HEIMIR HALLGRÍMSSON has been backed to win over the Irish football public.
But Vikingur boss Arnar Gunnlaugsson has warned Shamrock Rovers their supporters could turn on them if they play tonight as they did in Reykjavik.
Gunnlaugsson will hope for better fortune against an Irish team tonight than he did 20 years ago when he lined out against Shelbourne in a Champions League qualifier.
The ex-Bolton and Leicester City forward helped KR into a 2-0 lead in the first leg. Shels scored twice in the last seven minutes and, after a 0-0 draw in Tolka Park, progressed on away goals.
Pat Fenlon’s side went on to face the previous season’s semi-finalists Deportivo La Coruna in the play-off round.
But interest in the other country’s football is at an all-time high following Hallgrímsson’s appointment as Ireland boss.
And Gunnlaugsson said: You’re getting a really good guy, a really good coach. I know him quite a bit, we were working on TV for the World Cup in Qatar together.
“He’s really knowledgeable and is just a winner, a clever guy as well, well-educated, so you will like him, I promise you.
“He’s a national hero. He was a senior coach with Lars Lagerback for the Euros and then took over and took us to the World Cup for the first time, where we played really well, drawing against Argentina.”
Asked about what football Ireland fans can expect, he said: “He is intelligent enough to look at the players at his disposal. The Irish, like the Icelanders, are maybe not suited for Tika-Taka football.
“But that doesn’t mean it has to be boring football.
“It’s just different football, a little bit more pragmatic, results-based, this is perfect for international football. Ireland has a lot of exciting talent coming through so it’s a good mixture.”
SHAMROCK ROVERS CLASH
Gunnlaugsson admitted he was caught out by how the Hoops approached the first leg last week and is not expecting a repeat in Tallaght.
He said: “They are not used to playing so defensively. They are more like a team that are taking the game to an opponent, they dominate the ball in the League of Ireland so it was kind of surprising.
“But they did really well, they defended really well, and they played with a lot of heart and determination not to concede a goal and were probably unlucky not to score themselves.
“I think it’s going to be a totally different game. Why? Because I don’t think the fans here will allow them to play the way they did in Reykjavik.
“If they played like they did in Reykjavik – and I totally understand why they did it – they would probably start booing after five minutes. So I assume they will come out of the gates and be a little bit on the offensive side.”
Asked if his side could deal with that, he said: “Hopefully, Mike Tyson said everyone has a plan until they are punched in the face.
“You think you have a plan but the worst thing about football is you have the f***ing opponents and they sometimes surprise you with what they are going to do.
“Shamrock has a good identity, DNA, structure, they always play with three at the back, short passes, with the pivots, and they have good strikers, good players on the ball.
“It’s a European tie, we have to respect the Champions League where the margins are so small so hopefully we can play well enough to go through.
“Maybe Shamrock are struggling in the league right now because other teams are figuring out the ways to defend against the short passes and stuff like that.
“Now Shamrock have to go to another level, it’s always like that in football, you always have to react to what the opponents are doing and don’t fall asleep at the wheel like my club Manchester United did 14 years ago.
“It’s expensive to go sleep walking and expecting to win every year when in football your opponents are always thinking about the next step, how to beat the champions.”
Asked about the importance of winning for his club’s finances, he said: “The money will come in handy, but it won’t be as if we are out of business if we lose.”