Spotlight on the rise and fall of the boys in green

Martin O’Neill won’t be immune to the reverberations of the ups and downs his Irish players are currently experiencing as the league season in England approaches his climax.

With the crunch Euro qualifier against Scotland just over a month away, two of his regulars have already had their club destinies determined in depressing fashion, with David Forde and James McClean now forced to contemplate life in League 1 – or else summer moves that would take them to brighter climes – after Rotherham’s 2-1 victory over Reading on Tuesday confirmed that Millwall and Wigan Athletic have both been relegated.

By contrast, squad new boy Harry Arter is looking forward to life in the top-flight after Bournemouth completed their fairytale promotion to the Premier League. Or at least they will do this Saturday if the world doesn’t tilt on its axis. (Or as opponents Charlton wryly put it on their official twitter feed: “Bournemouth celebrating like they’ve completely ruled out a 19-0 defeat at The Valley. We’ll see...”).