Matt Doherty knows Ireland have left themselves facing Mission Impossible - but isn’t throwing in the towel just yet.
And the free agent wants the FAI to back Stephen Kenny and his staff at this time of crisis as he believes they can turn it around.
But Friday’s turgid display in their 2-1 defeat to Greece in Athens has left the Boys in Green in a helpless position.
Just two games into the qualifying campaign, already slender hopes of automatic qualification have been all but snuffed out.
Only a convincing win over Gibraltar tomorrow will save Kenny from the chop this summer - and even that may only be a stay of execution.
His fate could be sealed in September’s daunting double-header away to France and home to the Netherlands.
Doherty said: “I thought we would, at worst-case scenario, get four points in the window but obviously the best we can do is three now, so it is disappointing.
But we can still beat France and Holland, that’s what we have to believe, and that we can beat Greece at home. We have to win every game that we have.
“It’s just very disappointing as this was a game we thought we could win. We prepared well in Turkey.
“Zero excuses. Everything was laid out for us:, the way to beat them, and we just didn’t play well enough on the night.”
Greece had Ireland’s number tactically and Kenny’s men were completely disjointed as a result and Doherty continued: “We had to change at half-time.
“They were switching it to the left-back a lot, which was causing us problems. It wasn’t killing us as it was quite deep, but it’s just a domino effect.
“Then something else happens, then someone else is out of position here and there. We changed it but started the second half pretty poorly. Iit just wasn’t a good evening.”
Kenny’s neck is on the chopping block as there are no tangible signs that - three years on - his team is improving despite his own unwavering belief that it is.
But Doherty wants him to stay in charge and quizzed about the mounting uncertainty of the manager’s position, Doherty said: “For me that shouldn’t be the case.
“They are absolutely the right people for the job. Nobody can prepare us as well as they have and will continue to do.
“We are prepared unbelievably well, they do everything for us.
“I was just saying behind the scenes, the staff, the manager, Keith, Sheasy, Deano, for me they are absolutely the right people.”
Kenny needs a convincing win and performance against Gibraltar tomorrow, the group minnows who lost 3-0 at home to France on Friday.
But Doherty will be suspended following his red card in injury-time against Greece after a coming together that sparked a melee on both sides.
“I don’t really know what happened,” explained the wing-back who has just left Spanish giants Atletico Madrid.
“The referee gave a soft free-kick. I thought the guy was walking behind Michael (Obafemi) and trying to go at him. I didn’t like that.
“I thought I walked into him with my chest, I don’t know why. He fell to the ground, but I don’t know if it was a red card. But we should be able to beat Gibraltar without me.”
Doherty is on the hunt for a new club after his six month spell in Spain that only yielded 16 minutes of first-team action.
But he has no regrets over the move that materialised from left-field on the final day of the January transfer window, with Tottenham letting him go on a free.
“I will figure it out in the next few weeks, it could be anywhere,” he added.
“My family is in England and I’d like to go back to my family, but I’m not opposed to any kind of challenge, wherever that is.
“I really enjoyed it in Spain with a great set of lads and a good changing room. It was a completely different experience.
“Obviously I didn’t play anywhere near the number of games I wanted to, but the experience was worth the six months.”
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