Sir, - Ireland's defeat at the hands of Argentina in Lens, though difficult to accept, should hardly come as a surprise. Over the past two seasons, with one exception, the team has consistently failed to reach the moderate expectation of the public. The fact is that the team would have had to play considerably better than in recent years to have qualified from any of the other groups. Reaching the semi-final of the World Cup by having to turn in only one notable performance would have been almost as embarrassing as our exit on Wednesday evening. - Yours, etc.,
Shane Forsythe, Annamoe, Co Wicklow.