Oct 09,2024
Troy Parrott is back in camp with the Republic of Ireland and if he gets on the pitch against Finland or Greece, then this international window will have gone better than the last one.
The striker was left on the bench for 2-0 defeats to both England and Greece at the Aviva Stadium last month but new manager Heimir Halgrimsson has shown some level of faith by bringing Parrott back into the fold for the the jaunts to Helsinki and Athens.
Before the squad flew off, Parrott indicated that while he respected the new man's decisions, he was a little disgruntled at missing out during the September double-header.
"It's disappointing," said the AZ Alkmaar man. "As a player, you always want to play. I’ve had some good moments for Ireland. To not play and not get a chance to show myself was disappointing but it’s not something I’m going to sit around and cry about. We’re here now, it’s a new camp and we’ll have to see what happens.
"It’s the manager’s decision. I can only come here and be as fit as I can, train the best I can and see what happens.
"I’m not really the type to ask a lot of questions. If he’s made that decision then that’s his decision. It’s gone, I can’t change what’s happened. I’ve come in again and I hope I can get some minutes this time."
Any pent-up frustration was released by Parrott in the right way, as just days after leaving the camp he fired in four goals in a 9-1 victory for AZ against Heerenveen in the Dutch top flight.
He then went on to score his first goal in European club football, in a Europa League win over Elfsborg, and the 22-year-old is certainly doing what many of his international peers aren't, that is finding the back of the net on a regular basis.
"I’ve been enjoying it," he said. "I’ve been enjoying playing games. Recently, the team hasn’t been doing too well, the last couple of games, but before that we were flying. It’s been a good start.
"One of the reasons I went there was because of the European football. Getting my first European goal was a nice feeling."
Before the emergence of Evan Ferguson, Parrott was seen by many as the great hope in the nation's search for its next goalscoring hero in the mould of Robbie Keane.
He admits that this kind of pressure got to him in his younger days, but he isn't feeling it as much as he matures.
"When I was a bit younger, (pressure) used to get to me a bit but not now that I'm older, I’ve played more games, I’ve been in England, I’ve been in Holland, I’m experiencing new things," he says.
"To be away, it’s not necessarily being out of the spotlight but it’s just a new experience for me that I’m really enjoying.
"For me, enjoying my football is the most important thing and I think it’s one of the reasons why I’ve managed to do well up to now.
"Just trying to live up to the hype at such a young age. It was never going to happen that early. Football is never so easy. For me, it was more about growing up a bit and trying to block the noise out, in a way."
While Parrott couldn't help on the pitch during the last window, he is determined to play his part as Halgrimsson looks to turn around the fortunes of a squad that appears to be shot of confidence.
"I don’t think we’re easy to beat," said Parrott, when the suggestion was put to him.
"Internationally, all the teams are good so every game is a real test. For us, it’s about trying to right the wrongs from the last camp and trying to pick up some results.
"It’s been a difficult couple of campaigns for us in terms of results and in terms of the quality of the opponents we’re put in groups with.
"The last group was Netherlands and France, world-class countries. France won the World Cup and got to the final the last time.
"It’s on us now to try to turn it around and pick up results more regularly to try and get back to where we want to be.
"What’s needed in this window is results. I think we need to start picking up points. It’s far from finished. We’ve lost two games but it’s not done.
"We still have four games left. I think for sure we need to start picking up results and getting some points on the board."
