MANAGER'S QUOTES: A night of sounds, not sights. Thump! Fabio Celestini curled a ball beyond the claw of Shay Given and you could hear the shocked whickering of the net. Then two things. A pin dropping far away on the north terrace and introductory paragraphs being dropped in the press box,  Tom Humphries reports

An exhalation. Shit.  Ssshh! The rumble is passing up from the gut and around the ground, Keano! Keano! Keano! The belched chant of dissent. It dies. Three minutes later, a little more perhaps, the final whistle shrills a mournful sound which in another key could be a bell tolling. Then silence briefly reigns before the booing breaks out, a Doppler effect running around the ground and into the distance.

A tape recording of this game would be enough to tell the whole story.

The facts are stark . No points. No resignation. Harsh words. The wall against which Mick McCarthy's back is pressed this morning remains cold and unforgiving. His chin is jutting and his chest is puffed, however. He breathes defiance.

In the bandroom more silence. The Swiss manager exits. Mick McCarthy walks in. We give him the respect owed to a dead man walking. Hush. Hush.

How was it for you Mick, we ask?

"It's not been one of our best," he says, "Switzerland came and did what we expected them to do. They were hard to break. Coming in at half-time one-nil down was an unfair reflection on the first half."

Always he has railed against what he has perceived to be personalised criticism. Football, he has said, is a different matter. We'll go mano a mano any day about football. But lately football has betrayed him.

For a long time we punched above our weight at international level. Now we have taken a couple of slugs to the gut and it is doubtful if we will be getting up off the canvas any time soon. The difficulty with the performances against Russia and Switzerland is not so much the defeats as the quality of the opposition. These were games we should have been capable of winning. And now football has let him down. Left him bereft of his last piece of armour.

Everything looks worse now. There was a cancer at the middle of our World Cup performance. Now two defeats and suddenly every little thing seems trip-wired to the last thing and the next thing.

- Mick, was this the worst performance of your six-and-a-half years?

- Good question, Bob. Do you think it was the worst performance?

This is an old technique. Deflect the question back. Demand to know where it is coming from. The days when it worked are past.

- No worse tonight than they were in Moscow, Mick.

"Fair enough. Fair play to you. I don't want to go through with that. It's possibly the worst I feel because of circumstances. In terms of effort and commitment of players, I've always got everything from them. I feel sorry for them. My situation has affected everyone. Affected them and team spirit and team morale. They want to come here and play well. They've always given their lot. I'm not going to sit here and criticise."

The mood in here? We're used to gauging it and this time it's easy. Hurt. Disappointed. An edge of anger but refusing to give anyone the satisfaction. For blame there are the usual suspects. Always the same suspects.

"There has been the worm of doubt sown," he says. "It does affect players. It was a nervy performance in the first half. They worked hard to stop us playing. I had a go, made changes at the end. I take responsibility for that. I wanted to win it by playing three at the back."

Do you know the rules of these press conferences? When the big question has to be asked, when the will-you-stay-or-will-you-go moment arrives, the rule is that you get 10 minutes of usable quotes before risking a walkout. Everyone has copy to fill. We do the mambo. We dance around it. Let it build. Will he fight on?

"I'll keep fighting on unless someone tells me any different. I've a contract to 2004. Unless someone tells me different I'll keep fighting on."

The atmosphere tonight. Did it disappoint you? What with the memory of the Phoenix Park so fresh?

"It does disappoint me, but that's being driven from certain quarters. It was going to happen if we got the wrong result. What I can't get my head around is that we've gone from up there in standard of performance to down there.

"I think circumstances have affected players. They've entertained and thrilled people. They've enjoyed it. I've enjoyed being sat here and being a winner. I'm not enjoying being sat here being a loser."

The question is coming of course. Everyone is trigger-happy. The future, Mick?

"The future," he says. "If the manager's circumstances are inhibiting the team, should the manager walk away from the team?"

Steady now. Steady.

Do you regret the timing of your book?

"Not at all, read it. Stands on its own two feet."

Here goes. It's been coming down the line anyway. Mick's been waiting. We've all been waiting. It's a radio guy with no half page to fill who asks it. Still, it was time, it was time.

You've mentioned that your circumstance may be influencing things. Would one solution be to walk away?

All eyes lock onto Mick McCarthy's face. Question deflected with question routine? Even money bet.

"Why?"

"Because the fans turned on the players tonight as a result maybe of your circumstances?"

"Maybe so," Mick McCarthy says sadly. "Myself and the players have always given everything to this. I don't think I should change. I'm not going to walk away from it. If somebody else wants to make that decision, then fine. I'm going to walk away from here with my head held high and chin out and chest out because I always do my best. Nothing and nobody will change that. Well done, at least you were brave enough to ask the question. Congratulations."

That's about it. He walks out the door. Chest puffed. Chin high. Only his eyes betraying his torment as he heads for his long winter of discontent.