Just before 10pm, Martin O’Neill summoned the first of the players who were being omitted from his travelling squad from the home dressing room. Rarely in the history of Irish football has an international acted as a footnote to a squad announcement. A brief chat followed, a shake of their hand and Yet as Martin O’Neill waited until the eleventh hour before submitting the names of the 23 players he will be bringing with him to the European Championships, the events unfolding on the Turner’s Cross pitch yesterday evening were clearly less relevant than what would later happen off it.

Source: The Times May 31, 2016 23:03 UTC