It could all go horribly right

We got a little taster this week of what it will be like if it all goes horribly wrong at the Euros, with the pundits lining up to pour withering scorn on the Trap Project after Ireland’s drab 1-1 draw with the Czech Republic.

Brian Kerr predicted Irish legs would be run into the ground come June: “It troubles me to see us play such reactive football at home and against a team that would struggle to live with Croatia, never mind Italy or Spain.”

John Giles accused the manager of treating talent like a nuisance by leaving James McCarthy, Seamus Coleman and Shane Duffy on the bench and giving James McClean only the briefest of cameos. Trapattoni’s refusal to experiment with his system and the players who helped Ireland qualify was “foolish and stubborn”, said Giles.