Familiar faults hinder Ireland ahead of unique difficulties to come

The Boys in Green opened their campaign with defeat in Kosovo.

Ireland's Caoimhin Kelleher disappointed after the match. Pic: INPHO/Ryan Byrne

Seven o’clock, 45 minutes before the Republic of Ireland’s Nations League tie away to Kosovo, and the reality of Peter Collins, a sports broadcaster hosting an actual sports show, delivering an intro focused on the football to come sounded strangely odd.

The past seven days have been so dominated by the two upcoming Group B3 games against Israel that the sight of an early montage showing celebrated goals scored by Ray Houghton and Wes Hoolahan in past campaigns jarred more again.