Matt Holland: Time to turn our promises into real achievement

Now is the time for the Republic of Ireland to turn the promise that was evident during our good World Cup into actual results and success, and by that I mean winning our qualifying group for Euro 2004.

There is no point in being satisfied with what we have done in the past, and in fact Mick McCarthy, the manager, is determined that we start considering ourselves a favoured team. His gist is: "Why shouldn't we be favourites to win the group? It should be us more than Russia, Albania, Georgia or Switzerland."

And I agree. We have a good squad, with plenty of depth, and we are confident, so we should go to Moscow next week wanting to beat Russia. Of course a draw will not be a bad result, but it is our method to try and win and we should set ourselves the aggressive target of doing so.

McCarthy will have researched this new-look Russian side and the modus operandi of their new coach, and a very important part of our preparation will be studying a video of their last friendly and their formation, shape, style and individual players. Then we will probably play a series of mini-matches against our Under-21s, who will try to mimic the Russian team.

George Burley will have to source some information on Ipswich's Uefa Cup opponents as well because the best the squad could come up with about FK Sartid from Yugoslavia is that they would score well on a Scrabble board. Although an email to a programme on Radio Five Live did warn about the play-acting they indulged in against Dundee in an InterToto Cup match.

It is a modern-day curse, but it is not quite as serious as the parlous state of clubs' finances. For some time I have expressed concern at this. Partly my awareness developed through our own unsuccessful battle with relegation last season, but also from heeding the warnings and cautious words from club chairmen, managers and owners. So I was particularly heartened on Friday afternoon when I listened to an interview Adam Crozier, the chief executive of the Football Association, gave on Sky television.

Basically he acknowledged that there is a problem and, as we all have learned through experience, a problem can only be solved once it has been accepted that it exists. Yes, we have enjoyed a boom, he admitted, and yes, he is fearful that clubs are going to struggle to survive if all involved in the sport do not try to alleviate the pressure. That means the FA, Premier League, Football League, Chairmen, managers and players – basically all parties.

Now, what impressed me was his awareness that football's problems could be solved only through solid business foundations. Good budgets, negotiation and compromise. What he said was not exactly reinventing the wheel but it smacked of common sense and realism. Two things that have been in short supply in recent times.

By chance I flicked channels and caught a newsflash that said the threatened baseball strike in America's Major Leagues had been averted after the club owners and players had reached a compromise deal. I do not know exactly what it was, although the gist was that the players had backed down somewhat, but it proved that sport in financial difficulties is not just an English football problem but a worldwide one, and that whoever was right or wrong in baseball, they managed to avoid a strike that would have had disastrous repercussions for the sport via negotiation.

We must also remember that other countries are in worse trouble. Italy, Germany and Spain, for instance, are really struggling, so while we have some house-cleaning to do, we do possess the foundations for long-term success. Listening to Crozier, I felt confident that we could achieve it.

However, some clubs are suffering more than may be necessary because of our adoption of the transfer windows and deadlines. On the whole I like the idea, and at least from yesterday I knew exactly where I will be playing football until Christmas, but the timing is incredibly unfortunate as it has come in just when football's bubble has burst and clubs are desperate to raise whatever cash they can by selling players. The deadline has hindered this process and some clubs have offloaded players cheaply in desperation. Still, at the moment I agree with the system, but am aware that circumstances will not allow everyone to like it yet.

Personally, I found the chaotic nature that the deadline created with my own possible move to Aston Villa quite stressful. If a deal was to be done it had to be done quickly, whereas what I wanted was time to sit down with my family and explore the pros and cons of moving. I promised Graham Taylor last weekend that I would speak to him in the week and I did, but only to tell him that I had decided to stay at Ipswich.

Why? A multitude of reasons really. When Paula, my wife, and I discussed what to do, the things against just outweighed the things for, and so it was not the right move at the right time.

Finally good luck to my brother, Joe, in next week's club cricket final. For years he has wanted to play at Lord's but now his club, Saffron Walden, have got to the final, the outfield is being dug up and the game is at Edgbaston. Still, like us all, he won't mind if they win.

Matt Holland, the Ipswich Town captain and Republic of Ireland international, was talking to Iain Fletcher