Staunton still confident despite touchline ban

REPUBLIC of Ireland boss Steve Staunton admits he regrets landing a one-game touchline ban but does not expect his absence to hamper chances of victory in Cyprus on October 7.

The 37-year-old was dismissed from the dug-out in the Euro 2008 qualifying loss to Germany on September 2. He kicked a bottle of water in anger with 15 minutes of the game remaining and was admonished by referee Luis Medina Cantalejo.

“Of course I regret it,” Staunton yesterday. “It was a silly thing to do. It was just my frustration on the night.”

Staunton remains confident his troops can cope with his absence.

“It is not a nice thing to happen but I don’t think it is going to affect us in any way,” he added. “I’ll be there to train them for the three or four days that we’ve got them, and, in the end, there is not a lot I can do anyway once they cross that white line. So I am expecting another strong, positive performance.”

The former Republic defender had come under fire following a 4-0 home trashing at the hands of Holland in mid-August. His players responded with a strong performance against Germany, losing just 1-0, yet Staunton feels the pressure has not eased.

“There is pressure with every job,” he stressed. “If you don’t win games there is pressure with it. You just have to take it and get on with it.

“We have to go to Cyprus and win and that is all we can do. We have to get a win really if we are going to do anything in this group.

“We have to work on our attacking play. We just have to have the confidence to go to the next level where we go and pass the ball better.”

Staunton is currently enjoying a three-day break in Berlin where he is participating in a FIFA/UEFA coaching workshop.