Picture the scene. Richard Dunne and Robbie Keane bouncing together, clapping hands, clicking fingers, singing along to 'Honey, Honey'. Brian Kerr sitting contentedly, humming along and smiling to himself.
For it is Mamma Mia! on stage, and the Republic of Ireland football team are in attendance.
Team bonding is an important element of any squad. Whether it is golf trips, team-building sessions in the wilds, or simply long and heartfelt discussions at four in the morning outside McDonald's, a squad has to somehow weld itself to each other, strengthening themselves for battle, making themselves stronger as one.
Kevin Kilbane and Brian Kerr were on Newstalk's 'Off the Ball' show today and they were discussing such a topic when Kerr brought up a time when he was manager of the national side and organised a trip to see the ultra-camp musical.
One time I had a brilliant idea of bringing them to see Mamma Mia!...in the early stages of it, before everyone had seen it. I knew there was a few grumpy heads when I said, 'We're going to see Mamma Mia! tomorrow night'...before we went to play France, the 0-0 that we won.
We go to get the bus and I'm going, 'I don't know if they're into this'. I'm not really into it myself, although I like the ABBA music...
And Kerr was surprised by the positive reaction of the players, who perhaps forgot themselves for a moment - as one often does when listening to ABBA.
I had said, we'll leave once the encore starts, whatever it was, 'Money, Money' or 'Waterloo' I think it was. And we stood up to go, and the lads weren't anxious to go. By the end of it, they had got into it! They had reinvented themselves as ABBA fans! I thought they weren't into it at all.
Rumours that Roy Keane has a secret collection of 'ABBA's Greatest Hits' hidden in his attic are unconfirmed.
You can listen to the full 'Off the Ball' audio below.
