For Ireland to get something out of tonight’s game against Germany at the Aviva Stadium will require nothing less than a minor miracle, in my opinion.

In terms of how the results on Friday and Monday have altered the table in Ireland’s favour, Martin O’Neill couldn’t have written a better script for the September games. We now have a four-point advantage over Scotland going into the crunch month of October, a swing few would have dared to predict before the matches in Faro, Tbilisi, Glasgow and Dublin.

Georgia’s win against Scotland on Friday was a godsend for Ireland.

You could hardly describe the draw with Scotland as a positive result but at least, in contrast to what a defeat would have meant, it leaves Ireland with a slight chance of qualifying for France 2016.

I watched last Sunday’s scoreless draw with England on television and listened with interest to the analysis of Kenny Cunningham and Keith Andrews.

Amid all the scandals assailing the sport, Liam Brady is hoping Barcelona and Juventus can provide football with a night to remember in Berlin.

It was very exciting for me to have Arsenal do the double just as I was about to join them as a 15-year-old apprentice back in 1971.