Flannery: no off-field problems

JERRY FLANNERY, one of the few Irishmen to emerge from the defeat by France with reputation largely untarnished, last night dismissed claims of disharmony within the squad.

He insisted: “We’re not where we want to be in the World Cup right now and of course people are disappointed. But we’re not falling out with each other or anything like that. Everybody is getting on well except that when you’re in a winning side, you’re happy and everything is going great and when you’re losing, everyone is a little bit more down.

“But to give the impression that everyone is complaining and bickering just isn’t true.”