Ireland must get some good home results, insists Irwin

Former Ireland defender Denis Irwin is adamant an upturn in home results can form the backbone to the national team’s revival under Martin O’Neill and his assistant Roy Keane.

Giovanni Trapattoni’s failure to preside over a win in Dublin against a higher-seeded nation during his three campaigns in charge not only hindered Ireland’s qualification prospects but also saw attendances slump at the redeveloped Lansdowne Road.

Irwin, a team-mate of fellow Corkman Keane for nine years at Manchester United, pinpointed a change of fortunes on home soil as uppermost on the new pairing’s to-do list.