Martin O'Neill in search of the Midas touch

A colleague recently posted a fantastic photo of his newborn son, eyes fiercely blazing, face all scrunched up, the very picture of a tiny Mr Angry. Another colleague was quick to respond that it surely wasn’t good parenting to have exposed one so tender to the brutal highlights of Ireland 1, Denmark 5, writes Liam Mackey.

Yep, I guess all Irish supporters were a bit like that little guy last November, caught between speechless fury and an overpowering urge to bawl their eyes out. And revisiting the scene of the crime all of 11 months on does little to help the healing process.

However, there is one consolation: rerunning the tape of the Danish pasting does serve to remind that Christian Eriksen’s absence this time around is a silver bullet dodged for Martin O’Neill’s men.