If, as the property gurus would have us believe, it’s all about location, location, location, then Ireland can already claim victory in the European Championships.

The Republic of Ireland will hold a training session open to the public on June 5, the squad’s first full day at their European Championship base camp in Gdynia in Poland.

If you’re emotionally involved, it’s squeaky bum time between now and Monday night in England but for the rest of us, the tickle-your-fancy factor doesn’t get much better than what’s on offer over the next 72 hours — a brace of marquee name FA Cup semi-finals which double as tasty city derbies, along with another two helpings of the most entertaining Mancunian soap since the glory days on Corrie when the blessed Betty Turpin was serving up her famous hotpot at the Rovers’ Return.

It’s Old Firm day tomorrow. Or maybe that should be infirm day.

The way the Republic of Ireland play under Giovanni Trapattoni is ideally suited to causing problems for Spain at the European Championship finals.

QPR manager Mark Hughes’ protests fell on deaf ears at the Reebok Stadium.

For the guts of an hour or so there on Tuesday night, we were all Gooners — all, at least, bar the supporters of AC Milan and, I presume, Spurs.

“Yeah, we seem to be the bogey team for managers at the moment,” says Shane Long as he reflects on a run of great results for West Brom which has also spelt managerial doom for Mick McCarthy and Andre Villas-Boas.

We got a little taster this week of what it will be like if it all goes horribly wrong at the Euros, with the pundits lining up to pour withering scorn on the Trap Project after Ireland’s drab 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic.

Back in my Hot Press days, there was a football-mad colleague of mine whose first words upon arriving in the office of a morning were not “hello” or “good day” or even “there were leaves on the track at Donabate”.