Northern Ireland manager Ian Baraclough stressed he was ready to take any criticism that came his way and urged fans to give the younger players in his squad time and space to develop.
Baraclough has asked for patience during a rebuilding period as several high-profile stars and teenagers Shea Charles and Brodie Spencer, as well as Irish League forward Conor McMenamin, made their debuts this month.
But the coach left the pitch in Pristina on Thursday night with angry fans chanting “Cheerio” after a 3-2 loss to Kosovo. He was now 13 Nations League games without a win and just one point from three games in a group where Northern Ireland started as a top seed.
Despite negativity spreading among sections of the fanbase ahead of Sunday’s game against Cyprus, Baraclough said it was vital that the young players in his squad were not harmed.
“It’s part of my job to make sure these kids are protected from that and they’re not affected by it, that they can go out and play their own game,” he said. “If they can do that, we can be good enough to win the game.
“Bring the criticism on me. Don’t try them (player). You have to go and perform. This Northern Irish crowd has shown time and time again that their support is there. I have broad enough shoulders to endure it.”
Although there had obviously been boos in recent games, Baraclough said fans who had seen the team flying back from Kosovo offered their support.
“You will always have mixed views,” he said. “It’s one of those things, you have to take the criticism as well as the praise. I never try to get too high and never too low, I learn that pretty quickly…
“(Fans) have every right to say what they say. They come, pay their money and support the team. It’s disappointing to hear that, sure. We are in a remodeling phase. No disrespect to the players that have come into the squad but there are many injuries that would make us stronger.
“In September we will be stronger for these games.”
Baraclough, who originally aimed for 12 points from four games this month, reiterated his view that his side should not be judged now but by how they perform in next year’s Euro 2024 qualifying campaign, but he is aware that a good result on Sunday would go hand in hand with relieving tension.
“Me and we don’t want to go into September and think about not winning any of those four games and think about it for four months,” he said.
The frustration at recent results comes after the high bar set in recent years, although it is worth remembering that Michael O’Neill struggled in his first two years before the turnaround when Northern Ireland took the Euro 2016 reached and 2018 came close to World Cup and Euro 2020.
Captain Steven Davis, who has had many ups and downs in his 137 caps to date, said it was important to maintain that perspective.
“When you play for Northern Ireland you know there are going to be difficult moments,” he said. “Ultimately, as a group, we need to be at a high level to get consistent results and we won’t always achieve that level of consistency.
“We know the challenges ahead and the positive thing about this group was the young players who came in and did well.
“Ultimately you want results when you go out on the pitch and that’s what tomorrow will be about.”
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