Chippy and Eamo scrap over Trap

Right from the opening exchanges, the night held promise. Key men on their games, getting stuck in, making their presence felt.

“I’m here to analyse. By the way, that’s what you’re paid to do as well, not be a PR man for Trapattoni.” Eamo rattled Brady with a few early reducers, but much like the Swedes, Chippy didn’t really look up for the fight.

“Beatable, if we stop Ibrahimovic,” was his verdict on the home side. If Liam could nail the name of the man who has twisted his tongue on so many European nights, you sensed anything was possible.

But such was the focus on another player in the build-up, you almost felt the old Irish chant needed a small revision. “Stand up for the boys and Green.”

“He thinks that Green is Nobby Stiles resurrected,” sniffed Billo, writing off Nobby rather prematurely in the process. “I don’t see any resemblance,” ruled Gilesy. All a little harsh on the Leeds midfielder, especially since, as the old joke goes, Nobby is 70 now.

Eamo’s misgivings were voiced more subtly: “This is a younger, greener Ireland team.”

Brady’s take on Sweden as a pedestrian, average bunch was confirmed almost immediately. With his commentary box colleague long sworn off hostages to fortune, Ronnie Whelan was prepared to put his neck on the block.

“I know there’s only five minutes gone, but Sweden have shown nothing to suggest they’re going to cause us major problems.”

So it proved, with George Hamilton having little enough action to concern him at either end, allowing him time to explain Bandy — the last sport played at the Friends Arena: “A kind of outdoor indoor ice hockey.” There was even room for riddle or two: “Long had come short, but the throw-in was too long.”

Around the hour mark, Ronnie told us the game “was in a funny lull”, one it never emerged from, although George almost recaptured his chicken-counting crown at the death, hailing the result even as David Forde was foiling a last-ditch Swedish raid.

“I’m inclined to say fellas, oh ye of little faith,” provoked Billo, at the whistle.

The Leeds man hadn’t quite been reincarnated as a World Cup winner, but if Dunphy wasn’t quite ready for another u-turn, he did slip into a well-practised rowing backwards technique.

“Green really did well in that role. He’s quicker, he’s got more energy than Whelan. And he’s much more alert. He’s got better legs.”

Gilesy, unsurprisingly, wasn’t entirely sure we took the night on its merits; “I thought Sweden were there for the taking and we got a little bit negative and settled for the draw.”

But it was the performance of James McCarthy that generated most heat. “The build-up wasn’t ideal,” snarled Eamo, back on the front foot. “The man-of-the-match was dropped, wasn’t due to play. He was outstanding. Don’t let’s forget where this started. It was a bit shambolic. The players were magnificent tonight, most of them.”

Brady, finally, took the bait. “It seems to me that when Ireland get a result, it’s all down to the players. When they lose, it’s all down to the manager. He never gets any praise.”

But Eamo wouldn’t be railroaded. “He’s got more form than the train robbers for mistreating players. We have every right to question the way he runs his team and to speculate we might be far better with a more rational coach and a less fearful one.”

Hostilities postponed until Tuesday then. RTE had scheduled Mission Impossible to follow the broadcast. Suddenly, with Rio in mind, that almost looked pessimistic.