to grips with like the personalities, the styles of communication and how they manifest around the football team? Have there been differences for you to adapt to? Yes and no, obviously it was mostly the media and all the kind of all the stories around everything was a shock to me is a lot of non-food related issues I hadn't put myself into.

3:31So some things were difficult for me in the beginning, but I am surrounded with good people around me that helped me in those steps. and it was easy in the beginning to take the wrong step or say the wrong thing. But luckily, I have good people around me and especially the media officer, the assistant coaches in John O'Shea and Paddy McCarthy, who had great knowledge on Irish football and how it has been done in the last year. So I would never, ever been able to stay in the job without them. So big thanks to them.

4:02Rog:And yet they let you on this show, Heime. You know what I mean. Nobody's perfect. But back in the early days, you said something amazing. You said your first impression of the team was of a really good set of characters, but then you realised they were maybe too nice for the task at hand. And you said you needed a bastard in the team. Can you elaborate on this? What is a bastard in the Hal Grimmsen style? Probably a wrong word to pick. I've heard that so many times since then. But in a way, it was surprising to me when I came from probably past memories of Irish teams and Irish players. They won their duels.

4:43They were really hardworking. But when we looked at the statistics in the beginning, we were losing more duels than winning. Thank God that has changed since then. And we have realized that we need to be stronger in those areas if we want to punch above our weight. But you take something for granted and you should never do that. And maybe I did in the beginning when I just thought from past players, past Irish teams, that this would be a standard edition in all Irish players.

5:13Rog:Yeah, I mean, it's interesting. Anyone that remembers your Icelandic team, that collective of wonder, will remember they were a ferocious defensive force, first and foremost, who snapped on the counter-attack. I think you averaged like 40 % possession on a good day. Coming into this Irish job, you inherited a team that played a little more relatively in possession. How did you approach that old conundrum of enforcing your style on the collective and realizing what you had and playing to their strengths? Obviously, you need to adapt to where you are and use the good work of previous coaches. There was maybe stability lacking and obviously conceding more goals than we should.

5:52So that needed to be fixed. But we're always trying to improve and take the next step in possession as well. And we've done really well in that area and improving all the time. And I think we feel now the belief from the players in what we are doing. But on top of that, I think we sense as well that the players now believe in each other much more than they did. So when those two things come together, believe in what you're doing and believing in each other, magic will happen. So that's hopefully where we are at the moment.

6:19Rog:What have you enjoyed most that surprised you most, but you've enjoyed most about the experience of managing within Irish football culture? What has been the most enjoyable is this is kind of the center of football, is the English League, the kind of the high professionalism in everything. I've been visiting clubs, visiting the players in their training environment, etc. And that's as a coach, what you want is to learn from what is the best, from best practice. you like to go and see best practice, whether it's meetings, whether it's facilities, whether it's the coaching side or psychological side.

6:59So that's what is the most pleasing that you can actually grow as a coach and as a person being involved where football is maybe the highest, has the highest standard.

7:16Rog:This episode is presented by our friends at Christopher Ward. it's only one of the fastest grown watch brands in the world and I love it. CW is an independent watch brand that's trying to challenge the traditionally luxury model. Many of you will record Christopher Wood's work that we did commemorating Goodison Park, the last derby there in timepiece form, which is really a reminder of the love that we share for the culture, the stories, the global community that made this sport so powerful. When I look at my CW watch, I'm overcome by two deep emotions, a gratitude for the storytelling and craftsmanship that they put into each and every one of their designs.

7:53Rog:Also, sometimes I will admit, I tell myself you're just a manager, counting down the seconds to the final whistle of an undeserved win in a relegation battle. And I love both feelings equally. Last September, I've got to be honest, watching this campaign has been remarkable because that first game, you would never have guessed we'd be here now, Haymet. Like, I think we knew routine qualification was not going to happen. That first group stage match, your opener against Hungary in Dublin, had it all. Early goals, red cards, cross after cross after cross, a late equaliser. But then that ecstasy followed with a body blow, 2-1 loss to Armenia, after which you admitted qualification already felt like a long way away.

8:37Rog:Hey Mir, I know that you're a deeply competitive bloke. In that time of challenge, where were you in that moment? Were you deflated? Were you angry? or were you kind of energised by the challenge ahead? No, probably more deflated because it was a shock to me. We were in a good moment coming back from 2-0 down against Hungary and equalising. Should have won that game, the first game, the opener. So the second game performance was a shock and I was mostly disappointed. But secondly, I was surprised. I wanted to know why. We've been digging and thinking what happened there. but on the day obviously Armenia just played well they were on the day better than us and let's give them credit if we think we can win a team like Portugal 40 places higher than us on the FIFA ranking the same can happen against a team that is 30-40 seats lower than us so we need to be consistent in our performance and I think that is what has clicked for us that we're more consistent than we were before Those four games that followed, an incredible odyssey of away days, Troy Parrott goals and beef with CR7 ultimately came down to the last match day, which I'd like to focus on in today's edition of Precision Play, presented by our friends at Christopher Ward, highlighting the key performers of the qualifying round.

10:01Rog:So allow me for a second to set the scene. We're away in Budapest. The score's 2-2. You've clawed back from an early deficit, but your fate was hanging in the balance as time was just slipping away. We're into the 93rd moment, the 94th, the 95th. Hungary scramble out of clearance. Kelleher heaves the ball up. I think it scales and knocks it down. And there is the demigod, Troy Parrott, who just slashes it home, becomes a national icon in the process. Cue mayhem, cue wonder, football's amazing. Give us a backstory for you personally, Heimir. What did you experience in that moment? What did you feel?

10:42I was more worried that they would just lose themselves in celebration and probably would score. I honestly, I honestly was there. I was thinking there's still a minute left to play. They were losing themselves in celebration. Troy Parrott took his shirt off, got a yellow card you know it was just it was just emotions all over and i was just thinking we can't throw this away it's just too good to throw it away so i was trying to be focused

11:10Rog:obviously you are you're that guy are you that guy you're doing a lot of this maybe i'm inside mentally maybe i'm overplaying my coolness at the time but this is this we must take care of that that all of this would be worth something so i was there at this moment obviously happy do you allow yourself even a second though, is that what being a manager is? Like one of the most ecstatic modern moments of Irish football, your team takes place and you immediately, the stress, the pressure, the agony, the experience you've had of these moments of wonder being followed by darkness. Is that genuinely, you can't savour a second, you've got to point your head and be like, calm down, calm down.

11:51Yeah, yeah. That's automatic in us, obviously, that we need to finish the game is let's let's say it's a delayed gratification so we wait wait a minute and then we can lose ourselves in celebration but it's not it's not finished until it's finished yeah that is where i honestly that is where i where i was but it was tough at the moment because everybody was jumping and celebrating and doing all kinds of but it was still a minute minute and

12:19Rog:a half left to play question from the mib discord chris fast asks how do you explain what happens to So Parra in the clutch. What do you believe goes to his mind that allows him to do what he's done for his nation in this qualification process? I absolutely have no idea. But the kid so much to serve it. He came back. And if you just if you put it in perspective, he came back. He lost the September window, I think, injury. We took him in the October window without almost playing nothing for Asset. He just came back. And probably if he wouldn't have lost this month, month and a half away, he would be the top scorer in Europe today.

13:04That's where he is at the moment. So he's just flying and long may that continue. But I've never experienced a player scoring five goals in two games in crunch time and do it in this manner. It's just different. I think nobody can put themselves in his mind at the time. And the kid just is an honest bloke, really nice to work with him, works hard. And yeah, if I'm impressed with something, and it's silly to say it, but I love his defensive contribution. If you look at games that I said, he's defending a lot, but still scoring a lot of goals and he only gets credit for his goal scoring. But I think defensively, he's a massive asset to us because his hard work rating is just his tactical awareness.

13:50Does he explain it to you after the game? I don't know. You have to ask him about that. But no, we just spoke. He was really emotional. And just to explain what kind of person he is, he asked to stay in Hungary after the game with his family. Instead of going to Ireland to be a national hero, he wanted to spend the next day and the night with his family. that's that's the kind of explains his character special human being it was an incredibly special

14:21Rog:moment uh to witness that both teams collapsing on the ground at the final whistle 50 000 hungarians falling totally silent hey meh i know you're a son of iceland but in that moment how irish did you feel

14:39yeah let's say I for the first time in my life I drank a full Guinness afterwards I I didn't particularly like it but I but I I made it go down and liked it even more since so I've done it again since but that's that's kind of the Irishness was in me that moment yeah these guys that have that have not succeeded for a long time or even many of these guys since they came into the national team, enjoy their kind of first moment of pride playing in the shirt. And they so deserve that moment. I was just happy for them to see their faces and how incredibly both of them, they were happy and the nation was really delighted with the game and the result and most of all the performance.

15:27Rog:You once taught me an Icelandic phrase I've never forgotten, duglado, which I've woefully mispronounced, no doubt, but essentially it means tenacious, hard-working. Have you picked up any Irish or Gaelic that you'd use to describe this squad and their strengths as you move towards this incredible World Cup qualifier? I've tried not to step into the Gaelic. I know the kind of words in the national anthem and that's how far that goes. But it's really strange for me to read the Gaelic because they pronounce it so differently from what you read. So even though you know the text, how you say it is then a totally different thing.

16:08So it's a tough language to learn and I don't think I will go that path. They're good speaking English so we keep, we stick with that.

16:18Rog:There's a beautiful Gaelic word that I am going to mispronounce, which is a word for hope that I think all the nation carries as you move towards Czech Republic away in Prague. Team with a formidable, relentless aerial game. They back themselves to win the knockdown and the second ball. Their main man, Leverkusen striker, Patrick Schick, expected to return from injury in time for your game. Tell us what we should expect. It's going to be a physical battle, number one, one that we need to be ready for. Because like you said, that's their strength. They are really tall players and good players. is fighters and second of all is going to be intimidating stadium their home record should scare us a little so for the for the last 18 games it's 15 wins two draws and one loss so that that should scare us a little yeah but if we continue to improve what we are doing and we will be ready on the moment it's all about the moment if we are ready on the moment then anything can happen and We believe in ourselves and our qualities.

17:28We know that he's a good opponent with more experience, higher on the FIFA ranking, playing at home. But we believe in ourselves. And if we continue to improve what we are doing, we have a good chance.

17:43Rog:You've got to prepare for both the opponent and the occasion. If you win, it means hosting Denmark or North Macedonia in Dublin at the end of March. What gives you the hope, to use that Gaelic word, which again, I've just mispronounced, make the case for Irish glory? These players are giving birth to something and we've seen progress. That is why I am optimistic because we have shown we can punch above a weight. We probably did our best game at home against Portugal. And if we play a game like that, we have a chance against any team in the world. and then it's just consistency. And like I said, on the day, that's where I am.

18:25I have great belief in these guys and is a growing character within the squad, really a growing character within the squad. Your player, Seamus Coleman, came in and helped us a lot, both on the pitch, but also off the pitch. Even though he wasn't playing for Everton, he played two brilliant games. And it shows, talking about characters, it shows first of all not playing in your team and play two really competitive games in an international level within three days is amazing is amazing that he could do it but do it with the style he did because you know he will always make the players next to him better as well

19:08Rog:God bless Seamus Coleman a legend for club and country I knew I would get you there I love you I love you in every way you're always playing to the crowd Haymer By the way, how well do you sleep very quickly before these massive moments? In Hungary, no, because there was drunken Irish fans all night singing outside the hotel. And I was so unlucky I had a room next to the main street. So I was listening to drunken Irish people sing. That's so funny. Normally it's the opposing fans. Yeah, but it was enjoyable to hear them enjoying themselves. in Hungary. So I forgive them 100%. When you joined, I just re-watched the video of your first interview where you talked about the similarities of Iceland and Ireland.

20:01Rog:And underneath, an Irish fan wrote, yeah, there's a similarity. We're both crap. Which was funny at the time. But the fact is, you've changed that. You've been part of that change, that transformation. You've led this nation on a journey where now fans genuinely believe their nation can be the story of these playoffs. So leave us with this. What do you imagine your message will be to your players, to the fans about the emotion of this game, what they might feel, and how they're going to have to channel it? This moment is like every other moment in life, Rog, because success is not measured on the day.

20:39Success is measured in the journey. A path to success or a path to glory is never a straight one. So whether we take a step down or we fail at one point, we cannot let that effect on what we do next. So that's how we've kind of dealt with the process of improving. And we will at some point lose a game, but we cannot let that effect on what we do next and how we continue to improve. So that's where we are and should always be. but we're not going to lose the next two games at least. But you have to realise as well that the players, apart from maybe Robbie Brady and John Egan and Seamus Coleman, have never played such a big game, so they are now playing the biggest game in their Irish shirt.

21:35So, for example, if we played Portugal, we needed to win Portugal at home, We needed to win Hungary away. And now we need to win Czech Republic away. And the next game is always bigger. And if we win Czechs, then the next game will be Denmark or Macedonia at home. That will be the biggest game of the lives for World Cup. And if we qualify for the World Cup, then there's even bigger games ahead. So it's a spiral we need to embrace. It's a positive spiral. And it's a huge possibility for growth, both for this team and these players, but also for the association and everyone involved. So we just need to embrace the moment and enjoy the moment instead of making it scare us about losing.

22:20Because it's a journey. It's not about a destination or it's not about a time. It's just a journey we are on and hopefully we can continue to remember what made us win these games in November and continue to improve in these areas. And long may that continue. then we will go to the World Cup.

22:37Rog:It's amazing to catch up with you. Big, big love. We're all rooting for you. Every single step of the way to you, to the Republic of Ireland. Godspeed. Always nice to speak to you. See you later. See you in US. I hope so, man. This episode was presented by our friends at Christopher Ward, one of the fastest growing watch brands in the world, which I love. They have showrooms in New York, Dallas and Virginia, and more coming this year. The growth of this brand is thrilling. It's an independent watch brand that's challenging the traditional luxury model. Horologist Delight, I had to look that up too.

23:15Rog:It's the art and the science of timekeeping and Christopher Ward and Masters are both. They have a combination of British design and Swiss engineering. Think Stoke City era, Jordan Shaqiri, just yielding beautiful mechanical watches with incredible storytelling that are honestly, often, because you know who I watch, football-wise, that are the thrill of my day. Big, big love. Incredible thanks to them for their support, their partnership, to more courage.