Football
Josh Cullen Eager for “Fresh Start” Under New Ireland Boss Heimir Hallgrimsson Ahead of Clash with England
Josh Cullen is eager for a "fresh start" under new Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson, as he looks forward to the clash against England in Dublin.
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Josh Cullen is relishing a “fresh start” under new Republic of Ireland boss Heimir Hallgrimsson, with many expecting him to orchestrate a famous win over England when Ireland hosts the Euro 2024 finalists at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday 7th September.
A New Era Begins
Former Iceland and Jamaica boss Hallgrimsson was appointed as Ireland’s latest manager after eight-month search for Stephen Kenny’s permanent successor.
Former interim boss John O’Shea has also been appointed as Hallgrimsson’s assistant manager.
Hallgrimsson famously helped guide Iceland to a memorable shock victory over England as joint head coach in the last 16 stage of Euro 2016.
Positive Reports from Burnley Teammate
“I haven’t spoken to him (the new manager) yet, but Johann Gudmundsson, my teammate at Burnley, had him as his manager for Iceland,” Cullen told SportsBoom.com.
“I’ve spoken to Johann about him, and I’ve only heard good things, positive things of how he is as a coach and a person.”
Before you know it the international window is coming up thick and fast, so it won’t be long before we’re all meeting up for the England game to kick that Nations League campaign off.
Josh Cullen
“Before you know it the international window is coming up thick and fast, so it won’t be long before we’re all meeting up for the England game to kick that Nations League campaign off.”
“It’s a great game to look forward too. I know the Aviva (Stadium) will be bouncing.”
“The atmosphere will be incredible for that game.”
Image Credits: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile via Getty Images
“To test ourselves against one of the best teams in the world is going to be a good chance to see where we’re at.”
“We’ve got a good young squad of up-and-coming players and we’ll be working our best to get a result in front of our fans.”
Nations League Campaign
Burnley playmaker Cullen suffered heartache at club level last season as the Clarets suffered a disappointing relegation from the Premier League.
But the ambitious 28-year-old is hungry to win promotion back to the topflight from the Championship at the first time of asking and is also firmly focused on helping Ireland impress in the Nations League with more group fixtures scheduled against Greece and Finland in the coming months.
They play Greece at home on Tuesday 10th September, followed by away matches against Finland (Thursday 5th) and Greece (Sunday 13th) the following month.
Then it’s a home clash with Finland to look forward to at the Aviva on Thursday 14th November, followed by their final group match away to England at Wembley three days later.
“I’ve got a new manager (Scott Parker) at club level, so there’s always a freshness when that happens.”
“And it’s the same at international level, I think everyone will be excited to get in and learn about the new manager.”
“It’s new ideas for us and, ahead of a new campaign, I think ‘excitement’ is the main word to describe how I’m feeling about my international future as well.”
“I haven’t had two new managers at the same time before, it’s an exciting time on the club and international front as well. I’m looking forward to getting going with both of them.”
Neil has been a journalist for longer than he'd care to remember, having written for national newspapers and respected publications for over 25 years. For the last three years he has worked freelance for BBC Sport, working on the production desk as a sub-editor and also as a writer, covering a whole range of sports.