Advertisement League of Ireland Horse Racing TV Listings GAA Fixtures The Video Review Behind the Lines Sportswriters discuss their careers and the work that inspires them. Rugby Weekly Extra Dive into all the news and analysis 3 times a week The Football Family Weekly insights from the week’s big talking points Advertisement More Stories Ryan Byrne/INPHO looking ahead Doherty stands by past comments but says he has no issue with Ireland manager The 33-year-old on his relationship with Heimir Hallgrímsson, dealing with criticism and why his fortunes have improved at Wolves. 11.01pm, 17 Mar 2025 Share options Paul Fennessy reports from FAI HQ,Abbotstown MATT DOHERTY insists he has a “good relationship” with Heimir Hallgrímsson, having previously stated he felt “disrespected” by the Ireland boss. The Dubliner got off to a difficult start under the Icelandic coach. Having featured in the manager’s first game in charge against England, the player was dropped for the subsequent Greece match with Andrew Omobamidele, who usually plays in central defence, preferred at right-back. The Wolves star was left out entirely from the next Ireland squad. After that omission, last October, in an interview with The 42, the player said: “It looked like in [Heimir's] eyes that he thought I felt disrespected in the last camp. I said to him: ‘Yeah, I felt disrespected in the last camp’ because in the second game [Greece] he was playing a centre-back at right-back ahead of me.” However, Doherty has since been welcomed back into the fold as his fortunes have improved at club level. Asked whether he still felt the same way about Hallgrímsson, the 33-year-old responded: “I stand by the comments I made at the time. It was a long time ago and a lot has passed since then. At the moment, we have a good relationship and everything seems to be fine. Advertisement “We haven’t spoken too much. We cleared things up the last time I was in camp, so everything seems fine now. “You want to be in every squad as a player, it’s natural to think that. I was disappointed at the time, which I said, but I have managed to work my way back in so it’s all good now.” Assistant boss John O’Shea, who was also present at today’s press conference, added his thoughts on the matter. “Look, it’s straightforward, once Matt is playing and playing well, it’s the key. He’ll know that himself, he’s a different animal when he’s playing football. You can see that now when playing for Wolves. When we have that Matt, he’s always going to be in this squad, simple as that.” Doherty has also been criticised for some of his performances in a green jersey. Former international and RTÉ pundit Stephen Kelly notably singled him out in a game against Greece last year, but the fellow ex-Spurs player says he is not bothered by such comments. “I don’t care too much about the criticism. I did an interview [recently] where I said I would rather take the criticism over some of the younger players. I know I’m able to handle the criticism, so that’s fine by me.” At club level of late, Doherty has enjoyed an upturn in fortune. Following the termination of his contract at Tottenham in January 2023, a difficult spell at Atletico Madrid followed as he made just two La Liga appearances for the Spanish club. After re-signing with Wolves at the beginning of last season, he initially struggled to nail down a regular starting spot. But since Vitor Pereira replaced Gary O’Neil as manager, the ex-Bohemians youngster has become a regular again for the Premier League club. “I didn’t think of myself as a squad player. It may have looked like that at the time, I wasn’t getting as many minutes as I wanted. But the belief I had, I knew there was a possibility of a change, getting into the team, it’s a long season as long as you stay available, and stay fit, which I pride myself on doing, I knew an opportunity would come and it was up to me to take it and I’ve managed to that so far.” One of the key factors in Doherty’s rejuvenation has been a switch from wing-back to the right-sided player in a back three. Pereira moved him there in his first training session, though Doherty had often played centre-back as a youngster before moving to England and planned to revert to that role when he got older. “I am almost thankful for that as the position I am playing I am really enjoying and playing well. “I am getting involved in the game defensively and even in build-up play. “I always back myself to turn things around when things weren’t going well and I have managed to do it again, so I am happy. “I’ve played a lot of games in my career, so for a large part of my career, the manager has been happy with what I’ve been doing. Yeah, the last couple of years probably haven’t gone as well as I planned in my head, but you have a long career, things change, you’re going to have times in your career where you are completely out of favour — I’ve had that and I’ve had times where I’ve felt like the main man so I think the key is to stay in the medium ground. Never get too up, never get too down, and that’s done well for me my whole career.” Paul Fennessy Viewcomments Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Doherty stands by past comments but says he has no issue with Ireland manager”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Doherty stands by past comments but says he has no issue with Ireland manager”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy before taking part. Leave a Comment Submit a report Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines. Damaging the good reputation of someone, slander, or libel. Racism or Hate speech An attack on an individual or group based on religion, race, gender, or beliefs. 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