Watch Cyprus v Republic of Ireland live here on RTÉ.ie (RoI only) from 7pm on Saturday, 5 September. Live commentary available worldwide on RTÉ Radio 1. A post-match Web-Only Special will be hosted live after the game.
Maybe it’s a good sign that silly stories are making it on to the front pages ahead of the game against Cyprus. That, generally, would mean that there’s not too much bad news for journalists to write about.
'Seatgate' or the allocation of the 22 business class loungers among the squad of 24 and the management on the flight from Dublin to Nicosia seems to have caused quite a stir in certain quarters.
'Much Ado about Nothing' Shakespeare might have put it but the beauties in the Irish press corps can sometimes have a different worldview from the Bard from Avon.
Twenty two 'posh' seats in the reasonably small aircraft (I was in the second last row, number 22) and 24 players in the squad plus Trapattoni, Tardelli, Brady and Alan Kelly leaves you with a logistical issue.
Several of the smaller players were allocated 'beyond the velvet curtain' and were aware of the arrangement, but Paul McShane and Kevin Doyle aren’t that small and both indeed are recovering from injury so they were moved. Simple really.
The historical context, really, is yet another away trip to Cyprus in March 2001 and a game that as much as any helped Ireland qualify for the World Cup in Japan and Korea the following year.
People talk about the win over the Netherlands in Lansdowne Road as perhaps the pivotal moment in qualification, but seasoned observers will tell you that an emerging Cyprus caused us serious problems that evening and a strangely lacklustre performance that was to become the hallmark of our visits to this holiday island was saved only by the inspirational performance of our captain, Roy Keane.
He scored the first and the last of four goals but don’t let the scoreline fool you, it was a risibly poor performance by Ireland.
I remember Mick McCarthy’s father died around that time and he returned to attend the funeral before rejoining the squad in Barcelona for the game against Andorra, another struggle against so-called minnows.
Roy Keane, meanwhile, had a go at the travelling arrangements in what was to become a familiar broadside which reached its apotheosis in Saipan a year later. We really should have seen it coming.
On that occasion, FAI officials were at the front of the plane and there was no special consideration given to players who were recovering from injury and fatigue and preparing for a World Cup Qualifier a couple of days later.
All this was given plenty of airing in the Genesis Report after the World Cup and the subsequent trauma which ultimately led to the end of the McCarthy era.
It is different now. Can you imagine Trapattoni having it any other way?
The players will return directly after the game in Nicosia, hopefully with the three points, and will fly directly to Shannon (probably on the exact same aircraft) ahead of the friendly with South Africa in Limerick.
Two back-to-back away qualifiers can often be too stressful on many levels and it may be, as we have observed once or twice, that the original fixtures meeting for this group in Sofia, when Ireland had no manager, may have been the smartest bit of business done in the campaign.
To finish with Italy and Montenegro at home, IF we gat a win in Nicosia, puts Ireland in the box seat as far as qualification is concerned. But we MUST not take Cyprus lightly.
I’ve travelled here with four different managers at the helm and while Brian Kerr stole a win in 2005 with a Stephen Elliott goal, it certainly wasn’t easy and the following year under Steve Staunton, the 5-2 defeat, remains the nadir.
Trapattoni, after excellent away days in Mainz, Podgorica, Bari and Sofia, is surely not going to let it all go now.
There is a doubt over the fitness of Sean St Ledger and if he doesn’t make it there may be something of a cabinet reshuffle called for in the Irish defence, but other than that the only other issues are which two wingers from three will be picked and will Keith Andrews start ahead of Darron Gibson.
There is a line drawn under the Stephen Ireland and Andy Reid issues and it’s overlooked but encouraging that suspension hasn’t robbed us of any key players.
Shay Given isn’t missing through injury, praise the Lord, and other experienced big hitters like John O'Shea, Richard Dunne, Damien Duff and Robbie Keane are all present and correct.
Let’s hope the Nicosia nightmare is finally erased and the journey home on Saturday night and Sunday morning is a pleasant one.
TONY O’DONOGHUE IS THE RTÉ SOCCER CORRESPONDENT
