The fortunes of the Republic of Ireland soccer team have been almost a barometer of the national mood over the last 20 years. Since the heady days of the late 1980s and early 1990s, when hundreds of thousands of supporters lined Dublin's streets for homecoming "celebrations" after distinguished performances in World Cup and European Championship finals, the public mood has changed.
Failure to qualify for the finals of major competitions on a regular basis has almost been a sideshow as the Football Association of Ireland has lurched from crisis to crisis. Managers and chief executives have been unceremoniously dismissed and the Roy Keane soap opera has poisoned reasoned debate on the team's decline.
Any association or company which has seen six different chief executives hold the reins of power since 1988 is hardly going to enjoy the confidence of its shareholders. In the case of the FAI, the public has become so accustomed to bitterness, in-fighting and ridicule that the relative harmony of the last few years at Merrion Square has been almost too good to be believed.
It is against this backdrop that the association finds itself in self-inflicted controversy again with its decision to appoint former team captain Steve Staunton as international manager despite his complete lack of experience for a post that should almost carry a government health warning. The job has been held by three men since 2002 - Mick McCarthy, Brian Kerr and now Staunton - and, in the case of its most recent occupant, Kerr, the manager's tenure ended after less than three years because of his failure to make this summer's World Cup finals.
If that is the yardstick for future international managers it could prove way beyond the capabilities of even the most gifted coaches in world football, let alone Staunton, as the current Republic of Ireland team has been in slow decline since the 2002 World Cup finals.
Arresting that decline is the ultimate responsibility of the FAI, who appoint the manager. Undoubtedly, the association wanted a "big name" candidate for the job and ill-advisedly indicated so much after ending Kerr's reign. Staunton is certainly not that but, in fairness, he will bring a hunger and passion for the job which could help them through the first tricky period.
He can, of course, turn to Sir Bobby Robson for assistance in moments of difficulty. If the public find Staunton's appointment a surprise, they must be even more taken aback at Robson's emergence at 72, despite his wealth of experience, as a guiding force for the Republic's team. The FAI may have served up a recipe for more acrimony and bitterness in the months and years ahead.