Stephen Hunt hopes the current crop of Irish players take their chance to become heroes at Euro 2016.
The former Ireland international gave his two cents on how the national team are being covered by the media in Ireland, in his
Sunday Independent column.
Hunt admitted that he initially wanted Ireland to draw the European behemoths at the 2012 tournament, but after seeing the reaction to the losses to Croatia, Italy and Spain, he changed his tune.
He believes that if they had beaten European minnows on the same level as Saudi Arabia or Iran (referencing the team that qualified for the 2002 World Cup), they would have been heralded as heroes.
"I hope the country falls in love with these players. I wanted to draw the big teams in 2012 but now I'm not so sure. Maybe we should have beaten Iran or Saudi Arabia and we could have been hailed as others were."
"I'm sick of the McAteers getting the credit when this generation, who deserve it just as much, are forgotten because of what happened in 2012 against some of the best teams in the world. Most of them now have another chance, a chance we didn't take in 2012, They now have the chance to be heroes."
