Farewell kickabout is most we can expect

ANALYSIS: It's no surprise that Nigeria arrive at Lansdowne Road for tonight's friendly with a little bit of acrimony behind the scenes.

Their disappointing result in the African Nations Cup where they finished third, the subsequent dismissal of their coach and the then captain Sunday Oliseh's decision to walk away from the squad, won't have done anything for the squad togetherness.

It appears that Oliseh may now be travelling to Japan and Korea and he will bring quality to their midfield as befits a player who plays with the German champions Borussia Dortmund. It would be most unusual for Nigeria to have a squad that is 100 per cent behind their coach: it's a volatile situation that goes up or down depending on results.

There is no doubting the quality of some of their players but there remains that conflict between those earning an excellent living in Europe and the resent that some of the less successful players might harbour. They are among the most mercurial of teams, individually very talented but not always singing from the same hymn sheet.

Tonight's game should be nothing more than a notch above a training session. It's a case of 'after you Claude' when it comes to the physical side of things and that is entirely understandable. Players on both sides will not want to risk picking up an injury by virtue of a careless challenge on their part or that of someone else.

It will probably resemble an exhibition game. Players will show the right attitude, work ethic etc but there shouldn't be too many physical collisions. Even allowing for this state of play it remains a reasonable exercise for Mick McCarthy's squad. It allows him to give everyone that isn't carrying any niggle an opportunity to stretch the legs in a competitive environment.

Mark Kennedy is very unfortunate to miss out but it is better that his groin problem came to light at this juncture rather than in a training session prior to the first match. The game will allow players to keep fitness levels ticking over and they will certainly be keen to play: when faced with a choice of sitting in the stand or playing, there is only one answer.

Stephen Reid's late call-up is a wonderful boost for the youngster. Having endured the disappointment of missing out when Millwall were beaten by Birmingham in the play-offs and then realising - he would have expected as much - that he hadn't made the World Cup squad, this represents a brilliant bonus. I think it's fair to say that he mightn't have needed the plane to travel to Dublin such would have been his euphoria.

In fact Mick McCarthy may have to just temper his new-found enthusiasm and impress on Reid the need to just relax now that he has made the squad. The Kennedy-Reid situation simply reinforces the maxim that someone's despair is someone else's joy.

McCarthy has played everyone bar Mick Byrne in the friendlies against the USA, Russia and Denmark and while the team physio is unlikely to get a run out tonight just about everyone else might. This game can in no way replicate the conditions or intensity that the Ireland squad will face in the World Cup but it will serve as the supporters opportunity to say farewell to the players and that is important.

Nigeria are not as good as Cameroon, the latter have a much tougher mentality, are a better team with better players but the style of play is likely to be similar. I'm sure England will send a representative along to the game but the blank piece of paper that he arrives with is likely to be in the same condition when he returns home.

England will already have done their homework and will be aware of the Nigerians strengths and weaknesses. The real problem for them is that they can never be sure which Nigeria team turns up on the day. The Africans though will be the outsiders in the group that contains Argentina, Sweden and England.

In keeping with the previous friendly matches, a winning habit is not one that a team likes to break and so the confidence that can be gleaned from another victory should not be underestimated. It's not essential but it certainly wouldn't do any harm.

In an interview with John O'Sullivan