SHELBOURNE’S Stephen Paisley might have been the man of the match but there was no doubt who was, in American football parlance, the Most Valuable Player in yesterday’s FAI Ford Cup final.

YOU won’t hear too much talk about a record six-in-a-row clean sheets after this European Championship body blow at the Aviva.

ON a night when Ireland won the Carling Nations Cup, Robbie Keane matched Bobby Charlton’s British and Ireland record of 49 international goals and Paul McShane seemed briefly possessed by the spirit of Lionel Messi, perhaps the best news out of this game for Giovanni Trapattoni is that Shay Given is fit and ready for Skopje.

AT the start last night, the talk was all about those who chose to stay away, from James McCarthy and Marc Wilson to the boycotting Northern Ireland fans to the many thousands of locals who found they had better things to be doing on a sunny evening in early summer than coming to the Aviva Stadium.

WHEN Christian Martinez of Andorra ripped a perfect half-volley into the roof of the Irish net on Tuesday night, I believe I may have been heard to exclaim two words, one of which was “me”.

WELL, there goes the unbeaten record at the Aviva.

JOHN O’SHEA has revealed that it was Shay Given who inflicted the injury which wrecked most of the Waterford man’s season at Manchester United.

MANCHESTER UNITED will remember their first visit to the Aviva Stadium as a pleasant stroll in a lovely park, Alex Ferguson’s team banging in seven against an Airtricity XI — and that without Smokin’ Wayne Rooney ever catching fire in front of goal.

THE smells assaulted the senses every bit as much as the sights.

The old Lansdowne is gone but sporting chiefs vowed today that it will not be forgotten.

THE members of An Bord Pleanála were unanimous in their decision to grant permission for the construction of a new Lansdowne Road stadium — despite a recommendation of refusal by its own inspector.

SO, yes, we honour the players, the teams, but we must come back to this grand old stadium. She went in style, blowing up a storm of the kind that had befuddled the best kickers rugby has ever known, all down the decades.

THE oral hearing which will decide whether the €365 million redevelopment of Lansdowne Road can go ahead will start in Dublin this morning.

A TOTAL of 33 objections have been lodged with An Bord Pleanála against the decision by Dublin City Council to grant planning permission for the €365 million redevelopment of Lansdowne Road.

IT will be icy cold, a 60-kilometre northerly wind that will sweep down the pitch from the Havelock Square end and there could even be a few snow showers.

AT least 7,500 ticket holders will be turned away from today’s rugby international at Lansdowne Road after a fire broke out at the stadium last night.

BRIAN Kerr may never have appeared on RTÉ’s The Restaurant, but he prepared a menu high on basic ingredients for last night’s diners in Dublin 4.

IRELAND coach Eddie O’Sullivan is looking forward to a few days’ rest and recreation at home in Galway towards the end of the week. However, he’d better keep the tablets handy.

The IRFU and the FAI have today unveiled the design for the proposed new 50,000-seater stadium at Lansdowne Road.