It spoke of a natural-born competitor who understood implicitly what was on the line: Legacy, destiny, Euro 2020 qualification, the national mood. Read more here:Yet, when the curtain fell on Monday night, Mick found himself on the wrong side of a savage dividing line. How can it be framed otherwise when McCarthy and his admittedly gallant band fell short of the ultimate requirement? Any Supreme Court would unanimously uphold the verdict that announced Ireland did not remotely deserve to qualify. His tread of blunt Yorkshire honesty runs too deep to deny that Ireland have been authors of their own difficulties.

Source: Irish Independent November 19, 2019 10:52 UTC