1. Martin Keown’s poker face: “Del Bosque has played his hand here… it’s almost like a game of chess.”

The sideshow runs another night; there is a trophy still up for grabs and the shot of transient satiety that comes with it.

Slowly but surely, they will strip hurling of all its traditional glories; the overhead pull is as good as gone, the crisp ground whip is nearing obsolescence and now they are after the grand old practice of inviting your opposite number to put his medals on the table.

It was George Costanza’s top tip for giving the impression that you were hard at work when the opposite might well be the case: never walk down a hall without carrying a document in your hands.

We’re set, you feel, for a long, not-so-hot summer of Fundamental Wrongness.

They tell me that Kaiser Chiefs had been set to share the billing with Aslan at Shamrock Rovers’ ground later this month.

It would seem curious to tear up a four-year plan at the 11th hour, but in light of Trap’s long-held determination to Do A Greece, his admission that Ireland might change tactics during this next nine days shouldn’t be too surprising.

There’s no app for this column, so in the interests of providing an immersive, interactive experience, how about a quiz?

I noticed this week that a front cover of Sport — the free London magazine — has been nominated for UK magazine cover of the year.

With less than a week to go, we are still mired, rear wheels spinning, in nostalgia.