Hand in hand with Lady Luck

Sir — It’s a Saturday afternoon in early 1988 and Eoin Hand is being interviewed on Sports Stadium. When asked about the recent success of

Jack Charlton and the Euro ’88 qualification, he alludes to “the rub of the green”.

Hand’s Ireland had been desperately unlucky not to qualify for the 1982 World Cup, courtesy of one particularly dreadful refereeing performance in a 1-0 defeat in Brussels. This was in a group containing Euro ’80 finalists Belgium, 1978 World Cup finalists Holland and the emerging French team of Platini, Tigana and Giresse.

Lady Luck, however, seems to have cleaned Jack’s hot-seat before he even sat in it.

It’s February 1986 and at No 80 Merrion Square, Dublin, the FAI executive is voting for a new manager. The initial shortlist had been Billy McNeill, Jack Charlton and Liam Tuohy.

Billy McNeill is soon ruled out because Manchester City are playing hardball over terms. Des Casey then starts the meeting by introducing two new candidates, Johnny Giles and Bob Paisley.

The first vote sees Paisley with nine votes and Charlton, Giles and Tuohy with three each. Tuohy is eliminated and the next ballot has Paisley with nine, Charlton with five and Giles four. Giles is eliminated and on the third ballot things go pear-shaped — Giles’s votes go to Charlton and a Paisley supporter does a U-turn and opts for Charlton, who wins 10-8.

It’s November 11, 1987, and at the Vasil Levski Stadium in Sofia, Andy Roxburgh’s injuryravaged squad has handed a 22-year-old Gary Mackay his