Stan deserves time ... gaffes and all

AFTER TALKING to Liam Brady about Wednesday’s game in Prague on the radio yesterday, Pat Kenny read out a listener’s text which, on the basis of its selection for airing, one can only presume to have been representative of the national mood.

The gist of it was that Irish football was in deep crisis, the fans deserved better, the FAI had misled everyone with their talk of a top class managerial appointment and, finally and inevitably, Stan must go. Now.

I double-checked the date to be sure I hadn’t travelled back in time. And, sure enough, it was September 13, 2007. Not October 8, 2006 — the morning after Nicosia. Or February 8, 2007 — the morning after San Marino. But, for a lot of people with an interest in Irish football, it seems nothing has changed in the 11 months of Steve Staunton’s reign. But is that really the case?