The Fiver | Intriguing attempts to whip players into a nationalistic frenzy

Sign up now! Sign up now! Sign up now? Sign up now!

After what seems like two months [subs please check, it really does feel like two months, it could actually be two months], the international break is finally over. Looking back, it’s hard to say who enjoyed it the least. You? Us? Or maybe Republic 0’Ireland boss Stephen Kenny, whose intriguing but as-yet-unspecified attempts to whip his players into a nationalistic frenzy – a symposium on the later work of WB Yeats? A screening of the 1967 film adaptation of Ulysses? An acoustic performance of the theme to Wanderly Wagon? – backfired with a three-goal loss to England and subsequent brouhaha.

Related: Ireland manager Stephen Kenny faces FAI hearing after 'anti-English' video

Catania coach Giuseppe Raffaele gets a four-match ban in Serie C after the 2-1 win over Vibonese, for tackling an opposition player about to counter-attack deep in added-time pic.twitter.com/VlELo7jR7r

Continue reading...