First, I quite liked the way Ireland played and I thought we played well enough to have won the game. One nil, I thought, would have been right. When you look back at a match, it's always about the number of chances you make. They're a decent team, Turkey, and the goalkeeper was outstanding. He made all the saves. I initially thought that the late substitution with Cascarino for Quinn meant that we'd go route one. But, no, Ireland were good. I thought Cascarino played his part. That's all he can play now. Robbie Keane was lively. Kilbane started very well, as did Delap. Just the shape of the team was good and they created their chances. Sure, Turkey were a good side, but they were beatable.

But like Macedonia away and Croatia away, one lapse of concentration and again we've done it third game running. We did the really difficult thing in the second half, where they dominated and we didn't play that well but we got a good goal, a well-fashioned goal. When you do that, it's the next five or 10 minutes when you are at your most vulnerable and again it happened to Ireland. Conceding late goals has become a malaise now in the team. I believe that it's happened so often now you are waiting for it to happen.

It's a mental thing, a complete mental thing. Kelly and Kiely had hardly a save to make. Then the team scores and everyone just relaxes. If you look at the side, there are not that many strong characters if you exclude people like Roy Keane. I don't really like making comparisons, but, if you look at the team that Jack had with Moran and McCarthy and Townsend - they were strong mentally. They just thought - right, one nil up . . . done the hard bit, make sure they don't score.

The real top players just go, boom. Kill it. Absolutely just kill the game. You dump the ball in the corners, you keep turning them around at the back, you don't make challenges, you make yourself difficult to play against and squeeze up. McCarthy was actually screaming at them to get up. The problem was that without the experience and the mental strength you take a step back because you're trying to protect, whereas, the way to do it is to take a step forward and squeeze all the space.

It was definitely a penalty, no argument, and only Carsley will know why he handled that ball. Only he will know and, unfortunately, he's got to live with it. Now, I don't think we can go there and win. It doesn't happen like that. And they know that. We need to score goals. I can't see it happening. I also think we'll see a different Turkey side. They're a good side anyway, but you'll see a different side at home because they will push on, they will probe and Sukur will come into his own. He will be a real problem. The next few days will be difficult for McCarthy because he's got to lift them. When you analyse our away games, we don't dominate in the way we do at home. Collectively we just don't pose a threat going forward. Turkey will know that and they'll change the system to their advantage. Now to qualify for Euro 2000 would represent Ireland's best away performance in any competition, and I can't see that.

Keane's yellow was coming. He kicked the ball away, and he'd been chirping away at the referee for 20 minutes. It was silly.

Cascarino did alright. He was the only one who reacted to the ball when his shot was saved. Thirty-seven years of age and people are saying he shouldn't have started, that McCarthy should have started with Connolly and Keane. I don't agree. The way we play best is with a target man and Keane has to play off a target man. If he plays Connolly and Keane together they won't be able to hold the ball up. They're too lightweight. I thought they did well with Cascarino for the hour or so. It was important to play him because of the shape of the team.

I don't think there are serious implications for McCarthy, I just wish that he was a lucky manager. I know one or two people have been sniping. I think he's done enough to earn his new contract because he's overseen a transitional stage and we look better now. We've got Plans B and C at home now, not just plan A. That is a great improvement. Successful as Jack was, he could only play one way. McCarthy has given us the option of playing two or three different ways at home. I don't mean systems, just the fact we've got width.

What I hope he doesn't do in Turkey is go and play the 4-5-1 formation. We can't play that way and that would worry me. McCarthy might think to play five in midfield and saturate them. But we'll never get forward. It's not us, we can't play that way. We've to play 4-4-2 because four in midfield can work as hard as five can. We've just got to remain difficult to beat and hope against hope that we can create something.

(In an interview with Johnny Watterson)