Green shoots offer hope for future

They were known as the superb six, a cohort ready-made to complement Ireland’s golden generation of Robbie Keane and Damien Duff, but the tribulations of those bright young things should temper the hype attaching to the latest sextet.

Despite all the flak shipped by Stephen Staunton for his ill-fated 20 months in charge between February 2006 and October 2007, he was responsible for drafting Darron Gibson, Anthony Stokes, Darren O’Dea, Paul McShane, Stephen Ireland, and Joey O’Brien into their first squads.