Stephen Kenny’s moribund march towards the exit trundles on and the most miserable aspect of all is that there is at least another month to come before everyone is put out of their misery.
In a campaign packed with lows, this plumbed new depths - summed up by a non-event second half in which the Ireland players looked devoid of ideas and more than one threw their arms up in exasperation because team-mates were not showing to receive passes.
They were outdone by themselves rather than supreme quality from opponents in the same weight-class as desperate, basic defensive errors reared their heads again.
Greece managed the match well and were not ruffled beyond a good start from Ireland that only served to build hope before knocking it back down. But Gus Poyet’s team are no world beaters.
These were, at least, different mistakes from what has gone before as poor positioning and a weakness on the counterattack did for Ireland’s hopes of what is now a rare win.
Still, at least they did not concede from long range or at the start of the second half … Cheap gags aside, the reaction from a crowd of just over 40,000 was telling.
The fans who had turned out in healthy enough numbers were not even that furious when the first goal went in and when the second arrived the inevitable boos felt half-hearted. This was not red-hot fury but a display of bleak acceptance.
Once apathy sets in, you’re done. Football managers can rightly embrace the good times, the moments of anger can be channelled into performances. But the moment a feeling of resignation arrives there can be no time to turn things around.
Kenny is stuck between a rock and a hard place ahead of Monday’s trip to Gibraltar, a match with nothing on the line that could still
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