Republic of Ireland manager Martin O’Neill is refusing to allow the furore surrounding FIFA’s controversial loan to distract him from his Euro 2016 mission.

Martin O’Neill is hoping that changed times will mean England’s visit to the Aviva Stadium on Sunday will be a very different kind of experience to the last sighting of the Three Lions at Lansdowne Road.

As he contemplates a season in the Championship with newly promoted MK Dons — the club at which he is increasingly forging a coaching role — Keith Andrews insists he is not bitter about the abrupt manner in which his international career with Ireland dried up soon after the Euro 2012 finals.

The Ireland team could be in line to vacate their Gannon Park base in Malahide to move to the new National Training Centre in Abbotstown.

Ahead of Sunday’s crucial Euro 2016 qualifier against Poland, James McClean has emerged as a fresh injury worry for Ireland while Darron Gibson is also a mounting concern as Stephen Ward remains a real doubt. 

“You’re getting spoiled with ‘keepers, lads,” quipped David Forde as he approached the media scrum on the sidelines at Gannon Park.

Stephen Ward would appear to be in an unwinnable race against time for the Euro 2016 meeting with Poland after Martin O’Neill revealed the player was due to undergo minor surgery on his ankle.

Martin O’Neill admits he has a number of selection decisions to make before he finalises his team to play Poland at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday.

Kevin Doyle will have Robbie Keane to thank if a potential lucrative move to Major League Soccer comes to pass. 

Martin O’Neill has warned Republic of Ireland skipper Robbie Keane his familiarity with Celtic Park will count for little as he looks to take a further step towards Euro 2016 qualification in Scotland.

Republic of Ireland midfielder James McCarthy was due to undergo another scan on his injured hamstring on Wednesday afternoon with the Euro 2016 qualifier against Scotland looming.

James McCarthy continued to be assessed on Monday after reporting for international duty with the Republic of Ireland.

And so there was one more leak. On the day that was in it, there just had to be.

Just as Martin O’Neill seemed to be accepting questions on Roy Keane’s book being a matter of routine, along comes James McClean to trouble his Ireland manager with plans to pen his own memoirs.

“We have got to treat it like the Germany game. I know that’s the old cliche, but there have been a lot of upsets in football over the years and we have got to make sure we are not one come Saturday.

That’s that, then. The last box finally ticked after eight largely forgettable friendlies that yawned across the course of 10 interminable months, in four different countries and against opposition from three continents.

Martin O’Neill has expressed his delight at Roy Keane’s decision to stay on with Ireland and, rather than surrender to another round of speculation, is determined to leave the subject of a possible role for his assistant at Aston Villa "on the back burner" until the completion of the team’s short American tour.

Martin O’Neill will this morning have an opportunity to bring clarity to the latest developments involving Roy Keane, when the Ireland manager addresses the media for the first time since his assistant confounded expectations by ruling himself out of the opportunity to manage Celtic.

Republic of Ireland skipper John O’Shea is confident manager Martin O’Neill will more than make up for the loss of Roy Keane if he (Keane) lands the Celtic job.

Since the word "linked" is perhaps the most beloved in the football journalism lexicon – well, apart from "receipt" obviously – we simply couldn’t let a day pass in the Irish camp without generating some further food for speculation concerning the, ah, junior party in the management coalition.

Richard Dunne made a point of seeking out Richard Keogh to offer words of consolation and encouragement after Saturday’s Championship play-off at Wembley.

As was eminently predictable, Ireland’s preparations for tomorrow’s friendly against Turkey — the first of four summer games — were conducted in the teeth of cold, gusting wind and heavy rain at Gannon Park in Malahide yesterday.

Standing on the sideline of a training pitch fielding questions from the dreaded meeja will never be high up on Roy Keane’s list of ‘Things I Like To Do’.

Day One in the Big Brothers house and, as he walked towards the Gannon Park training pitch past the unusually swollen ranks of media, security and fans in attendance, Robbie Keane cracked a grin and observed that there must be a new manager about the place.

Roy Keane wasted little time in making his presence felt as he formally took up his duties as the Republic of Ireland’s new assistant manager.

When Andy Reid ambles over to the press huddle at Gannon Park, the first questions are inevitably all about his return to the Irish camp and the changes he has observed after an absence of five years.

With every day, every training session and every discussion with staff and players, Noel King is edging closer to solving the puzzle of what he calls “fitting everybody together” for Friday night’s daunting assignment in Cologne.

It was a bit like doing the time-warp at Gannon Park yesterday, as Ireland’s training base in Malahide played host to some footballers we haven’t seen in this neck of the woods in quite sometime — Andy Reid,Anthony Stokes,Darron Gibsonand Kevin Doyle.

After a late night of starkly contrasting fortunes, James McCarthy and Shane Long were up bright and early yesterday to fly into Dublin and take a full part in Ireland squad training at Malahide.

Giovanni Trapattoni would have no qualms about giving Anthony Pilkington his international debut against Sweden, according to Marco Tardelli.

At the sixth time of asking, Anthony Pilkington has finally been able to answer Ireland’s call.

Having missed the squad session on the pitch, David Forde emerged from the gym at Gannon Park yesterday sporting a smile as sunny as the weather.

We’re used to football managers giving it “110%” but yesterday Giovanni Trapattoni wasn’t even prepared to go the ton.

Standing before us inside the warmth of the groundsman’s hut in Gannon Park, woolly hat still on his head as a protective against the raw east wind which swept across the training ground yesterday, John O’Shea personified the Irish old guard in a period of transition.

While inexperience turned out to be a help rather than a hindrance in Stockholm on Friday, Giovanni Trapattoni will doubtless be deeply regretting the loss of his most experienced player of all for tomorrow night’s game against Austria.

Football reporters are used to being told that so and so was “on fire” in training but it’s rare enough that we get to hear about an equivalent inflammable ankle.

As Alan Kelly was preparing to walk towards the touchline to speak to the media at Gannon Park yesterday, he remarked to team doctor Alan Byrne that it was fantastic that he would be able to report a clean bill of health to the waiting reporters.

The Football Association of Ireland has confirmed that Leeds midfielder Paul Green has been drafted into the Republic of Ireland squad following David Meyler’s withdrawal.

David Forde has leapfrogged Keiren Westwood in the competition to succeed Shay Given as Ireland’s number one.

Robbie Keane could return to lead the fight to save Giovanni Trapattoni’s job as the Republic of Ireland attempt to bounce back from their mauling by Germany.

The Republic of Ireland squad landed in the Faroe Islands yesterday, with Robbie Keane on board but without his fellow striker Andy Keogh.

Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni has said it is "no good being angry" with his players after Friday night’s 6-1 drubbing by Germany.

Embattled Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni was handed a timely boost today when skipper Robbie Keane was declared fit to travel to the Faroe Islands for Tuesday’s World Cup qualifier.

Giovanni Trapattoni insists he will only leave his job as Republic of Ireland manager when there are no positives left and the players fail to respond to his orders.