Ian Baraclough: Playing Euro play-off behind closed doors would be 'leveller'
- Published
Baraclough was selected to succeed Michael O'Neill as NI manager
Northern Ireland manager Ian Baraclough says playing the Euro 2021 play-off semi-final against Bosnia-Herzegovina behind closed doors in October would be a "definite leveller" for his side.
The teams are scheduled to meet in the Stadio Bilino Polje in Zenica in their rescheduled tie on 8 October.
"It's a tight little ground which is full of atmosphere with a partisan crowd if it is full," said Baraclough.
"Northern Ireland fans would make a lot of noise but they'd be in a minority."
"Having the crowd behind them clearly lifts them so to play in the stadium with no fans would not phase us. It would be a definite leveller," the former NI Under-21 boss told BBC Sport NI's Irish League Behaviour podcast.
"The new Bosnian manager [Dusan Bajevic] has not managed for seven or eight years so it's hard to know what way he will approach things but he will probably be trying to restore harmony in the squad as their two big players - Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic - seem to have had a big influence on how things were run in recent years."
Change in style of play 'still in transition'
The recently appointed Northern Ireland boss is regarded as offering the continuity the Irish FA were looking for in seeking a replacement for ex-manager Michael O'Neill and Baraclough confirmed that he aims to build on the good work carried out by his predecessor, including continuing to implement the more attacking philosophy adopted in recent seasons.
"I'm fortunate in that I am coming into a group that has been successful for the past few years with a good mixture of players who can play the ball on the floor and ones who can be a threat to any team in terms of mixing it in the physical sense," he said.
"It has been well documented that over the last few years we have tried to change the way we play a little bit and we are still continuing in that transition period.
"We have good players and good young players coming through so it would be wrong of me to come in and have an ego and say, 'This is me, this is how I play', just to change what is already there.
"We'll be a strong group and it's important to maintain what we've been doing over the last few years and try to improve on it as a team. At the same time we won't be scared of change."
Retaining Nicholl 'an easy decision'
Jimmy Nicholl took up the role of Northern Ireland assistant manager in 2015
Baraclough's first move as NI manager was to re-appoint O'Neill's assistant manager Jimmy Nicholl to the same position in his backroom team, a decision he says was a straightforward one.
"Jimmy is a legend of Northern Ireland football - he has so much experience of playing in World Cups, being around managers who have done things in different ways, managing in his own right and being a number two on several occasions.
"I've seen him working with Michael and the group and he is the glue that binds everything together. My phone call to him was the first I made when my appointment was confirmed on that Saturday night."
Johnson will provide quality and innovation
The ex-QPR player has also retained Austin MacPhee and goalkeeping coach Steve Harper as part of his coaching staff, but has added 56-times capped midfielder Damien Johnson, currently plying his trade with Blackburn Rovers.
"I knew Damien was involved with the Under-21s when Jim Magilton was in charge and I had come up against him with teams I had taken to Blackburn," explained Baraclough.
"I like what he did with the Under-23s at Blackburn and thought it would be nice to bring somebody in with a link to Northern Ireland and some of the players in the squad.
"He said he was surprised and honoured to receive the call and proud to be asked to represent his country again.
"He will come in and add quality to the staff and help take us forward. It's important to keep that Northern Irish flavour in the coaching staff and he can bring innovative information on how we put training sessions on."