Duff now gives us that little bit extra

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP/Albania v Ireland: Outstanding result in Georgia - couple it with the fact Russia were beaten by Albania and suddenly there's a little chink of light in this group.

Brian Kerr has won his first two games, the team has obviously responded to him and has played very well. He's hardly had to change anything, it's still 4-4-2, everybody knows his job, there's a nice continuity there. It's a very, very good start for him, and I have a feeling it will get better today against Albania.

There was lots of intimidation in Georgia but we're above all that. The players rarely over-react, we don't often get people sent off, we don't normally fall foul of the referee, we're a very well behaved team. These players are myopic once the game gets started, nothing will distract them from their job, whatever else happens.

Kevin Kilbane is a very level-headed lad - he just looked at the knife thrown at him and thought, "Oh, that could have hit me"; he didn't freak out and think, "That could have gone through my neck or in my eye and blinded me for life". He just got on with the job, and that was impressive. Very, very professional in every possible way.

The only thing I worried about before Saturday's game was whether we could find that little bit extra for us to win rather than draw - that's probably been our Achilles' heel in the past. That little bit extra, at this level, is the key to taking us away from teams.

And Damien Duff, more and more, is looking like our "little bit extra". If you look across Europe you don't find players like him, people who can pick the ball up and run past opponents - and he's starting to chip in with goals too. His team play is very, very good, and he's another one with a good attitude: you can try to kick lumps out of him but he keeps coming back. He comes across as a very phlegmatic, laid-back lad.

He's probably one of just a handful of European players with that little "something". He's not unpredictable, you know what he's going to do which is beat players, either side, and create a chance for himself or someone else - but even if you know what he's going to do it's not so easy to stop him.

People always compare him, predictably enough, with Ryan Giggs, but I think he can be better in terms of end-product. Giggs has always been great at running at people, has great pace, but doesn't always do anything with it - Duff has got end-product. I'm not saying he's a world class player yet, but he's on his way.

The return of Robbie Keane, of course, is a big boost for today's game. It will be difficult for Robbie after the death of his father but sometimes, in a situation like that, you can play with a fantastic freedom. If you didn't realise it before you certainly realise it after that football is not important. You can then play with a freedom, it's almost like "you can't do anything to me, I've just had the worst thing in the world happen to me".

So, I'd would just let him loose on Albania, play Duff off him up front and leave the rest of the team as it was against Georgia.

The key to it all now for Ireland is to keep putting pressure on the top two teams in the group - and let's be honest, Switzerland and Russia are not Italy and France, it's not like you can be sure they're going to go and win all their remaining games, as Russia's defeat by Albania proved. There could be more slip-ups from them, we have three home games next which we're more than capable of winning.

We've just seen probably the worst team in the group, Albania, beat the team who think they're the best. Albania will probably regard the result against Russia as their best ever win, but I think it'll be a case of "after the Lord Mayor's show" for them. I just don't see the Albanians raising their game to that level twice in four days, whereas we won't have to raise our level because we're so constant.

I would have thought Russia breezed into town for that game, and forgot to work hard and play - we won't do that, that's not us.

I fancy us, I really do. Hopefully, after an hour playing against us, Albania will be thinking "bloody hell, bring back the Russians". Three points, then, and suddenly that group table will be a lot prettier to read.

(In an interview with Mary Hannigan)