Martin O’Neill yesterday acclaimed the role Ireland fans played in Thursday night’s defeat of Germany, when the Aviva Stadium rediscovered the old Lansdowne Roar.

In the run-up to the back-to-back World Cup qualifiers at home to Georgia and away to Moldova, a depleted Irish squad held its first training session of the week at Abbotstown yesterday.

Harry Arter seems eager to make up for lost time and opportunities.

It was well past midnight when Ireland’s team bus pulled out of Lille but songs and stories dominated the three-hour journey down the A1 towards the Versailles.

Martin O’Neill has poured scorn on the suggestion he will have to guard against the boredom and grumbles that were supposedly rife among Giovanni Trapattoni’s Republic of Ireland squad in the lead-up and during Euro 2012.

Despite continuing speculation linking him to the now vacant managerial post at Everton, Martin O’Neill says that he has had no approaches to return to club football and once again stressed that his sole focus at the moment is on steering Ireland through the European Championship finals in France.

Mark Hughes has given Martin O’Neill an upbeat bulletin on Stoke’s Irish contingent.

Martin O’Neill has firmly placed Damien Delaney’s international future in the player’s hands by suggesting he won’t rule the Corkman out of his Euro plans if “he’s an interest in playing” for Ireland.

Casting an eye over those battling to be on the plane for the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2016 adventure...

On the evidence of what we saw on Friday night in Zenica - when the fog wasn’t making it impossible to see anything at all - Ireland now have a big chance of qualifying for next year’s European Championship finals by beating Bosnia & Herzegovina in the Aviva Stadium tonight.

Edin Dzeko tried to be diplomatic, even if he didn’t try too hard to think. After the Bosnia and Herzegovina striker spent a few minutes talking about how Ireland’s many absent players wouldn’t negatively affect Martin O’Neill’s side, the 29-year-old was asked which opposition players had impressed him.

Irish absentees in defence, midfield and up front tip the balance the way of the Bosnians in Zenica tonight, particularly when you factor in Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic, two players better than anyone in our team, writes Liam Brady

Shane Long looks to be in a race against time to be fit for Ireland’s European Championship play-off next month.

Ireland have missed out on a seeding for the Euro 2016 play-offs next month.

For Ireland to get something out of tonight’s game against Germany at the Aviva Stadium will require nothing less than a minor miracle, in my opinion.

As endgame looms on Ireland’s Euro Group D qualification campaign, Martin O’Neill will be keen to focus today on the players available to him when he announces his provisional squad for the double-header against Germany and Poland.

Gibraltar 0 Ireland 4: It might have taken some heavy labouring by the green shirts before they got to put their feet up last night but, after finally getting to savour that Friday feeling in Faro — not least thanks to another brace from the ever reliable Robbie Keane — the urgent task for Ireland now is to avoid those Monday blues in Dublin.

Mediocre performance but a night that change’s the group dynamic.

Whether he’s selected or rested for tonight’s qualifier against Group D minnows Gibraltar, Marc Wilson’s thoughts will turn to Tbilisi before kick-off in Faro.

Having upped sticks from Malahide, the Irish squad will get a first taste of their new Dublin base when they step out on Pitch Number One at the National Training Centre in Abbotstown this morning, to begin preparations for the European Championship double-header away to Gibraltar in Faro on Friday and at home to Georgia in the Aviva Stadium on the following Monday.

Stoke captain Ryan Shawcross is to undergo back surgery and will be out for at least two months, the club have announced.

It’s being billed in many quarters as a make or break 90 minutes in Ireland’s quest to make it to France in 2016 but whether his team wins, loses or draws against Scotland on Saturday, Martin O’Neill maintains the result of this one game won’t define the final outcome of the qualifying race.

Eamon Dunphy has slammed Martin O’Neill for seemingly regarding him as a bit of a homer while Ronnie Whelan, even though he’s another self-confessed fan, has expressed the fear that he might get “gobbled up” in the heat of the expected battle between Ireland and Scotland on Saturday.

When Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill looks out on the pitch at the Aviva today, he’ll be entitled to regard Marc Wilson as one that got away.

Martin O’Neill is trusting that his players will go the extra mile in keeping themselves sharp and focused in the long post-season run-up to the friendly against England on June 7 and, more crucially, the Euro 2016 qualifier against Scotland on June 13.

Newcastle boss John Carver suspected defender Mike Williamson of deliberately getting himself sent off as the Magpies’ 3-0 loss at Leicester left them in the thick of a Barclays Premier League relegation battle.

Barring a miracle of epic proportions on Saturday, Ireland’s strong historical connections with Bournemouth will be enhanced in the Premier League next season.

Ireland’s 1-1 draw with Poland last Sunday provided definitive proof that, just as we’d always suspected, the celebrated glass is indeed both half-full and half-empty at one and the same time.

The FAI are facing a fine from Uefa after five Ireland players incurred yellow cards in Sunday’s Euro 2016 draw against Poland.