Conspiracy theories, pointed jabs & rising tensions..it has been a week to forget on and off the pitch for Ireland management POSITIVE TEST AND ‘WHAT COULD HAVE BEENS’

MATCH IN HELSINKI SECONDARY TO RECRIMINATIONS OVER FALSE

NOTHING that happens in Helsinki tonight will change the fact that the last 10 days are best remembered for all the wrong reasons.

It will be a hard one to shake. Ireland’s bubble burst in every sense. Reality hit home that Covid’s callous claws are not c onf in ed to P remi er League clubs and the game’s biggest stars.

The virus breached the Irish camp’s defence before the playoff and led to an extraordinary chain of events here, then on a plane, over in Bratislava and back here again.

Stephen Kenny has hardly been able to conceal his anger at what unfolded behind the scenes and it’s safe to say he’ll be forever haunted by what might have been.

The FAI’S internal review to be conducted in due course will shine a light, not least with the Ireland boss, on the association’s executive and a new CEO on the way.

Conspiracy theories, pointed jabs and rising tensions over UEFA’S Covid-19 testing only added to the intrigue once the FAI st a f f e r i n Bra t i s l av a returned a fal se p o sitiv e. Would strikers Aaron Connolly and Adam Idah – ruled out of th e pl ay-of f as hi s clo se contacts – have put away the chances that fell to Conor Hourihane or Alan Browne? Who knows?

But after the midnight twist, regarding the second player to test positive, the press release swipes at UEFA and Niall Quinn’s studs-up TV attack all looked a little ill-thought-out.

For 90-minutes tonight, Kenny can remove himself from that circus. Instead of fire-fighting, he can focus on fo otbal l and hope for an upturn in fortunes.

This is his fifth attempt at banking a first win as senior boss, and the way his luck is going, he wouldn’t be hanging his hat on it. Not against a side that won in Dublin only last month. John Egan, Callum Robinson, Callum O’dowda and Browne are all unavailable as they were close contacts of the first player who tested positive before the Wales game.

Jack Byrne and Derrick Williams are also out. David Mcgoldrick joined an injury list before Sunday’s game in Dublin that already included skipper Seamus Coleman, Harr y Arter and Darragh Lenihan.

But Kenny has exciting youngsters like Jason Knight, Adam Connolly, Adam Idah, Jayson Molumby and Dara O’shea at his disposal to add a fresh element of intrigue.

And with World Cup seeding still in the balance, a win would be timely with Ireland currently straddling the second and third pots ahead of December’s draw. With only two points from three Nations League games, tonight is the last opportunity to ensure there’s something other than seedings at stake next month.

Despite ever ything over these last 10 days, Ireland have played good football. It’s clear that Kenny’s players are on board with his desire to change the approach.

Despite missing half of the outfield players he selected in the initial squad, tonight is not a lost cause even if the backdoor route to the World Cup seems to be at this point.

Although the possession and passing stats have been impressive, the goals have yet to flow under Kenny and rectifying that is the mission.

Shane Duffy ’s trademark header in Bulgaria is all there is to show for it, so a few more from those further upfield would do nicely, as would a

win. Amid soaring Covid cases, powerful clubs are growing anxious about releasing their players for next month’s internationals.

But UEFA will be determined that they go ahead and, even without fans, national associations all feed from the same financial trough that these games provide.

Ultimately, it’s in their interest that it’s business as usual

RIGHT UP AGAINST IT Stephen Kenny has not had it easy since taking over from Mick Mccarthy on the pitch in November and Ireland will kick-start another triple header with an away friendly in Bosnia.

It’s the two beaten play-off semi-finalists meeting in a dead-rubber nobody wants on the same night Northern Ireland host Slovakia for a place at Euro 2020. Fun times. Then it’s straight onto Cardiff for yet another game with Wales, before closing out the Nations

League campaign against Bulgaria in Dublin three days later.

Arsene Wenger this week called for the Nations League to b e scrapp ed but not because of Covid and the difficulties it has presented.

“If you ask people in the street what th e Nations League is, you won’t find many able to explain it,” he said, suggesting a World Cup and Euros every other year instead. With no Euros to look forward to and just 13 UEFA qualifying spots up for grabs for World Cup 2022, Ireland’s focus is narrow.

But tonight, Kenny can still get purchase from another low-profile Nations League outing as Ireland close the book on a difficult chapter.