Honeymoon draws to a close

PERHAPS Steve Staunton should retire. Happy players, happy media, happy FAI officials, even a happy Robbie Keane.

If the man they call Stan stepped down right now, he'd do so with an unblemished record and the cheers of just about everyone ringing in his ears.

But tonight, Staunton will have to leave the cosy honeymoon suite and head out into a wintry Dublin night for the first serious test of his management reign - and on a Lansdowne pitch whose condition goalkeeper Shay Given yesterday described as "shocking".