Michael O'Neill: NI boss is certain fans understand altered narrative after Slovenia loss
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'You have to learn' - O'Neill on young NI players
The narrative around Northern Ireland's Euro 2024 qualifying campaign could not have changed more dramatically since before it started.
Optimism abounded when Michael O'Neill, the architect of the country's jubilant journey to the Euro 2016 finals in France, was re-appointed for a second spell in December and declared his belief that the team could qualify from a group that had raised supporters' expectations.
Cue the start of a severe injury plight that has robbed O'Neill of captain Steven Davis and a host of key players at various stages. It meant that after matchday three - a cruel defeat by Denmark in Copenhagen - the manager was declaring that he was not thinking of qualification because of the number of players unavailable.
While admitting a feeling of a missed opportunity around the campaign when announcing his squad for this double-header, a lot of his messaging around the build-up to the games focused on the importance of patience with a squad that is massively inexperienced on the international stage.
That was the theme again after Saturday's routine 3-0 win over San Marino at Windsor Park was followed at the same venue by Tuesday night's 1-0 loss to Group H leaders Slovenia, a game in which the hosts were forced to play for over half an hour with 10 men due to the somewhat harsh sending off of teenage midfielder Shea Charles.
So, does O'Neill feel that those fans previously dreaming of going to Germany next summer have needed to be re-educated on what is realistically possible with the injury-hit squad?
"I think the fans know," the former Stoke City boss asserted as he reflected on his side's fifth 1-0 defeat of the campaign.
Dejection for Northern Ireland captain after the defeat by Slovenia in Belfast
"You only have to look at our squad and look at the players who are not here. I think the fans know that it was going to be a really tough challenge to qualify with this group of players.
"If you add the five, six or seven players that we could have had it probably would have made it more achievable but, unfortunately, we lost the game here to Finland [in March] and then we had the situation in Denmark where we are narrowly beaten [and] Kazakhstan we lose in the last minute.
"There have been a lot of things that we can feel a little bit aggrieved about but these are lads that collectively have 20 club games between them, some of them. They are not international players and we have to recognise that.
"We have to be realistic, not just the fans but the media have to be realistic. You have to understand that."
He added: "It is very difficult, it is a massive step up if you are playing outside of the Championship to play international football. We are asking lads who are playing outside that level of football, and to be fair I think they are acquitting themselves extremely well."
NI fans 'are always with the team'
O'Neill is well aware how important the Windsor Park crowd - and the wider Northern Ireland fanbase - is to the team's prospects on the pitch. His first spell in charge, when he led the country to their first-ever Euro finals, will have taught him that.
Saturday's 3-0 win over San Marino was one of the most low-key atmospheres there have been inside the south Belfast arena, with the volume levels in the stands only really raised for a song that voiced the fans' displeasure with GAA stadium Casement Park being the Northern Ireland ground named to host Euro 2028 matches.
There was a lot more vocal backing for the home side against Slovenia on Tuesday night - particularly when fans felt aggrieved at some decisions from an over-officious referee - and O'Neill seemed relaxed about where the supporters stand in terms of their backing of the team.
"I think the fans are always with the team," he said.
"Northern Ireland are always going to go through difficult periods in results, our history tells us that. We have had a challenging campaign. This is the progression of a new team going forward and it will take time because they are very young in a lot of areas.
"If you took Jonny [Evans] and Josh [Magennis] out of tonight's team, it is not a very experienced international team.
"I think the crowd will be really valuable to us going forward but I think if they see what the team gives and what they gave tonight, in the circumstances they were faced with, I think that is all they can ask.
"The crowd were brilliant. Saturday was slightly different because the game was easier and it became a bit one-sided, with us trying to add to the three goals we had scored. We had to show another side to ourselves and I think we did that."
'We don't want to win just two games'
Tuesday night's match was decided by a fantastic, curling free-kick by Adam Cerin that flew into the top corner to earn victory for a Slovenia side that top the group on goal difference ahead of Denmark.
There was very little between the teams in what was often a scrappy game. Northern Ireland were up against it when Charles was dismissed for a second yellow card on 59 minutes, but they did come close twice through two George Saville shots that were too weak to trouble goalkeeper Jan Oblak.
Adam Cerin's free-kick hits the top corner to give Slovenia an early lead at Windsor Park
It was a sixth defeat in eight Group H games and, with a trip to Finland then the visit of the Danes to Belfast to come as their last two outings of the campaign, O'Neill's men face the very real prospect of playing 10 matches and only having six points from two wins over the world's lowest-ranked team.
"We have just got to try and do it," he said when asked if it was realistic to expect them to win any more points from the last two games.
"That is the challenge that we have. We don't want to just come out and win two games. We will have a tough game in Finland, who had a disappointing result today [Tuesday], and we will play a Danish team that will probably come here needing to take something. That will be a tough challenge."
O'Neill did end on a positive note when looking to the future.
"I think there is potentially a good team here going forward, but it will take time and we need to be patient with the players," he said.
"I don't think going forward we are going to have a team that is riddled with Premier League players but it doesn't mean that we can't build a team that can compete."