'We'll have a German plan with O'Neill in charge' - Ward

He paid the price for the 6-1 drubbing at the Aviva Stadium which left the Italian on the brink and, in a short space of time, the Euro 2012 starter went from a regular to an exile.

Looking back, he has no major complaints. It was, he suggests, a reflection of where he stood with his club at that point in his development.

From promising beginnings, his Wolves experience was turning sour and back-to-back relegations removed his case for an international recall.

"It coincided with what was a bad time for me," admitted the affable Portmarnock man yesterday, with a nod back to his fall from grace in the previous regime. "Myself and Kevin Doyle and a few of the other lads suffered because of what was going on at our club."

Forecast

The forecast looks a lot better now for the left-back who turned 29 in August.

Firstly, he has a new employer, and he made his first Premier League start for Burnley last Saturday after they made a last-minute swoop to prevent Brighton securing his signature; a loan spell with the latter in the Championship last season had renewed his enthusiasm for the game.

Secondly, he is one of the few Ireland players present this week who knows they will definitely start the games with Gibraltar and Germany barring a mishap.

"We don't have any other left-back at the minute," said Martin O'Neill yesterday, untroubled by the fact that Ward slotted in at midfield for Burnley in their 2-2 draw at Leicester.

O'Neill has made it clear from the outset that Ward is his preferred option in that department with Marc Wilson shifted inside to a central berth. Naturally, the Dubliner enjoys working under a boss that has put faith in him.

But he also appreciates a tactical approach which he believes is more nuanced and flexible than the methodology favoured by his predecessor.

He toes the party line by stressing that a professional job against the minnows in the Aviva on Saturday is the initial priority.

When pressed to look beyond that, however, he reckons that O'Neill will make a better fist of trying to cause difficulty for the world champions than the Italian did on that grim night in Dublin 4.

"With the new management, I think we'll go there with a game plan which maybe we didn't have as much the last time we played them," he stresses.

"Obviously, it was tougher in terms of communication and so forth. But there's a real feel-good factor around the squad, like there was when I first came into the squad [under Trapattoni].

Ward was satisfied with Ireland's display in Georgia, primarily because they executed the strategy which was constructed in the preliminaries even if Aiden McGeady left it late.

The change to three in midfield helped the full-back, who was afforded extra protection. On top of that, a commitment to playing the ball through the park as opposed to going long every time was welcomed by the dressing room. Diversity of approach was necessary.

"Over the last couple of games, we've played in a couple of different ways and different formations against certain teams," continues Ward.

"That's the thing with our management here now. They look at the opposition, they look at the best way we can affect the game and give ourselves the best opportunity to get the result.

"I enjoyed the game in Georgia, I thought we'd done our homework, and I felt we did control the game - even in the second half. Other than their fantastic goal, we were solid.

"And we were trying to pass the ball, we weren't panicking and going back to front too quickly. We tried to play through the midfield, get the ball forward and thankfully got the goal at the end.

"The approach in the next two games could contrast. They could be totally different games. But that's what you've got to do, take each game and see what approach works best.

"Of course, Germany are a world-class side, their record speaks for itself. And they very rarely struggle through a qualifying group, but there's a real belief in this group now.

"We can't look too far ahead, it would be unprofessional, but I expect we'll go there [Gelsenkirchen] with the confidence and a real game plan to get the right result."

Ward is feeling fresher now than he did last month. A weird summer with the 'bomb squad' at Wolves left him short of fitness when the Burnley switch went through.

Separated

The exiles were separated from the rest of the first-team group and left to do their own training together as the Molineux hierarchy waited for an acceptable offer.

He acknowledges that, as hard as they worked, it was no substitute for a proper pre-season and O'Neill was concerned before the Oman and Georgia double-header last month.

Ward was satisfied with his well-being - the body felt fine during the games - yet there was still work to do once he got back to his new base at Burnley. "It was nice to get back training properly, and training with a club that's going in the right direction and fighting for something," he stresses.

"In the summer, it was tough some days. There was five or six of us training on our own and that's difficult. When I went to Burnley, I had to get the head down and get up to full speed."

That process has worked and now he's poised to get a run for both club and country, hardened by an educational period in his life.

He learned the hard way that Germany will provide a stern examination of his credentials.

This time around, though, an older, wiser head is sure that he is better equipped to deal with that challenge. Ireland take on Gibraltar on Saturday in the Aviva. Fans are encouraged to #makethematch and show support for the boys in green. Tickets available from €20 for adults and €10 for kids from www.fai.ie.