An earnest display of little importance

ANALYSIS: Even in  the twilight world of international friendly matches, this was one to forget. Low on entertainment value, it really served no purpose in terms of the bigger picture. Within that context Ireland did quite well, according to Mark Lawrenson

A team that has not played together before played away under a once-off manager and didn't concede a goal. All right, so it doesn't get the pulse racing but it was always going to be a difficult fixture.

The Greeks didn't look overly interested and the state of their pitch left a lot to be desired. Worthy is the term that comes to mind in relation to this Irish performance. The spirit was there, the endeavour, the application and all the other bread and butter positives we have come to expect from Irish teams.

I suppose there were a number of guys out there who felt they had a point to prove, but let's be honest, the details of this match are going to be utterly forgotten by, well, tomorrow. It really was a match for no good reason.

I thought that Glen Crowe, the man of the hour, did quite well. Two decent chances fell his way early on and he turned well and struck cleanly but he was shooting blind. He had no time to choose his spot and really he was unlucky. It would have been perfect if he scored.

And after that, well, the service didn't really come and both he and Gary Doherty were living off meagre rations. Whenever they did see the ball it was after long spells of chasing. But I thought Crowe showed quite well.

Elsewhere, we were sturdy enough at the back, as you would expect from a defence of reasonable experience. The ball bobbed a bit viciously on Shay Given towards the end when he was kicking clear. It has been noted that Shay's form has dipped a bit since the World Cup but that was inevitable. The guy was genuinely brilliant last year and it would have been impossible for him to maintain that form.

He went through a mini skirmish for his place with Steve Harper at Newcastle but remains the number one goalkeeper for both club and country.

Perhaps we weren't as inventive or penetrative from midfield or down the wings as would have been desirable but again, this was a makeshift team. You can't just turn it on after a couple of hasty training sessions, particularly on a slow and treacherous field like that. It all made for earnest fare with little room for good football.

Away from the pitch, I was baffled by FAI president Milo Corcoran's warning that the reforms recommended in the Genesis report may take up to five years to implement. It sounds as if he is sending out smoke signals to the effect that the association is struggling to find a suitable chief executive, which is for me the primary and most important part of the immediate duties.

Five years seems like an arbitrary time frame to choose as a reference. Any blueprint for any organisation takes considerable time to implement thoroughly but the main concerns - namely the appointment of a chief executive, changes to the management selection policy and the appointment of a new manager, should be carried out as a matter of speed and urgency.

I just can't see how these observations help matters at all. As usual, it seems to leave the need for further clarification.

The FAI have a long period now to concentrate on their administrative duties. Be sure that when Ireland next play, the public will want to see the initial consequences of the sweeping reforms that have been promised. And it is no more than they deserve.