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The Sunday Times (London)
October 9, 2011 Sunday
Edition 1; Ireland
Armenia have all to play for
One of Europe's rapidly improving sides will provide a stiff test. By Paul Rowan
by Paul Rowan
THE Armenia manager, Vardan Minasyan, earns in the region of
(EURO)50,000 per year for two jobs - he also manages the Armenian club
side Pyunik - and such is his lack of airs and graces that he was
happy to let the midnight hour pass in Yerevan one night last week
talking about the unexpected emergence of his small nation as a force.
A useful starting point is the under-21 game in Tallaght in March 2010
between the Republic of Ireland and Armenia when Don Givens' side lost
2-1 after being hammered 4-1 in Yerevan a few months' earlier. Those
results jolted Irish football and the FAI, but also convinced Minasyan
that the youngsters were worth the gamble of drafting into the senior
team. About five of them should play in Dublin again on Tuesday.
"I'm surprised about how well we have done because I've been trying to
build a new team by changing the generations and that was the main
thing," Minasyan says . "I wanted to improve the performance level,
but I wasn't expecting such good results."
The groundwork was laid by the former Sunderland player Ian
Porterfield, who died of cancer in 2007 and Minasyan, a member of the
backroom staff at the time, has proved himself an able operator since
taking the helm. He didn't panic when Armenia were beaten 1-0 by
Ireland in the opening game of the group in Yerevan last September,
conceding an opportunist goal in the 75th minute by substitute Keith
Fahey after dominating for long periods.
"We were a little bit unlucky, but we were much younger and lacking
that little bit of experience and some of the players felt the
pressure because it was their first senior competitive game," Minasyan
says. "But they have grown in belief and they trust each other."
The defeat of Slovakia at home a year ago gave them the belief that
they could beat anybody in the group but few others took notice until
the return fixture against Vladimir Weiss's team last month when they
travelled to Zilina and won 4-0, producing the most dynamic
performance in Group B so far.
"In the first half we were lucky because Slovakia had two or three
good chances but in the second half we played much better and we
matched them physically, which was very pleasing."
Minasyan admits that this is an area where Armenia might struggle
against Ireland on Tuesday, but unless Ireland give Armenia the
respect they deserve they are in for a rude awakening. Armenia play
more on the counterattack when away from home but the days where they
would pack players around the 18-yard box and invite teams to stick
four or five past them are over. Like Russia in Dublin a year ago,
Armenia will have five players in midfield - they favour a 4-2-3-1
formation - and Minasyan, 37, is happy to reference the best side in
the world as an influence.
"We base our style on Arsenal and Barcelona and the way I want us to
play. I want us to be positive. We are not so strong physically, but
good technically. We cannot play like the Scandinavians, or the
British."
In a country whose development has been hampered by a series of
disasters both natural and man-made, formal training has finally been
organised with the establishment of well-run academies at the two big
clubs in Yerevan, Minasyan's Pyunik and Bananz Yerevan. Still the
domestic league - consisting of eight clubs, most of them in and
around Yerevan - is not strong enough to support the national team.
"We sold four players from Pyunik in the summer who all play for
national team. We want to make our national team stronger so we need
these players to play abroad.
They have moved to Ukraine where the league is much stronger."
There are other common factors with Ireland which Minasyan points out.
"You fought against the British and if you see our history we are also
a small country who have fought a lot against our neighbours. Ireland
always fight and they are good under pressure and we need that
fighting spirit."
There the similarities end and Tuesday offers a fascinating clash of
styles and plenty of scary moments for Ireland fans.
ON TV TODAY Republic of Ireland v Armenia 6pm RTE2, kick-off 6.45pm 6.30pm SS1
October 9, 2011 Sunday
Edition 1; Ireland
Armenia have all to play for
One of Europe's rapidly improving sides will provide a stiff test. By Paul Rowan
by Paul Rowan
THE Armenia manager, Vardan Minasyan, earns in the region of
(EURO)50,000 per year for two jobs - he also manages the Armenian club
side Pyunik - and such is his lack of airs and graces that he was
happy to let the midnight hour pass in Yerevan one night last week
talking about the unexpected emergence of his small nation as a force.
A useful starting point is the under-21 game in Tallaght in March 2010
between the Republic of Ireland and Armenia when Don Givens' side lost
2-1 after being hammered 4-1 in Yerevan a few months' earlier. Those
results jolted Irish football and the FAI, but also convinced Minasyan
that the youngsters were worth the gamble of drafting into the senior
team. About five of them should play in Dublin again on Tuesday.
"I'm surprised about how well we have done because I've been trying to
build a new team by changing the generations and that was the main
thing," Minasyan says . "I wanted to improve the performance level,
but I wasn't expecting such good results."
The groundwork was laid by the former Sunderland player Ian
Porterfield, who died of cancer in 2007 and Minasyan, a member of the
backroom staff at the time, has proved himself an able operator since
taking the helm. He didn't panic when Armenia were beaten 1-0 by
Ireland in the opening game of the group in Yerevan last September,
conceding an opportunist goal in the 75th minute by substitute Keith
Fahey after dominating for long periods.
"We were a little bit unlucky, but we were much younger and lacking
that little bit of experience and some of the players felt the
pressure because it was their first senior competitive game," Minasyan
says. "But they have grown in belief and they trust each other."
The defeat of Slovakia at home a year ago gave them the belief that
they could beat anybody in the group but few others took notice until
the return fixture against Vladimir Weiss's team last month when they
travelled to Zilina and won 4-0, producing the most dynamic
performance in Group B so far.
"In the first half we were lucky because Slovakia had two or three
good chances but in the second half we played much better and we
matched them physically, which was very pleasing."
Minasyan admits that this is an area where Armenia might struggle
against Ireland on Tuesday, but unless Ireland give Armenia the
respect they deserve they are in for a rude awakening. Armenia play
more on the counterattack when away from home but the days where they
would pack players around the 18-yard box and invite teams to stick
four or five past them are over. Like Russia in Dublin a year ago,
Armenia will have five players in midfield - they favour a 4-2-3-1
formation - and Minasyan, 37, is happy to reference the best side in
the world as an influence.
"We base our style on Arsenal and Barcelona and the way I want us to
play. I want us to be positive. We are not so strong physically, but
good technically. We cannot play like the Scandinavians, or the
British."
In a country whose development has been hampered by a series of
disasters both natural and man-made, formal training has finally been
organised with the establishment of well-run academies at the two big
clubs in Yerevan, Minasyan's Pyunik and Bananz Yerevan. Still the
domestic league - consisting of eight clubs, most of them in and
around Yerevan - is not strong enough to support the national team.
"We sold four players from Pyunik in the summer who all play for
national team. We want to make our national team stronger so we need
these players to play abroad.
They have moved to Ukraine where the league is much stronger."
There are other common factors with Ireland which Minasyan points out.
"You fought against the British and if you see our history we are also
a small country who have fought a lot against our neighbours. Ireland
always fight and they are good under pressure and we need that
fighting spirit."
There the similarities end and Tuesday offers a fascinating clash of
styles and plenty of scary moments for Ireland fans.
ON TV TODAY Republic of Ireland v Armenia 6pm RTE2, kick-off 6.45pm 6.30pm SS1