Jack Charlton came in and got Ireland to play in a certain way which he believed was rough but would get the results because that was all that mattered.  Ireland played a long ball and pressed the ball into the opposition half putting them under pressure to make mistakes which would create goals for Ireland.  This worked as Ireland qualified for their first tournaments which were Euro 88, Italia 90, and USA 94.

Though it said that Jack Charlton only believed that Ireland could play a certain way and was criticised by Eamon Dunphy after the Italia 90 draw against Egypt.  They said that Ireland had better players who could play better without diminishing the results instead of playing a certain style.

Jack Charlton sometimes fell out with some of the best Irish players and then left them out of the squad such as David O Leary because he missed an Iceland tournament.

Jack Charlton though picked players on their strengths and improved Irish player’s careers for example bringing in Ray Houghton of Oxford United and John Aldridge of Oxford United who then got bought for Liverpool because of their good Irish performance.  

It’s very easy in hindsight to find criticisms in past sporting decisions, but the truth is that Jack Charlton pushed Ireland’s soccer team into a whole new realm of sports achievement on the world stage.

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As Ireland fans awoke to the sad news of Jack’s death at his Newcastle home, his Captain Fantastic Mick and Italia ’90 hero Niall cried a tear or two for the man who changed their lives.

Both were there when Big Jack stunned his native England at Euro ’88, both were on the pitch when Jack led Ireland into the World Cup quarter-final against Italy two years later and both watched from the stands as Jack gained revenge on the Italians at the 1994 World Cup.

“I’m sure I’m not the only Irish person who shed a tear or two this morning,” Niall told FAI.ie. “I’m devastated. I am finding it very hard to put into words what Jack meant to the whole country, not just to me and to those of us lucky enough to have played for him in an Ireland shirt.

“Jack Charlton led the band. He brought us, as a players and fans, to places we never thought possible beforehand and gave us so many precious moments. He changed lives. For his players, he gave us the best days of our lives.

“This news has hit me with a bang. We have so much to be grateful to Jack for and I am truly saddened, like so many others, with this news today. Our thoughts go to Pat and Jack’s family who shared that wonderful journey with us. May he rest in peace.”

Captain when Ireland reached the World Cup quarter-finals at Italia ‘90, Mick McCarthy last spoke to Jack on the day after the great man celebrated his 85th birthday in May.

“I loved the bones of the man, I am devastated with this news and my heart goes out to Pat and the family,” said Mick. “Jack’s passing will touch Ireland, England and the football world but the loss to football will be felt in Ireland more than anywhere else.

“English fans will always remember Jack as one of their World Cup winners in 1966 but what he did with Ireland will, I suspect, mean even more to our fans and the country.

“He turned a really good team into a team that qualified for tournaments and made an impact at them. He changed my life, he changed everything for all of us who played for Ireland and just look at the memories we have.

“We will always have Stuttgart and Genoa and Giants Stadium thanks to Jack. That’s how we will remember him, with a great big smile on his face. I know this is a sad day but we will remember the great days as well.

“I did speak to him very briefly the day after his birthday but it was difficult due to his health. I told him I loved the bones of him that day and I always will.”

FAI President Gerry McAnaney has expressed his sympathies to the Charlton family on behalf of the Association and the Irish football community.

“We all have so many memories of Jack Charlton and all of them positive – he was the man who brought the nation to a standstill as we all held our breath back in 1990,” remembered Gerry.

“I know I speak on behalf of everyone involved in Irish football and everyone in Ireland when I extend our sympathies to Pat and the Charlton family. Thanks to Jack, they are part of our family now as well and we will never forget what he did for our game and our country.

“He transformed our sport. He changed the way we played football, of course, but he also changed the way the country looked at Irish football. He gave Ireland a team to be proud of and the country took him to our hearts in return. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.”

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