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.

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

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.

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.

Republic of Ireland 1 Armenia 2

Striker Terry Dixon has been named in the Republic of Ireland U21 squad to take on Armenia in the Tallaght Stadium on March 3.

A DEPLETED Republic of Ireland U21 side were no match for a rampant Armenia in Yerevan yesterday.

Republic of Ireland U-21 manager Don Givens has announced the team to play Armenia U-21s shortly.

Republic of Ireland U-21 boss Don Givens will be forced to make changes as he attempts to end his wait for a European Championship qualifying victory in Armenia.

Republic of Ireland Under-21 manager Don Givens today named an 18-man squad for next month’s double-header UEFA Under-21 European Championship qualifying matches away to Georgia and Armenia.

Manager Don Givens has warned his Republic of Ireland Under-21 side they need to be more ruthless if they are to keep their European Championship dreams alive.

Republic of Ireland Under-21 manager Don Givens today named his squad for the two UEFA Under-21 European Championship qualifying matches to take place in October.

DON GIVENS believes James McCarthy avoided the same frustrating fate of Liam Miller by opting to join Wigan ahead of more glamorous Premier League names.

Republic of Ireland U-21 manager Don Givens today named an 18-man squad for next month’s European Championship qualifier in Tallinn against Estonia on September 9 (kick off: 3pm Irish time).

Former champion boxer Mike Tyson has married for a third time – two weeks after his four-year-old daughter died in a tragic accident, it emerged today.

AS Don Givens pointed out afterwards, the scoreboard reads badly but even so, he will be wondering this morning how Ireland did not manage to eke out a point from an entertaining opening salvo in Group Two of the European Championship qualifying campaign.

DON GIVENS yesterday branded Eamon Dunphy a “clown” for the pundit’s charge that his period in charge of the Irish U-21s has been “disastrous and he should be shown the door”.

Republic of Ireland Under-21 manager Don Givens today named his starting XI for tomorrow’s European Championships qualifying match against Turkey, which will take place at Turner’s Cross (kick-off 7.45pm).

Rep of Ireland U-21 2 Spain U-21 1

The Republic of Ireland Under-21s face into an important few days, taking on Spain at Waterford’s RSC on Friday in a friendly fixture before moving on to Turner’s Cross where they will kick-off the Under-21 UEFA 2011 European Championship qualifying campaign against Turkey.

Republic of Ireland Under-21 manager Don Givens has announced an 18-man squad for this month’s matches against Spain and Turkey.

NEWLY-CROWNED Republic of Ireland U21 player of the year, Owen Garvan, is hoping he can replicate his club form for Don Givens in his last year at this level with the qualifying campaign for the 2011 European Championship approaching fast.

IT’S ALMOST a year to the day since Don Givens completed his work as chairman of the three-man committee tasked by the FAI to find a new international manager.

ANTHONY STOKES remains in the international wilderness after the on-loan Sheffield United striker was once again left out of a Don Givens Under 21 squad.

Republic of Ireland U-21s boss Don Givens has called Padraig Amond and James Berrett into his squad for next week’s friendly in Lithuania.

REPUBLIC of Ireland U21 manager Don Givens will bring an 18-man squad together for the upcoming European Championships qualifying double-header against Bulgaria and Portugal.

Ireland Under-21 1 Montenegro Under-21 1

Don Givens is confident new Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni will stiffen the resolve of a now all-too-brittle side.

IT took 113 days for the FAI to announce Steve Staunton’s successor but, as it turned out, the three wise men needed only half an hour to come to the conclusion that Giovanni Trapattoni was the man they were looking for.

Don Givens insisted there had been no pressure or influence exerted by FAI chiefs in the search undertaken by himself, Don Howe and Ray Houghton for a Republic of Ireland soccer boss.

Giovanni Trapattoni will take up the reins of Republic of Ireland manager in 11 weeks’ time courtesy of the backing of a billionaire benefactor who has helped to turn “a pipe-dream” into reality.

Republic of Ireland caretaker boss Don Givens relinquished his role after his side’s narrow 1-0 defeat to Brazil at Croke Park but refused to be drawn on the identity of his permanent successor.

Caretaker manager Don Givens is hoping to temporarily divert attention away from the Republic of Ireland’s search for a new boss by fashioning a famous win over Brazil at sold-out Croke Park.

The Football Association of Ireland hope to rubber-stamp a new manager in the aftermath of Wednesday‘s fixture against Brazil – with Italian veteran Giovanni Trapattoni favourite for the post.

STEVEN REID has emerged as Ireland’s biggest injury worry ahead of tomorrow’s friendly with Brazil at Croke Park and, if his suspect knee fails to show significant improvement this morning, Don Givens will call up a replacement for the Blackburn Rovers midfielder.

It's turning out to be one of the most talked about recruitment processes ever in this country but it's not finished yet.

The protracted process of finding a new manager for the Republic of Ireland international team is set to drag on further.

NEIL WARNOCK has admitted his relief at Don Givens’ decision to snub Clinton Morrison by leaving him out of the Republic of Ireland squad for next month’s friendly with Brazil.

Don Givens has said that the ball is in Stephen Ireland's court regarding his return to the Republic of Ireland senior squad.

ANDY KEOGH and Darron Gibson are included in the Republic of Ireland squad to face England in next month’s UEFA Under-21 Euro Qualifier.

A LEADING waste company has claimed before the High Court that five senior managers who left the company on the same day this month are conspiring with One Fifty One plc to effect a hostile takeover.

THEY say that life doesn’t owe you a living but I still maintain that Irish football owes me 50p.