Ireland lack 'world-class figure' that can win games

It doesn’t have to be a Roy or a Robbie Keane.

Evan Ferguson reacts after Ireland conceded a second goal against Greece. Photo by David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Helsinki on the Thursday night, Athens just three evenings later. Next month’s Nations League double header away to Finland and Greece was already a daunting trip given 3,500km separate the cities. It looks even tougher now.

A pair of 2-0 defeats to England and the Greeks inside the last week have deepened the gloom around the men’s national team, and already kickstarted the debate over Heimir Hallgrimsson’s ability to pull them out of their endless nosedive.