Byrne’s return heralds end of Irish cold war

AFTER the cold war involving the manager, the players and the media which darkened the final days of the Brian Kerr era, the thaw of the past week was as welcome as it was out of sync with the prevailing weather conditions.

Vastly improved player accessibility in the team hotel in Portmarnock on Monday was followed the next day by the unlikely sight of Robbie Keane chatting amiably with his erstwhile meeja tormentors, the new captain insisting that what was past was past and henceforth we must all concentrate on working together towards a more fruitful and harmonious future. Or words to that effect.

Of course, it didn’t take long before the limits of the new spirit of glasnost were starkly defined. When Keano capped his debut as skipper with a gleefully-taken goal against Sweden on Wednesday night, he eschewed his usual cartwheel in favour of racing to the dugout, where he first celebrated with Steve Staunton and was then gathered up in a manly embrace by returned physio Mick Byrne, before the rest of the team and bench joined in for a massive group hug.