There’s a famous story from Italia 90 when the Irish physio Mick Byrne attempts to alleviate the boredom among members of the Irish squad during a slow Sunday in Sicily. The team were staying in a family-run hotel. It may have lacked the amenities which would have kept a group of professional footballers happy but it did have as an ornamental centre piece, a stunning ship made out of matchsticks by the hotel’s owner. When the Irish physio Mick Byrne came across two of the players bored in the lobby, he wasn’t concerned by the boat. In a nod towards…

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