Parents must curb their great expectations

When I met Paul Osam recently, there was no shortage of subjects to discuss with the man who, as a player, made an indelible mark on the League of Ireland, mainly with St Patrick’s Athletic, and who now, as Ireland U16 manager, has a crucial role to play in dispensing his football knowledge and in developing new talent.

I spent an absorbing couple of hours in his company. As can be read elsewhere in these pages, his reflections on the heart attack that nearly claimed his life five years ago prove especially compelling — and sufficiently important, in terms of his message, to warrant the space we have given it today.

But if Paul Osam is marked by that life-changing event, he is not defined by it. For the 50-year-old Rathfarnham native, football continues to be his lifeblood.