The scene is set for tonight’s international friendly against North Macedonia at Aviva Stadium. Photo: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
It’s still not getting any better, is it? There have been darker moments in the decade since Ireland’s last major tournament, but rarely this sense of deflation – perhaps because setbacks usually arrive at the end of a gathering, not right in the middle of one.
The game faces that are being put on ahead of a return to the Aviva Stadium this evening aren’t really disguising the reality of how difficult it is to generate any enthusiasm for a match that the FAI are contractually obliged to fill.