And now this. A new manager, no Given and a team of players for whom encouraging beginnings to club seasons are few and far between.

In many ways, a proposition on the worrying side of tricky.

Not in enough ways, though. All thoughts of coming home without the three points can be banished. For if nothing else, Cyprus can be trusted to give Steve Staunton what is apparently known in political circles these days as a dig-out.

This is the right fixture at the right time for Ireland.

Cyprus gave them more of a game than should have been allowed last year but the Irish performance that night couldn't have laid bare more explicitly the mood-sickness that reigned in the camp in what were Brian Kerr's last days. The display against Germany pointed to definite improvement in that area, which is as much as will be needed against a wretchedly poor home side on Saturday.

As far as the line-up goes . . . a clean weekend's bill of health permitting . . . Paddy Kenny will take Given's place while Andy O'Brien deserves another go, leaving the back four as was. The midfield will likely keep three of the four names that started last month and Aiden McGeady's performances for Celtic really ought to have bought him Steven Reid's place. Robbie Keane and Kevin Doyle's names, meanwhile, are chiselled in stone until and unless they play themselves out of favour. Staunton was delighted with the effort of his squad against Germany but he knows next week is about more than that. His team will beat Cyprus but if it comes about through effort alone, the victory will be a hollow one. Time for some cohesion and maybe even a bit of style.

EURO 2008 QUALIFIER CYPRUS v REPUBLIC OF IRELAND Saturday, Nicosia, 5.30 Live, TV3, 5.00