I may be a cantankerous fecker alot of the time and I'm almost certain that my views are not always shared by the discerning TM Ireland public.  However one thing I'm sure that you will agree with me on is that this is a funny old game and that luck or lack of it plays a very significant role.

We've had our share of disappointment of late sure, but if fortune can be compared to a current account, then we are squarely in the black.  Which is something to be relatively proud of, you know, in the middle of a recession.

Personally there's not much I can criticise CB for his latest NT offering (much as it pains me to say) - players all in position, both Ó Raighne and glynn playing, tactics/ formation/ mentality seemed sound enough, but his curious selection of Staunton to take the set pieces was rather baffling to say the least.  I have to profess to having the utmost admiration for a manager whose knowledge of the game is clearly on another plane as to decide that it would be a good idea to play a player with 6 in longshots over, say glynn, with 16 to take freekicks.

Yet, fuck me, what did Staunton do but score off a freekick?  Magic.  Seriously.  Most probably CB will defend this decision by emphasising that glynn has never had any luck with freekicks and indeed Staunton's success clearly vindicates him.  But I would ask him, what other flashes of sheer tactical genius does he have, what nuggets of shining brilliance can he offer?  Are there other little idiosyncrasies that the general TM public are not aware off?  Cos, I for one would sit up and listen.  Will Ó Raighne start in goal next?  Will Greene take the field at ML?  Talking of Greene actually, I have to relax my initial reservations a bit, but I continue to watch his progress with interest.

That Staunton goal was a lucky break, but it was enough to give us the three points and set up the Hungary match next week as ninety minutes to define a campaign.

Fortune does indeed favour the brave, but bloody-mindedness has also been known to get results, albeit only temporarily.  It is important to know the difference between these, cos Lady Luck might begin re-activating her standing orders.

Until next week

D Gaffer