Even accepting the probability that Dean Kiely is a particularly prickly customer, it was planning on a pretty long-sighted scale to prefer Kieron Westwood as sub goalkeeper for last Friday’s friendly in London when they knew a month in advance that he wouldn’t be available for Saturday’s crucial World Cup qualifier in Bulgaria because he’s getting married.

Fed up with being taken for granted, Kiely said so long (again and for the last time) after being told he wouldn’t be getting the 45 minutes apparently promised him against Nigeria.

What struck me about the panic over who Trapattoni could count on should anything happen Shay Given is that, of all the lower league names mentioned, that of brilliant Bohemians ‘keeper Brian Murphy, the 2008 Premier Division player of the season, didn’t enter anyone’s heads, last of all the Irish management it seems. At least Kiely, 38, was in a position to be fecked around in the first place.