Going through the phases to party time

AFTER the taking of Tallinn, we were officially on Phase 4B of the circle of managerial life — as devised by you-know-who and applied to every Ireland gaffer in recent memory, except perhaps Gilesy.

Phase 1: The Honeymoon. A blissful, if brief, time of serenity. A degree of trust is placed in the new man who is, invariably, “a good guy.” The problem is, Bill, we don’t have the players. The little guy on the street is extinct. PlayStations. Third Level education. Traffic, explains Giles.

Phase 2: Doubt creeps in as the new man fashions a plan to suit the modest resources. “We are paid to analyse, Bill.” These wonderful players — at least seven or eight are now world class — are artists denied a canvas.