Reasons for optimism: Why Irish football fans should start to see the bright side

The Euros, wherever and whenever they go ahead, will do so without the Boys in Green. But there are reasons for optimism 

The Euros, wherever and whenever they go ahead, will do so without the Boys in Green. But there are reasons for optimism for Stephen Kenny, the players and supporters. Picture: Tommy Dickson

There are better days to come. It's a refrain we've all been clinging to for eight months as the world is rearranged. It's now equally applicable in football terms after the Republic of Ireland's penalty shootout heartache in Slovakia.

The Euros, wherever and whenever they go ahead, will do so without the Boys in Green whose immediate concerns are instead a pair of Nations League games against Wales in Dublin and Finland in Helsinki that feel like something of a chore after Thursday night's penalty heartache.