Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson on his team's playoff push, Troy Parrott’s rise, and building belief, presented by Christopher Ward: 03/26/26
Men In Blazers
Men In Blazers
4.8 • 5.3K Ratings
🗓️ 26 March 2026
⏱️ 24 minutes
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Summary
Ahead of the UEFA qualifying playoffs, Rog sits down with Republic of Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrímsson to discuss his team’s remarkable journey to and the belief growing within the squad. Hallgrímsson reflects on taking over an Ireland side in transition, why he saw parallels with his historic Iceland team, and how he’s built a harder, more resilient identity. He also breaks down striker Troy Parrott’s incredible goal-scoring run, including his dramatic winner in Hungary, and what it takes to deliver in the biggest moments. Plus, Hallgrímsson previews Ireland’s decisive playoff clash against Czech Republic and explains why this squad is learning to embrace the pressure of the occasion. Presented by Christopher Ward.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | You're listening to the Meninblazers media network, Suboptimal Radio. |
| 0:05.8 | I've never experienced a player scoring five goals in two games in crunch time. |
| 0:11.1 | So he's just flying and long made that continue. |
| 0:13.3 | For the first time in my life, I drank a full Guinness afterwards. |
| 0:16.5 | I didn't particularly like it, but I made it go down. |
| 0:19.6 | Drunken Irish fans all night singing outside the hotel. |
| 0:23.2 | And I was so unlucky I had a room next to the main street. |
| 0:27.5 | So I was listening to drunken Irish people sing. |
| 0:30.9 | I forgive them 100%. |
| 0:32.1 | My guest today is a manager we first met ahead of Iceland's historic 2016 Euro's campaign in which he took down England on a generational run to the quarterfinals. |
| 0:48.3 | It's incredible to reconnect as he leads a Republic of Ireland chasing their first World Cup birth since 2002. |
| 0:55.8 | Seismic World Cup playoff clash against Czech Republic awaits, and it's a joy to welcome back. |
| 1:00.7 | Mr. Heymer, Halmogrisson. |
| 1:02.4 | Nice to meet you again, Roger. |
| 1:04.6 | Always a pleasure. |
| 1:05.7 | Oh, Hayme, it's amazing to see you. |
| 1:07.5 | We have met you as manager of Iceland, then Jamaica, now Ireland. Do you have a personal |
| 1:13.1 | policy where you only manage Ireland nations? Yeah, I think I'm, I feel the best in such an |
| 1:20.5 | environment. No, it's just coincidence, I think. You need football and the coast. Those are the two |
| 1:26.0 | things you demand in any contract. |
| 1:30.8 | Yeah, and if I see the mountains in the sea, I feel good. |
| 1:34.9 | So you know where I come from, even an island outside of Iceland. |
... |
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