Ireland in freefall as Fifa world ranking places us 59th

The Republic of Ireland have hit an all-time low of 59th place in the latest Fifa World Ranking, published yesterday.

The drop of 15 places since August is also the biggest month-on-month slide ever recorded by Ireland since the global classification was launched 20 years ago.

The drop means Ireland have plummeted 41 places since the start of Euro 2012, when 18th spot marked the high-point of Giovanni Trapattoni’s 64-match reign. But six defeats in the last 11 competitive tests have cost Ireland dear, with only wins against Kazakhstan and the Faroe Islands (twice) to boast.