Twenty-three Irish players jostled in single file this morning as they went through the early stages of their warm-up at the FAI headquarters in Abbotstown.
Left, right, jump the three choices, the coach barking out the instructions from the top of the line. What could go wrong?
There’s a twist, of course. If the coach shouts left, he means his left, which is right for the player.
Grown men, doing an exercise they have been doing their entire footballing lives, yet still getting it wrong. Seamus Coleman, Harry Arter, just two of the many culprits.
It’s a drill about sharpness and mental awareness but, as a result of someone’s lapse of concentration, it generates humour, warmth and camaraderie amongst the squad, and perhaps takes their minds off the bigger picture and what is in store over the next five weeks.
It is only three days since the Ireland squad met up to start this pre-Euro 2016 training camp, yet already, it is quite evident of that strong team spirit, and indeed friendship, that exists amongst the players.
Some are out early taking on the crossbar challenge, small groups of pals stick close to each other easing through the early stretches, while John O’Shea is setting the tone from the front, leading the way, putting everything into even the most basic of drills. Central defensive partner Richard Keogh is on his shoulder, those eyes every bit as focused as in that Zenica fog last November.
Meanwhile, somewhere in Humberside, a Corkonian is probably trying not to think too much about the Ireland camp and who might be impressing the manager, perhaps pushing ahead in the pecking order for the Euro 2016 squad.
It is hard to believe that someone could be distracted in the week building up to what is known as the richest game in world football, but David Meyler must wait until Sunday before he joins up with this Ireland squad, leaving just three days to cement his place in O’Neill’s final 23 for France.
Meyler will line out for Hull City in Saturday’s Championship play-off, with a place in the Premier League up for grabs for the victors – with fellow Ireland international Keiren Westwood playing for opponents Sheffield Wednesday.
Perhaps Westwood’s participation in France this summer is reliant on one of the other three goalkeepers failing to prove their fitness, despite the fact that the Owls keeper has played more league games than the other three put together this season and is coming off the back of his second consecutive year in the form of his life between the sticks at the Hillsborough club.
But that is a conversation for another day.
The Ireland manager’s obvious dilemma is his midfield selection and Meyler will have to battle it out for one of the final places on the plane with real competition from Darron Gibson, Harry Arter, Eunan O’Kane and Stephen Quinn.
Best case scenario for that quintet is that two will be named in O’Neill’s final 23, perhaps only one, should the manager bring an extra attacking option.
And while many of O’Neill’s adversaries are concerned about players being burnt out at the end of the season, the Ireland boss finds himself with quite the opposite predicament, as every one of these five players have missed chunks of the season, whether through injury or non-selection.
"The former Manchester United man did not follow Aiden McGeady’s example of going out on loan in January, and that might stand against him when it comes down to the manager’s final selection"
But Meyler can certainly take heart that the manager had some kind words to say about him at this afternoon’s press conference, and will certainly be a keen observer of the midfielder’s performance at Wembley.
“Meyler has done well for me,” said O’Neill. “He went in and played full back for me in the game in Germany and he threw his body in front of everything.
“Meyler has been a good part of this (qualification). He has been terrific around the place. I wouldn’t have excluded him at this minute, so let’s see how he gets on in the (play-off) game.
“But I know time goes on like everything else and he hasn’t had too much football; he had that hamstring problem. But I saw that Steve Bruce brought him on when he felt he needed to shore things up and re-focus on the game when it looked as though it might be going away from them against Derby.”
Meyler, of course, will be hoping to start the play-off final and from an Ireland perspective, he could find himself with a bit of ground to make up after the weekend should he only play a bit-part on Saturday, coupled with the fact that one or two others on that list might impress against the Dutch on Friday night.
Gibson will be a natural challenger for Meyler’s place but the Everton midfielder only really played in the FA Cup this season before grabbing a few league appearances in a poor team at the end of the campaign when the manager was on the brink of departing.
The former Manchester United man did not follow Aiden McGeady’s example of going out on loan in January, and that might stand against him when it comes down to the manager’s final selection.
Bournemouth duo O’Kane and Arter also missed segments of the season with both players essentially vying for the same position at the south coast side, while Arter picked up a further injury, which ruled him out of Ireland’s international games in March.
O’Kane, as it happened, made a real case for inclusion in those back-to-back fixtures, slotting in seamlessly to O’Neill’s system in midfield.
Quinn, like Meyler, has been a good squad player for Ireland throughout O’Neill’s tenure and despite playing 27 league games for Reading, he may have just fallen out of favour and may only go to France on the back of someone picking up an injury.
So with the arrival of the 2014 World Cup semi-finalists to Dublin on Friday night – a Dutch team who remarkably failed to qualify for this summer’s tournament – the midfield performances will be under added scrutiny by the manager who really does still appear undecided in this department.
Back in the Hull City team hotel, Ireland midfielder Meyler will be in play-off mode and the international game will probably pass him by.
But Meyler knows that if he can make his mark on the sacred Wembley turf, there will be four further weeks of team-building training exercises to enjoy on the green fields of France.
