He hasn’t gone away, you know

IT might be a different sort or comeback tothe ones which have grabbed headlines for Thierry Henry, Paul Scholes or even Robbie Keane but the re-emergence of Stephen Ireland as a quality footballer rather than a gossip item is almost as surprising.

And, let it be said, no less welcome.

Since an international career rich in promise crashed and burned with ‘Grannygate’ all of five years ago, Irish football fans have long come to terms with the idea that they would never see Stephen Ireland in a green shirt again.