'I'm still the man', says Stan

Steve Staunton vowed to resist renewed calls for him to quit after the Ireland’s Euro 2008 qualifying campaign petered out in an embarrassing Croke Park draw with Cyprus.

Only Steve Finnan’s injury-time equaliser rescued Ireland from one of the most humiliating home defeats in their history, and Staunton was blunt in his appraisal of his side’s performance.

“It is just not good enough,” admitted Staunton, and that is also a charge being made against his reign.

But with two years left on his four-year contract, Staunton has promised to fight on.

He said: “I’ve been given the job and I’m going to see it through.

“It wasn’t good enough in the first half. It got a little bit better in the second half but even in the second half it wasn’t good enough.”

Staunton’s men missed some chances, with Robbie Keane and Kevin Doyle coming close, but the Cypriots also threatened and when Stelios Okkarides struck with 10 minutes to go Croke Park erupted in disapproval.

At that point it looked like the visitors were going to build on their stunning 5-2 win over Ireland a year ago.

Finnan’s equaliser saved a bit of face and was followed by Marios Ilia’s sending-off, apparently for spitting.

Staunton, who has been accused of being prickly and unapproachable during his tenure, expressed his feelings eloquently, and said the supporters had every right to greet the final whistle with jeers.

He said: “I felt sorry for them (the fans). It didn’t happen tonight. We didn’t pass the ball, we didn’t get hold of it and we didn’t mark. We didn’t do anything tonight and we got out of jail.

“I’m not putting any spin on tonight. It’s just not good enough and they know that.

“But I’ve got to give them credit for their spirit and to score a goal in the last minute at least shows they have got a bit of character about them.”

The reshuffled Irish side had started in promising fashion, apparently heeding Staunton’s warning that only a victory would be good enough in order to hold down third place in Group D.

Keane was denied an early chance by a fine saving challenge from Alexandros Garpozis, and then forced a super save out of keeper Antonis Georgallides from his 29th-minute header.

But Ireland were struggling with Staunton’s new shape and were lucky not to be behind at the break.

First Yiasoumis found himself clean through but stabbed his shot straight at Shay Given.

Then Stephen Hunt’s mistake sent Marios Nikolau racing over the half-way line, and with Given stranded the striker attempted an audacious long-range lob which he scuffed well wide of an empty net.

When Nikolau hit the post three minutes into the second half the fans began making their displeasure known.

Hunt and Keane headed good chances wide before Okkarides rose completely unchallenged to put Cyprus ahead.

Finnan’s late strike from the edge of the box was probably too little, too late to save his manager’s job.

But for now Staunton insists there is still cause for optimism for the Irish.

Staunton added: “It will get better when we get a full-strength squad and when it does happen we’ll have a good nucleus to go forward.”