‘You had a barney with Jack. He started laughing. We moved on.’

Jack Charlton celebrates from 'his pokey office in Giants Stadium' after the win over Norway in USA 94. He was banned from the touchline for an argument during the defeat by Mexico. Picture: INPHO/James Meehan

In our Altamonte Springs Orlando base at the 1994 World Cup, the tariffs were modest and the walls thin. It was Saturday, after Ireland’s wilting 2-1 defeat to the Mexicans and for daily newspaper miners, it was an afternoon to look busy doing nothing and doing it well.

And then the row started.