SOCCER Euro 2008 Qualifying Group D: Given the problems he has portraying a positive image to either the Irish media or the general public, it seems a safe bet that Steve Staunton won't follow the example set by Dusan Galis who, after Slovakia's recent games against Wales and Germany, left international football management behind him in order to start a new life as a member of his country's national parliament.
Still, if the Louthman can retain the winning touch he has discovered of late then he could yet top a few popularity polls over the next year or two. Having been viewed with widespread derision towards the end of his first year in charge of the Ireland team, Staunton would be entitled to take some pleasure from that.
The six points taken from the games against Wales and Slovakia mean the threat of losing his job has receded for the moment, a fact that should enable him to focus a little more clearly on the preparations for his side's next competitive outings, in Bratislava and Prague, in September.
With Ireland's position in the group appreciably improved over the past few days, in part because he acted promptly to correct the tactical mistakes he had initially made for the Wales game and also because a bold team selection for the encounter with Slovakia paid off, the manager has a little credit in the bank again and it's hard to imagine the forthcoming friendlies against Ecuador, Bolivia and Denmark could seriously alter that situation.
For all the upbeat talk that has followed Wednesday night's spirited win at Croke Park, however, the manager must know that restoring a bit of pride is one thing, reviving serious hopes of qualification quite another. The former may have been achieved during the past five days but these were the sort of games, at home against the teams with broadly similar rankings, that you expect to win.
Realistically, if making it to the European finals is to become a possibility again then Staunton's men need to take four points or more from those next two outings - away to Slovakia and the Czech Republic - a much more demanding target. More specifically, defeat by a Czech side that will almost certainly have consolidated their advantage over Ireland in the group table with wins over Wales and San Marino by the time the Republic arrive in town, would make the remaining games almost redundant from an Irish point of view.
None of which is intended to disregard Staunton's recent success in steadying what was until recently a decidedly unstable ship. The team's achievement of equalling Ireland's best ever run of wins in successive qualifiers might be casually dismissed because of the part played by San Marino but on each of three previous occasions a similar run was strung together other minnows were also beaten twice.
As the manager has also noted since Wednesday's game he has also given competitive debuts to 12 players now which is more, as it happens, than Brian Kerr did during a reign twice as long as his successor's has been to date.
One or two of those included in teams have been of questionable quality but Paul McShane and Stephen Ireland are amongst those who have shown the potential to become major stars of the future, while Kevin Doyle already looks so comfortable at this level it seems remarkable that it is just a year since his first international cap.
The grooming of new talent was always going to be central to Staunton's role as Ireland manager and, without intending to tempt fate (for injury, loss of form or an ill-advised transfer can easily rob a young player's career of its upward momentum), the new arrivals appear capable of providing him with serious options in key areas of the field.
What will perhaps prove most interesting after the summer, however, is the question of how Staunton reflects on the fact that his side's two best competitive performances to date, at home to Slovakia and the Czech Republic, have both been achieved using an attacking midfielder playing off a lone striker.
In October, Robbie Keane played with Andy Reid behind him, while on Wednesday Doyle was supported by Ireland. On both occasions the approach enabled the Irish to generate a succession of scoring opportunities while also allowing the team to get an extra body into central midfield when required.
The difficulty is that in terms of physical attributes and style of play Doyle looks better suited to the striker's role while Keane is not necessarily, given his occasional lack of focus and tendency to wander, a stronger candidate for the deeper lying position than the likes of Ireland or, should he be fit again, Reid. And if the Tottenham striker is to be played there - or Staunton simply opts to revert to a straight 4-4-2 - then Ireland must either be dropped or slotted into a midfield four beside Lee Carsley which, in turn, has the potential to weaken the team defensively in a key area.
How successfully Staunton strikes a balance between the natural desire to accommodate one of his most gifted stars and a pressing need to employ the formation best suited to getting the result needed may well define the second phase of Staunton's tenure as manager of this Irish team.
