In 2009, the newly appointed Dublin manager Pat Gilroy took our squad to Spain for a training camp at La Manga, a resort favoured by athletes and professional footballers from across Europe. It was here in 1998 that Glenn Hoddle told Paul Gascoigne he would not be part of his World Cup squad and Gascoigne smashed up his hotel room. It’s a storied place. We added to the stories but that’s for another day.  Our training sessions under Pat while we were out there were as intense as any I’ve ever known. We had five days and ten gruelling sessions,…

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