So what’s the plan Stan?

BEFORE we say hello to Steve Staunton the gaffer, we should bid farewell to Steve Staunton the player.

Virtually lost in all the hype and hoopla surrounding Staunton’s appointment as the new Irish manager, is the fact that he has now officially retired as a professional footballer, playing his last game for Walsall on New Year’s Eve.

Of course, he didn’t know at the time that it was to be the final bow of a 20 year career but at least he had the satisfaction of ending it on a high, helping his side to a 2-0 win over Blackpool.