James McClean is hoping that intensive rehab work he is undertaking in Dubai will help speed up his recovery from a knee injury in time to make him available for Ireland’s Euro 2020 play-off game against Slovakia on March 26.

Mick McCarthy says Shane Long is “back where we need him to be” to stake a claim for a place on the plane to Slovakia, while the manager is prepared to give Ciaran Clark and James McClean as long as he can to see if they are able to recover from injury in time for Ireland’s Euro 2020 play-off on March 26.

Cork City could be in a line for a welcome windfall if negotiations with Preston North End about a partnership reach a successful conclusion.

“We all know it’s hard,” he said yesterday. “But we’ve got to believe we can do it. The first one is the key. If we win the first one, I think we’ll win the second one. We’ll get momentum (and) we’ll win the second one.

Mick McCarthy has been singing the praises of young Ireland international Michael Obafemi after seeing the 19-year-old in action in Southampton’s 1-1 FA Cup draw with Spurs on Saturday.

Mick McCarthy says that Adam Idah has put himself “right into our thoughts” with his sensational hat-trick for Norwich in their 4-2 FA Cup win at Preston.

Adam Idah’s brilliant hat-trick in Norwich’s 4-2 win at Preston may have grabbed the majority of the headlines but the Cork native wasn’t the only Irish player to shine in the FA Cup third round.

The last time Ireland played in Slovakia was a Euro 2012 qualifier in Zilina in 2010.

If the football career of Ireland U21 newcomer Thomas O’Connor’s doesn’t work out, there’s a fair chance he’ll end up hurling at Nowlan Park.

Seamus Coleman will miss out as he serves a two-game suspension but will be invited to join up with the squad in Dublin for the final Euro 2020 qualifier.

After the 2-0 defeat to Switzerland in Geneva on Tuesday, Mick McCarthy has no hesitation in saying that Ireland were beaten by “the best team in the group”.

Forty-five years after making my Ireland debut, 55 years after watching my country play for the first time, I’m struggling to think of a week when we produced back-to-back performances as poor as these.

Blackburn Rovers defenders Darragh Lenihan and Greg Cunningham have been called up for the Republic of Ireland's Euro 2020 qualifiers this month.

None of Mick McCarthy's four strikers had an international goal to their name when the squad assembled in Dublin, but they headed back to their clubs with both McGoldrick and Collins having opened their respective accounts.

Conor Hourihane, Greg Cunningham, and Enda Stevens were teammates in the same Ireland U21 side when James Collins hit a hat-trick on his debut against Liechtenstein.

Despite plenty of endeavour, Ireland’s attack lacked the requisite composure or finishing ability to adequately trouble their opponents for much of the 90 minutes.

While Mick McCarthy is always prepared to cut a little slack for a couple of his more experienced and established names, the manager has never sought to minimise the weight he attaches to the general requirement that, in order to play for their country, his players really need to be playing for their clubs.

Mick McCarthy's men face Switzerland in a "huge" Euro2020 qualifier on September 5 before a friendly with Bulgaria five days later.

Mick McCarthy has named his Ireland squad for the forthcoming European Championship qualifier against Switzerland and the friendly with Bulgaria.

Tom Elmes saw Robbie Keane sprinting across the pitch towards him, iPad in hand, and his first instinct was fear. “I thought something was wrong,” he recalls with a laugh.

Taking a look at what to expect from tomorrow's Euro qualifier against Denmark.

If there can be such a thing as an upside for Mick McCarthy in seeing four players succumb to friendly fire on the training pitch — Shane Long having now followed Alan Browne, Mark Travers and Luca Connell out of the squad since preparations for the Euro 2020 qualifiers against Denmark and Gibraltar began on the Algarve — it’s that none would have been likely to start in Copenhagen on Friday night.

Mick McCarthy's men take on the Danes on Friday night in Copenhagen, and welcome Gibraltar to the Aviva Stadium on Monday.

The call-up will be a boost for Connell after his club, Bolton Wanderers, went into administration following their relegation from the Championship.

Pet Peeve Corner: the GAA and statistics.

IIreland might have back-to-back Euro qualifiers looming next month but Mick McCarthy doesn’t think it’s a gamble that, in advance of those big games away to Denmark and home to Gibraltar, his Irish contingent at Sheffield United are heading off to Las Vegas to celebrate the club’s promotion to the Premier League.

There’s been a fair bit of talk about nerves in the build-up to the U17 European Championship Finals which finally kick-off today.

The Southampton striker exploded into form this April, scoring four goals in five games to help the Saints' secure Premier League survival.

Defeat for Cardiff means relegation is now a very realistic possibility for them.

As Irish football seeks new heroes, both on and off the pitch, a veteran one has been tipped by Mick McCarthy to spearhead his Euro 2020 qualification crusade.

So that’s Tuesday nearly wrapped up. Here’s some of the stories we published on irishexaminer.com today which we hope will help you make sense of it all this evening.

Seven seconds!

Kevin Doyle believes Shane Long can still be the main man up front for Ireland in their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.

A win, any kind of win, was the minimum requirement considering all the negativity that surrounded the final months of Martin O’Neill’s tenure.

The parallels are striking. For Liechtenstein in Vaduz almost 23 years ago read Gibraltar in the Victoria Stadium on Saturday.

Shane Long was a new injury casualty for Mick McCarthy yesterday, the Southampton striker having to withdraw from the Irish squad with a groin strain.

Richard Keogh is ready to play with a broken hand as the Republic of Ireland attempt to launch their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign with victory in Gibraltar.

Shamrock Rovers midfielder Jack Byrne has received a last-minute call-up to replace the injured Callum O'Dowda in Mick McCarthy's first Republic of Ireland squad back in charge.

Mick McCarthy has named his Republic of Ireland squad for the EURO 2020 Qualifiers against Gibraltar and Georgia.

Also included is Aston Villa's Glenn Whelan, who was expected to have played his last game for Ireland after captaining the side in a 36-minute ceremonial cameo against Northern Ireland in November.

Will Keane has become the first of what Mick McCarthy hopes is a steady stream of Ireland recruits under his reign.

How the Irish fared

Chelsea were booed off the pitch at Stamford Bridge after being held to a goalless draw by struggling Southampton, for whom young keeper Angus Gunn was outstanding on his Premier League debut.

It might only have been a cameo in training but Martin O’Neill seems to have been much taken with the impression made by Michael Obafemi on his first day with the senior squad in Abbotstown.