Wow, this Aaron Connolly kid looks pretty good, are we sure he’s not English? Like, really sure?

Billy Connolly’s love of football, like a slick passing move from one penalty box to another, can be traced back through the length of his long career, writes Brendan O'Brien

It was entirely in keeping with John O’Shea’s self-effacing character and career-long commitment to the concept of the ‘team player’, that the elegant defender’s farewell address to the Irish supporters seemed to be about everyone but himself, writes Liam Mackey.

When Martin O’Neill named three uncapped strikers in his latest squad at a press conference in Dublin on Tuesday, almost lost in the discussion about Ireland’s need to locate a cutting edge was the manager’s low key reference to Kevin Doyle “suffering a bit from concussion”.

We’re six games and nine months into the latest qualifying campaign, one that started with a brilliant result and an awful display against Serbia in Belgrade, writes Brendan O’Brien.

For Dalymount Park, the fervent hope must be that we can soon be calling it the once and future home of Irish football.

Check out our guide to the best TV shows on tonight.

Here's our pick on what to watch on the box tonight.

Après Match of the Day has the comedy crew delving into Ireland’s glorious soccer history on Monday.

Ireland U17 manager Tom Mohan, who has led the squad to next month’s European finals in Bulgaria, has defended the FAI’s pursuit of English-born players eligible for the Republic.

I have to say that Twitter comes into its own on sad occasions such as the passing of the great Ray Treacy and I’m sure it must come as some considerable consolation to his nearest and dearest to see the outpouring of affection and admiration on the internet which has shown no sign of drying up since the shocking news of his death emerged.

As a new season kicks off, Liam Mackey takes a deep breath, dons a suit of armour and selects his top 25 League of Ireland players of all time. Be sure to let us know who you think the best player is.

Robbie Keane is no stranger to headlines, but edging namesake Roy off the back pages yesterday stands up there with the most remarkable of his achievements given he was performing against a side like Gibraltar.

In June 2007, then Ireland U21 manager Don Givens hired a little known 35-year-old coach, whose previous experience was in the youth academies at Chelsea and Fulham.

THE New Year: when a local authority’s thoughts turn to ... “I wonder how old this area is anyway. Maybe there’s an anniversary coming up”.

Cardiff 1 West Brom 0

... but McCarthy remains in running for Ireland return

Noel King believes Ireland should work on adopting a more modern, European style of football but any progress in that direction, he suggests, will take time on the training pitch as well as patience in the stands.

For Andy Reid, it must have been just like old times. Five years ago he earned his 25th international cap in an end-of-campaign knockabout against Wales under interim gaffer Don Givens.

WORLD CUP QUALIFIER GROUP C:

There’s bound to be a bit of a ‘friends reunited’ vibe about the place when the Ireland squad begins to assemble in Portmarnock tomorrow ahead of Friday’s game against Germany in Cologne and then the final World Cup qualifier at home to Kazakhstan the following Tuesday.

The FAI have decided against rushing into the appointment of a successor to Giovanni Trapattoni, meaning Martin O’Neill can no longer be regarded as the certain replacement many had previously believed him to be.

The FAI Board Of Management is set to meet today to discuss the succession to Giovanni Trapattoni, as it looks increasingly likely that U21 head coach Noel King will be named interim manager.

There are some who call the ’70s the decade that taste forgot, all too conveniently overlooking the fact that it gave us David Bowie in his prime, Horslips in their pomp and, from glam rock to punk rock, a feast of plenty to bookend the decade on Top Of The Pops.

Prospective England manager Roy Hodgson could potentially have been leading the Republic of Ireland at Euro 2012 rather than his native country.

AFTER winning promotion to the Premier League with the Clarets in 2009 and taking the captaincy at the club this season, surely a senior Republic of Ireland cap is the next thing on Chris McCann’s wish list.

IT’S been the best part of a decade since Jonathan Walters declared for the country of his mother’s birth rather than that of his own but it is only now that the love is being reciprocated.

EUNAN O’KANE will become the latest defection from north to south in a matter of weeks once FIFA complete his application to switch.

JERMAINE PENNANT and Jamie O’Hara may want to give Fabio Capello a call after it was made abundantly clear last night that neither player would ever find a particularly warm welcome in an Irish dressing room.

OUR football correspondent LIAM MACKEY is back in top form and full of energy.

Jon Walters is determined to make the most of his second chance as he contemplates a first senior cap for the Republic of Ireland.

IRELAND goalscoring legend Don Givens has criticised Keith Treacy following the Preston winger’s contentious withdrawal from the Irish squad.

GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI has described next month’s double-header against Russia and Slovakia as “a crossroads” on the long journey to Poland and Ukraine.

GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI’s age and health was not a concern when the FAI approached him to be Ireland manager, according to Ray Houghton.

Anthony Stokes is ready to answer the call of Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni tonight following a stunning display last night for the U-21s.

ANTHONY STOKES was on fire as he gave Noel King a debut to remember as new Republic of Ireland under-21 boss.

Republic of Ireland under-21 manager Noel King revelled in watching “champagne football” as he celebrated his debut game in charge with a thumping win.

NOEL KING insists he is comfortable with making the gender jump from coaching Ireland’s women’s team to taking over as manager of the Irish men’s U21 side.

NOEL KING yesterday expressed his delight after his appointment as manager of the Republic of Ireland U21 team.

The Football Association of Ireland has opened applications for the position of Republic of Ireland U21 head coach to replace Don Givens.

FAI chief executive John Delaney is optimistic the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will rule in favour of the FAI in the ongoing tussle over Northern Irish players declaring for the Republic.

DON GIVENS insists it was his decision to step down as Ireland U21 manager, although he concedes that pressure was building on him in the wake of the recent home defeat to Armenia which capped a dismal run of results for his charges.

The FAI have announced that Don Givens will step down as under-21 international manager after almost ten years in the role.

THE Irish FA’s latest attempt to prevent players born in Northern Ireland declaring for the Republic is likely to be heard by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within the next month and John Delaney has already expressed his confidence as to the outcome.