England have long been the butt of many jokes, but Martin O’Neill and the Republic of Ireland can learn plenty from what Gareth Southgate’s team achieved at the World Cup, according to one member of the last Irish squad. The Bohemians goalkeeper Shane Supple was drafted in for the end-of-season friendlies against France and the USA and wasn’t particularly impressed by what he saw and heard on his first call-up. Supple quit club football in England at the age of 22 because of attitudes in the game over there and, asked if his international call-up had made him reconsider, he replied: “Quite the opposite. It just confirmed to me my decision to come back.”

Supple was on the bench for both the friendlies and there