Steve Staunton's reign in quotes

"I'm the boss. I'm the gaffer. At the end of the day what I say goes. The buck stops with me. I will use Bobby in whatever role I see fit."

- At the Gaffer's unveiling at the Mansion House, with Consultant Gaffer Bobby Robson at his side.

" We all think we can do the job, but you never know. I feel I can do the job, but I'll do it my way."

- Little did he know less than two years later he would face the final curtain.

"I can't wait to get started. I hope that the drive, passion and commitment that we have can reflect the Irish fans' real love for the game and have an impact not just on the squad but on the nation."

- And with that he got down to work, with the loftiest of hopes.

"On paper it's a tough group. They're all tough games. The second game, away to Cyprus, ain't going to be easy."

- But his crystal ball warned him of trouble ahead.

"Like ourselves Germany have been in transition, but they still qualified for the World Cup."

- But Stan? They were the hosts.

"We gave the supporters something to be happy about. My attitude, though, is that we'll have hard times ahead, but it's a bit of a fairytale tonight."

- His crystal ball was still flashing a warning light, even after that 3-0 win over Sweden in his first match in charge.

"Expectations? Have they grown? What do you think?"

- After half the country booked 2008 flights to Austria and Switzerland following the win over the Swedes.

" It's a good test, isn't it?"

- On being confronted by a man with an imitation gun three days before the game against the Netherlands in Dublin.

" I thought their keeper van der Sar was like a 13th man."

- After losing 4-0 to the Dutch. Some suggested the visitors' missing 12th man was the Irish defence.

"They're third in the world and I think we frightened the lives out of them in the first half, they didn't know whether they were coming or going."

-Donning rose-tinted spectacles, his assessment of the 1-0 defeat to Germany in the opening Euro 2008 qualifying game.

Reporter: "Where did it go wrong?" Staunton: "The five goals."

- His appraisal of that night in Cyprus.

"I'll take the criticism on the chin, there's nothing else I can do. As I've said before, I can't go out and buy players . . . we will have to get on with it and I know in the long-run everything will be okay."

- Confident the 5-2 defeat to Cyprus was only a blip.

"I'm not walking away, if that's what you mean. It's certainly not beyond me."

- On being asked if his position was untenable after the Cyprus game.

"I'm not making excuses, but I don't think many countries could cope with the amount of injuries we've had. That's the luck at the moment, but I would like to ask the Irish public to stand by us, because we will get it right, I know that."

- Ahead of the game against the Czechs at Lansdowne Road.

" San Marino got done 13 and then got done seven, so that shows they have tightened things up."

- Praising the ever-improving San Marino defence before the game in Dublin.

" San Marino are going to be a handful as the group goes on, we knew that. They're going to develop."

- Still singing San Marino's praises after Ireland hammered them 2-1 on their own patch, where they'd earlier lost 13-0 to Germany.

"With the early goal maybe we thought it was going to be too easy, I don't know."

- Trying to account for that performance in San Marino, but giving up.

"What came back to us was that we were booed off the pitch and that's wrong. That's propaganda, that's like going over to Russia 50 years ago. But that seems to be the way at the moment."

- Denying reports that Irish fans booed the team off the pitch in San Marino. Which, to be honest, they did.

" When Jack Charlton first took over I think there were four or five journalists. Maybe one TV crew. And now look at this today. We'll be selling tickets next month, and I hope they're not face value."

- Ahead of the game against Wales and Slovakia at Croke Park, he says a warm hello to his friends in the media.

" It's been way over the top. I haven't murdered anyone. No courses could have taught me what I've had to go through."

- Asking his critics to put his "crimes" in some perspective.

"Judging by the dressingroom the lads are absolutely devastated. It's like a morgue in there, but I wouldn't say it's a bad result."

- After the 2-2 draw in Slovakia all but ended Euro 2008 qualifying hopes.

" We always had to win it (the game in Prague). You try and win every game and at least now we know we have to beat the Czechs in Prague. A win is a win if you win it."

- Beating the Czechs would be beating the Czechs if you beat them, kind of thing. Which we didn't.

" We are in a building process. I said that from day one. It's coming along nicely."

- After losing to the Czech Republic in Prague.

" Everybody's got their own opinion. As regards the media, I don't read or listen or look at anything to do with it. I know the job. If it's not Eddie O'Sullivan, it's me. If it's not me, then it's the Taoiseach. Or it could be someone in Gaelic. That's the way it is."

- To which Eddie and Bertie might have replied, "but cripes Stan, we won things."

" There's a perception out there that we should win every game, but we're not one of the powerhouses of soccer in the world."

- Ahead of the game against Germany earlier this month, confirming what we'd already feared.

" Quite isolated from the public?! Not at all. Not isolated at all. They go for walks along the beach. In to Malahide."

- Insisting his players were in touch with the people, so long as they were beach-walkers in Malahide.

" I feel sorry for them. They are fully within their rights to boo. We were just not good enough."

- Refusing to blame the Croke Park crowd for letting their feelings be known at the end of the game against Cyprus. He was probably tempted to boo too.

"I know what I'm doing and I'll see it through."

- And with that he bid adieu.