Usually it takes a bottle of Bacardi and a gallon of Coke to get John out of his seat.

Ronaldo is a disgrace to the game. His petulance, temperament, throwing himself on the ground. It was a disgrace to professional football. This fella Ronaldo is a cod.

Niall Quinn is a creep. The man's an idiot, a Mother Theresa.

Kilbane's head is better than his feet. If only he had three heads, one on the end of each leg.

Every club he's been to has had great injury crises. Every club. And it's always hamstrings.

Somewhere in there the grace of a ballet dancer joins with the strength of an SAS squaddie, the dignity of an ancient kind, the nerve of a bomb disposal officer.

Ability and guts is an unbeatable combination.