Continuing the interview with Sunderland skipper Jason McAteer as the Republic of Ireland gears up for two very important Euro 2004 qualifiers. With his club back in winning ways are one of the longest losing sequences in football history, McAteer is back to his usual bubbly self - and he starts by putting to rest rumours of his international retirement. Once again Brian Beard is the man with the questions.
Q:SO THE INTERNATIONAL RETIREMENT STORIES ARE WAY OFF THE MARK ARE THEY?
A:Yes, I haven't retired from international football. I have been very unfortunate with injuries and maybe because they always seemed to happen around the time of international games that's how the stories started. Maybe if I did retire then I would get fit. No, I am still available for selection, as they say.
Q:HOW DO YOU RATE YOUR CHANCES OF A RECALL?
A:It's hard to say. Brian Kerr comes to watch our games and I will just have to wait and see. I would like to go back, even if it was only for one game, just to see everyone again and just see what it was like. When you get injured, like I did, you can drift out of the scene for a year, year and a half, and that's what happened. It will be interesting to see if I can back into the international fold.
Q:SO YOU MISS 'HAVING THE CRACK' AND THE TEAM SPIRIT THE IRISH CAMP IS RENOWNED FOR?
A:Exactly, in the ten years I have been with Ireland we have been a very close unit and the camaraderie is why we got where we did in terms of international competition.
Q:AND EURO 2004 BECKONS - HOW DO YOU RATE IRELAND'S CHANCES?
A:The game on Saturday against Russia could have a very big say in whether we go to Portugal or not. Dublin is a fantastic place for Ireland to play these games and the fans are genuinely a big boost for the players on the park. It should be a great occasion and hopefully we can get the win we need.
Q:BACK TO CLUB MATTERS, HOW ON EARTH HAVE SUNDERLAND MANAGED TO TURN THINGS AROUND SO IMPRESSIVELY AND SO QUICKLY?
A:We haven't been playing badly we just needed a few of the chances we created to go in and get us a couple of good results and thankfully that has now started to happen. Marcus Stewart, for example, needed a goal. He was another one who lacked a bit of confidence but he got a couple of goals a week ago and another today but he is just one of many in the team who have dug deep.
Q:HOW DIFFERENT IS THE FIRST DIVISION TO THE PREMIERSHIP?
A:I think if you look at the financial situation we have got ourselves into, as a club, it was not great. It has been well documented and maybe the club had to take a step backwards. Unfortunately that step backwards was into the First Division and it becomes difficult. We lost our senior players, a lot of the big-hitters, as it were. But we have started this season with a fresh young squad who are very raw to the game - Sean Thornton, George McCartney, Ben Clarke and the like.
Q:MIGHT THE FIRST DIVISION EXPERIENCE BENEFIT THE YOUNG PLAYERS IN THE LONG RUN?
A:Yes, they are rookies in the game and to learn their trade in the First Division is perhaps no bad thing. You ask any senior professional, we have all come up through that league and the experience can only help. And the senior players like Marcus Stewart, myself, Gary Breen etc can help the younger lads along. We are here and there is nothing we can do about it now -except get back into the Premiership.
Q:HOW MUCH DOES IT HURT THAT THE LOYAL CROWD YOU HAVE IS HAVING TO WATCH FIRST DIVISION FOOTBALL?
A:That spurs us on. Like at Bradford we have a fantastic following and you would have thought it was a home game for us and to be honest we played like a home team. The fans have stuck with us in the First Division. We may have lost a few thousand but they will be back if we get promoted. That's football and that's the reality.
