Eamon Dunphy has gotten a lot of headlines in the past for being rather outlandish in his remarks, and has a reputation of winding people up the wrong way.
The classic 'he says it like it is' kind of pundit, Dunphy has been on TV, radio and print for decades sharing his views on the Republic of Ireland national team.
One of the most popular topics in Ireland football right now is the form of striker Evan Ferguson, who this time last year was being lauded as one of the hottest young prospects in the Premier League, never mind just Ireland.
Ferguson had scored a hat-trick against Newcastle to make it four goals in four games, and the hype surrounding the Meath native went into overdrive.
However, the sharp shooter only managed to score two more goals after that and the hype has dimmed as people have started to lose faith in him.
Writing in his Irish Mirror column, Dunphy offers a very reasonable and rationale explanation for this dip in form, and pleads with fans to have some patience.
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Let's look at the men who've led the line for Ireland over the years. Don Givens was 20 when he made his debut. So were Frank Stapleton and Niall Quinn. Tommy Coyne was all of 29 when he got the call, and John Aldridge was 27.
"Kevin Doyle was 23 when he first played for Ireland. Shane Long was 20 but it took him years to nail down a regular spot. Jon Walters made his Ireland debut at 27, as did David McGoldrick."
Ferguson was only 18 years old when the whole country pinned their hopes on him, but really he is just a baby in the world of international football.
Troy Parrott was in a similar situation, making his debut at 17, then struggling for form, and only now at 22 does it look like he is settled enough in his club career to start really having an impact for Ireland.
Dunphy goes on to explain that a lack of depth is the reason that Ireland have been so reliant on younger stars, but also points the blame at Stephen Kenny when he was in charge.
"The brutal truth is that many of the players who featured under Stephen Kenny were moved up from Under-21 level too early."
Kenny handed out many debuts to young Irish stars during his tenure, but whether it was part of a plan to develop them or because he was stuck for choice is hard to know.
As Ferguson looks like he has put pesky injuries behind him, the Brighton star will hopefully get a good run of games at club and international level to find his groove again.
