Robbie Keane should enjoy cut at Gibraltar

Any of you mathematicians out there fancy decoding this little baby? (Deep breath): 0000011003210002002054031002651206140004.

Give up? Well, in truth, I’ve cheated a bit by running it all together like something spewed out by a Nasa computer. In fact, those are the individual international goal stats for the 37 players chosen by Martin O’Neill for his Irish squad to face Gibraltar and Georgia next month. And if I’d rather more helpfully presented them in a vertical column, the giveaway figure — the Nasa ‘wow’ signal, if you will — would have been that whopping 65 two-thirds of the way through, sticking out like a Mount Everest transplanted to the midland plains.

Once again, we look upon Robbie Keane’s mighty works and, when we’re not rejoicing, we despair, since his return in 140 games in the green shirt remains light years ahead of second-placed Kevin Doyle (14 in 61) and third-placed Shane Long (12 in 54).