It wasn’t that long ago it seemed in the middle of things in Irish football. The first all-seated League of Ireland ground, home to a successful team, big European nights. Underage internationals were played there and British clubs played pre-season friendlies there too.

Time, at last, for the tournament that insists on calling itself Euro 2020. Big, badly-assembled and a bit weird-looking, like an IKEA wardrobe designed by Salvador Dali. Let the games begin!

A tricky away tie in Eastern Europe in front of a hostile crowd. Chances at either end. Heart-in-mouth moments. Could have snatched it. A draw a fair result. You could almost hear Jimmy Magee down a crackling phone line.

Andrew Omobamidele and Chiedozie Ogbene join Gavin Bazunu and Adam Idah as members of the senior squad with Nigerian heritage. Their stories are different but they are all part of a wave that seems certain to reshape and enrich the identity of the national team

Even the ‘stick to the football’ cohort are struggling with this final

Never Give In, the new documentary directed by Alex Ferguson’s son Jason, is the latest autobiographical effort to understand what drove him to become the dominant figure in British football

When you lose in the Allianz League Division 4, no one can hear you scream, but the arrival of a clutch of high-profile veterans from one of the GAA’s great battlefields is a chance to capture fickle attention spans

The fans didn’t seem too sure what to do once they actually got onto the famous turf, a bit like Man United under David Moyes. One guy did toss a TV camera tripod up in the air, a new twist on seizing the means of production

If other countries are enjoying the roar of the crowds while our stands remain silent, the Government can expect more of a bruising than it received for losing out on the Euro 2020

While the concept seems flimsy and ill-considered in the aftermath of its embarrassing collapse, it’s easy to forget the sense of imminent peril that gripped the football world when the first shots were fired on Sunday