There's always time for a bit of fun, even after miserable campaign such as Ireland's. Si's Insights looks on the brighter side of life with "The Alternative FAI Awards", a series of "prizes" worthy of the players and manager who couldn't give us the memorable journey we hoped for...
DUD OF THE TOURNAMENT
Dishonourable mentions...Shay Given - Lack of full fitness led to under par positional sense and a series of errors.
Simon Cox - Not so much for what he did, but what he didn't do.
Damien Duff - Fossilised in football years, our star player from a decade ago looked no threat whatsoever.
And the winner is...
ROBBIE KEANE - Our highest ever goalscorer now looks like the David Beckham of Ireland - an undroppable, celebrated icon still counted on to pull a rabbit out of the hat from time to time, despite playing for LA Galaxy. Goalless and ineffective throughout the tournament.SCAPEGOAT OF THE TOURNAMENT
Honourable mentions...
Sean St. Ledger - For being outpaced by a past-his-best Fernando Torres en route to goal against Spain.
Glenn Whelan - For being half of an incredibly weak central midfield.
Keith Andrews - For being half of an incredibly weak central midfield.
And the winner is...
SHAY GIVEN - He wasn't at his best, to be sure, but neither was everyone else, and he still showed signs of his class, including an incredible reaction save versus Spain. It's unfortunate for him that his errors were so costly and so spectacular that they submerged his strengths.
HARD LUCK STORY OF THE TOURNAMENT
Honourable mentions...
Shay Given - His errors would have been less relevant had his team-mates been less profligate, more confident and
better organised.Jon Walters - Had much more to offer than any of Robbie Keane's partners, yet was only used sporadically.
Darron Gibson - It's arguable that his long range shooting and vision would have given more to the team's attack than anything Glenn Whelan, Keith Andrews and especially Paul Green could have offered, yet he managed no action whatsoever.
And the winner is...
JAMES McCLEAN - An in-form, creative goalscoring winger, Derry-born McClean is exactly the kind of player that Ireland were crying out for this summer. Unfortunately, Trappatoni didn't think so. McClean managed just fifteen minutes on the pitch, against Spain, and by then we were already dead and buried. What a waste.
TOP MAN OF THE TOURNAMENT
Honourable mentions...
Richard Dunne - He looked past it, was repeatedly exposed and his positional sense was poor, but he still battled hard throughout the tournament.
Sean St. Ledger - For doing what no one else in the Irish squad managed to do - score a goal!
Aiden McGeady - No end product, but at least he tried.
And the winner is...
KEITH ANDREWS - He was out of his depth. And he knew it. But his tenacity during the entire competition was unequalled. Even when the opposition had finished us off, he kept looking for chances and shooting for goal. Being sent off at the end of the Italy game was no way for him to bow out.
AND FINALLY, THE "GOLDEN RASPBERRY" AWARD GOES TO...
GIOVANNI TRAPPATONI
Altogether now...
PFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTT!!!
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