Madam, - What a sad and pathetic sight it was to see Steve Staunton trying again to justify his position as Irish soccer manager after Wednesday night's draw against Cyprus. For those of us who remember Steve as a player, the current shambles leaves us feeling nothing but sympathy for the man. As a player he was a fantastic servant to the Irish public. As things stand, it seems the only thing he has to protect now is his dignity.
What do we have to do to make the Football Association of Ireland see the damage they are doing to Irish soccer? Last Saturday night I was staying at a large hotel in the south-east, where 90 per cent of the "punters" did not watch the Ireland v Germany soccer match, preferring instead to watch the England v France rugby match. What does that say about the current popularity of Irish soccer? Remember the days when the country came to a standstill if a team like Germany came to play? To my mind, Irish soccer has gone back 30 years in terms of world standing.
To see an Irish team booed of the pitch in Croke Park is the ultimate embarrassment. The current crop of players have fantastic potential and can only suffer motivational and technical damage in this climate. How can we expect to attract talented young players to declare for the Republic of Ireland? We must stop the rot now! Relieve Steve Staunton of this embarrassment, and give him back his dignity. Terminate John Delaney's appointment for his inept handling of Irish soccer affairs and let's get the show back on the road. - Yours, etc,
PATRICK WALLACE, Waterford.
A Chara, - Surely it is a cop-out to blame Steve Staunton for the woes of the Irish soccer team. Despite all the codswallop, the reality surely is that if the FAI could inveigle God Almighty to take the job the results would be no better, having regard to the level of commitment and talent shown by the players. And such an eventuality, as well as affecting Mr Staunton, would also render redundant the omniscient and infallible trinity entertaining a bewitched and bewildered nation on Bill O'Herlihy's RTÉ panel. A better solution would be to give the manager's functions to the panel. - Is mise,
JACK FITZSIMONS, Kells, Co Meath.
Madam, - Some people seem to be mistaking the symptom for the problem. Steve Staunton may be the former, but John Delaney and his cohort are the latter. - Yours, etc,
KEITH MARTIN, The Maltings, Island Street, Dublin 8.