Imagination could cure many Irish ills

Noel King may never get to tackle the Ireland job in a full-time capacity, and he may not have done himself too many favours with the manner he tackled that post-match interview with Tony O’Donoghue, but the interim manager did indirectly address an issue that has for too long been ignored at Irish international level in the process.

When you properly consider it, it is rather remarkable that the deepest tactical debate this country has experienced since Eamon Dunphy threw a pen during Italia 90 was over whether Giovanni Trapattoni should play three central midfielders instead of two. For the majority of other European countries, that very dispute has become much more nuanced, much more developed.

Even when potential best Irish 11s are discussed — and King himself made a point of looking to theU21s — they are still often set out in fairly general 4-3-3s or 4-4-2s.