Are our youngsters coached right? Should they play less competitive football? Or more? Is the cross-channel route to the top of the game viable any longer? And can the League of Ireland provide a feasible alternative? In the second part of his look at our supply line of footballers, Larry Ryan canvasses more opinion from around the Irish game.

If you accept that full-time clubs were essential for the future of Irish football there’s an obvious follow-up question: how do we create sustainable full-time clubs in Ireland?