How the moody Blues came to defy chaos theory

At first glance the subtitle might seem a tad overblown: Dublin – The Chaos Years: How the Dubs Made A Mess of Things For So Long – and How They Turned It Around.

But by the time you’re halfway through Neil Cotter’s engrossing examination of Dublin football in the Sam-less period of 1996 to 2010, you realise the title of his new book, published by Penguin Ireland, is apt, bordering on being even a slight understatement.

At that juncture, he’s describing a training camp in Tenerife ahead of what would be the last championship of Tommy Lyon’s rollercoaster of a tenure which would leave everyone feeling queasy.