Tommy Martin: Heimir has to fit the profile and humour our madness

The Ireland manager seems to have copped that so much of this job is about appearances: being seen to be out there.

Manager Heimir Hallgrímsson during Republic of Ireland Squad Training, Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland. Pic: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Of the many jokes made upon his appointment as Ireland manager regarding Heimir Hallgrimsson’s sideline as a white-coated purveyor of root-canals and extractions, most centred on the idea that watching the Irish team had become much like a visit to the proverbial dentist.

On that theme, as another international week looms, before the pain of the procedure itself is the dread of anticipation, counting down the days until the sound of Amhrán Na bhFiann comes like the whirring of the drill. There was a time when you looked forward to Ireland games, but now you they make you feel like Florida residents anticipating the arrival of Hurricane Milton.