Ireland v Italy - 10 Reasons to be Cheerful

Nobody expected Ireland to win Euro 2012, very few people expected them to progress from Group C, but  to come away with 0 points and just one goal will have been a massive disappointment to everyone involved.  Losing is OK if you go down fighting, but there was a surprising lack of that from this Irish team.  OK, Spain were almost unplayable, and Croatia and Italy were very strong, but aside from brief spells of pressure Ireland never really threatened to get any points.
It's not all doom and gloom for Ireland though, hard as it may seem to believe, there were a few positives they can take with them.  So here are 10 Reasons to Be Cheerful for Ireland after Euro 2012:

1.  The Fans - Maybe they are too happy in defeat, maybe they need to get on the team's back a bit more, but what is undeniable is that the Irish fans are loud, proud and great travellers.  This was especially evident in the final group game, the stadium reverberated to Irish songs all evening, regardless of the on field action.
Having that level of support, both in numbers and volume can only be good for the Irish.  It should make them a difficult team to face in Dublin during the World Cup qualifiers.

2. It was a Learning Curve - Some of the older players like Keane, Duff and Given may step back from the side, but for some of the younger players like St Ledger, McGeady and Cox, this will help their development and give them a great taste of what it's like to be at a major tournament.  Even the players who didn't get on will have had their appetites whetted and will be keen to qualify for another competition.

3.  They were better against Italy - Yes, they lost 2-0 but Ireland did show flashes of quality in their final Group game.  The second half was pretty even and whilst Buffon wasn't overly stretched, he was forced to make a few saves. It at least should that Ireland had some fight, and could compete with a top team.

4.  Denmark at Euro2000 - As bad as it was, Ireland's 2012 effort wasn't quite the worst ever in a Euro's.  Step Forward the Danish class of 2000.  Nil points? Check.  Goal Difference of -8? Check. The difference was that the Danes failed to register a single goal.  Two 3-0 defeats to France and Holland and a 2-0 lose to the, already eliminated, Czechs meant they finished a St Ledger header behind Ireland in the Overall stakes.

5. Sean St Ledger scored!  Talking of the ex Preston man, "The Saint" will have something to tell his Grandkids about, as his downward header briefly gave Ireland parity in their opening game.  Whilst the goal ultimately meant nothing in the context of the match, it does mean that St Ledger is now the joint leading Irish scorer in European Championship history!

6. Roy Keane's Ranting - Whilst I don't agree with everything that comes out of Keane's mouth  - the idea of dropping all 11 players was absurd - Roy has made some excellent points about the Irish mentality and how the "win or lose we're on the booze" mentality is outdated.  Clearly, Keane has more knowledge of the Irish set up than me, so I'm willing to believe there's something in his views. Perhaps the squad are unprofessional and have the wrong attitude.  If they are, then Royston's rant may help to change things.

7.  Young players may get a chance - Except there aren't many of them! In fact, only James McLean of Sunderland is under 25.  It may be that Eire have to look outside of the squad for help.  The likes of Shane Duffy, James McCarthy and Seamus Coleman should get a chance to play in the qualifiers for WC2014.

8. Sweden aren't very good - Germany should stroll qualifying Group C for the next World Cup, but after that it's wide open.  You can discount the Faroe Islands and Kazakhstan straight away.  That leaves Austria, Sweden and the Irish fitting for second spot.  Austria are a poor side and haven't qualified for a World Cup since 1998 and the Swedes (Zlatan aside) have looked decidedly average over the last 2 weeks.  Ireland will fancy their chances of clinching second spot and the play offs.

9. Keith Andrews is banned for the next match!  Darren Gibson should get a game, he's no Xavi, but he is capable of scoring the odd screamer and is an excellent passer.  He can be frustrating at times, but an in form Gibson will be a decent midfield upgrade against Kazakhstan.

10. Paul Green shared a field with some of the best players in the world! Which is lovely for him...however it may say more than anything about the quality of this Ireland squad!