If it can ever be possible to feel something approaching pity for a mega-rich Premier League footballer who has won the Champions League, captained his country and been justly feted as one of the best players of his generation, then look no further than Steven Gerrard.

One David Hickey, with an address in Wales, was moved to put pen to paper after watching the recent England-Germany women’s international on television.

In his statement on behalf of the FAI board on Wednesday, the Association’s President Tony Fitzgerald sought to draw a clear line under the controversy caused by the revelation that John Delaney had sung the Republican ballad ‘Joe McDonnell’ in a Dublin pub following the recent Ireland-USA game at the Aviva Stadium, writes Liam Mackey.

And so it seems we have to talk about Roy – again.

Watching Roy Keane and the Irish players striding into Celtic Park past the statue of Jimmy Johnstone was to be reminded that, to paraphrase Martin O’Neill, some pre-match "distractions" are definitely more distracting than others, writes Liam Mackey.

On the 27th anniversary of Scotland beating Bulgaria to send Ireland to Euro ‘88, honorary Irishman Gary Mackay recalls the goal that made all the difference — and the case of whiskey that got away!

Excuse me while I remove this bit of grit from my eye.

Quoting Van Morrison, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: "wouldn’t it be great if it was like this all the time..."

Manchester United versus Chelsea at Old Trafford — tomorrow’s game, as we’ve come to expect, is being billed as a ‘Super Sunday’ occasion, one of those blue-chip Premier League match-ups, two big title rivals of the modern era going head to head again in of the great football theatres of the world.

Now that we’ve all just about re-entered earth orbit after that ‘I-saw-it-with-my-own-eyes-and-I-still-can’t-believe-it’ final act in Gelsenkirchen, it’s time to draw breath and ponder a couple of the deeply philosophical questions posed by Ireland’s 1-1 draw with Germany.