IRELAND’S new boss Heimir Hallgrimsson was once told to keep his mouth shut about his day job… being a DENTIST.
Hallgrimsson’s crowning managerial achievement came when his Iceland side humiliated England by dumping them out of Euro 2016.
And on Saturday, the 57-year-old will aim to extract another win from the Three Lions when he makes his bow for the Republic of Ireland.
Hallgrimsson did not tell fellow students the whole tooth when he was learning the football ropes though.
He explained: “When I was doing my pro licence in England, they said, ‘Don’t tell anyone you’re a dentist!’
“But I never think that education can do you any harm. I’m proud of being a dentist.”
Hallgrimsson moonlighted in his toothwork back in Iceland throughout his playing career.
He was Iceland co-boss alongside Lars Lagerback at Euro 2016 when England fans were put through the equivalent of root-canal treatment as Roy Hodgson’s team slumped to a shambolic 2-1 defeat in Nice in their last-16 clash.
That summer Hallgrimsson cared for a player who had a tooth knocked out at a local women’s game, putting it back in place on the pitch, then repairing it at a nearby surgery.
He gave up dentistry when he took over as sole Iceland chief but feels staring into people’s mouths has aided him as a manager.
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Hallgrimsson said: “Working as a dentist has helped me a lot, as you are always working one-on-one.
“Some people are really afraid of the dentist, so you have to find the right way to talk to each client.
“You might have to relax one, be funny to the next one, be serious to the third. But you have to be quick to adapt.
“It is the same with footballers.”
Hallgrimsson’s shock appointment in July ended a 231-day search by the Irish FA for a replacement for Stephen Kenny.
Irish bigwigs claimed Hallgrimsson was their No 1 target.
But they had pursued England Under-21 boss Lee Carsley, who decided to stay put and will be in the opposite dugout at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium this weekend as interim Three Lions chief.
Heimi, as he is known, quit as Jamaica boss a week before taking up his £550,000-a-year post with the Irish, having overseen the Reggae Boyz’ poor Copa America campaign.
He added: “There are a lot of similarities between the Irish and the Icelanders.
“The character is really similar. Normally when they have a drink or two they start to sing.
“The Irish are hard-working but proud, proud of their heritage, who they are.
“You can always build a lot around hard-working people, proud people.”
Iceland had just 37 per cent possession in that famous win over England eight years ago.
Hallgrimsson has already hinted he will employ similar disciplined tactics with Ireland, who he reckons “have underperformed a little” in recent years.
