Friday is 'D Day' for the Irish football team as we travel to Bosnia for the first leg of our Euro 2016 playoff. Ireland's history is decidedly mixed in third-place playoffs. The joy of Tehran and Tallinn is balanced out by what went down in Basra, Anfield and Heysel stadium. And that's not even discussing Paris.
As we prepare for Bosnia, it is perhaps a worthwhile activity to look back on the different Ireland teams that have succeeded and failed in playoffs past and seeing how they compare to the Ireland team that Martin O'Neill will field in Zeneca Friday night. Surely this is the most threadbare Ireland XI to line out in a playoffs:
Now compare that to other Ireland playoffs down through the years.
Ireland v Holland 1995
Ireland's first playoff match in thirty years was a difficult one against the Dutch in the neutral venue of Anfield. Similarly to the current side we were missing three key players in Roy Keane, Niall Quinn and Steve Staunton and it showed as ended up losing the tie 2-0.
Despite the loss we still boasted a very talented squad and in particular a talented back four which would certainly outweigh any backline which lines up against Bosnia. Gary Kelly, Phil Babb, Paul McGrath and Dennis Irwin lined up in defence and all four players were Premier League regulars for proven teams.
A brilliant team on paper, though perhaps a team past its time.
Team:Alan Kelly, Gary Kelly, Phil Babb, Paul McGrath, Denis Irwin, Jeff Kenna, Andy Townsend, John Sheridan , Terry Phelan , John Aldridge, Tony Cascarino.
Ireland vs Belgium 1997
Ireland lined up against Belgium in 1997 with two set piece specialists in their team in the form of Ian Harte and Denis Irwin.
The side was an aging one in comparison to Friday's proposed line up with Ray Houghton and Tony Cascarino both featuring in the starting eleven alongside a fresh faced David Connolly.
Ireland went on to draw the game but lost the second leg 2-1 in Belgium.
Team: Shay Given, Gary Kelly, Kenny Cunningham, Steve Staunton, Ian Harte, Ray Houghton, Andy Townsend, David Connolly , Mark Kennedy, Tony Cascarino
Ireland vs Turkey 1999
Ireland's third consecutive play off defeat came at the hands of Turkey in 1999 in unlucky circumstances. In the first leg of the tie, Ireland fielded a strong side that included Roy Keane for the first time in a playoff.
Lee Carsley partnered Keane in midfield and he was the man who gave away the penalty which proved to be so crucial. Up top, we had a fresh-faced Robbie Keane who put us ahead in Lansdowne Road, he could feature on Friday but is a different player altogether to the one who led the line that night.
We lined up with a pair of hard-working wide midfielders in Kilbane and Delap and that's likely to be the case on Friday with Hendrick and McClean.
Team: Alan Kelly, Stephen Carr, Gary Breen, Kenny Cunningham, Denis Irwin, Rory Delap , Lee Carsley , Roy Keane, Kevin Kilbane, Tony Cascarino, Robbie Keane.
Ireland vs Iran 2001
Finally the playoff victory we'd all been waiting for. The draw was a favourable one and we put ourselves in a great position by winning 2-0 at home in the first leg.
The team that night was littered with quality with Shay Given lining up in nets, Finnan and Harte were our two full backs, Roy Keane captained the side from the middle of the park and Keane and Quinn were up top.
Friday's team doesn't show anywhere near the same quality as this team which was filled with quality from back to front.
Team: Shay Given, Steve Finnan, Gary Breen, Steve Staunton, Ian Harte , Jason McAteer , Matt Holland, Roy Keane, Kevin Kilbane, Niall Quinn, Robbie Keane
Ireland vs France 2009
One of the most heartbreaking ties for any Ireland fan was the playoff against France. The side that night featured many quality players such as Damien Duff, Robbie Keane and Richard Dunne but the performances put in by some of the lesser-known names like Liam Lawrence and Sean St Ledger really stood out.
Glenn Whelan is likely to be the only survivor from Paris who'll take the field on Friday.
If we're to stand any chance over the weekend we'll need some of the unsung heroes to step up to the plate once again, just like they did against France in 2009 and Germany in 2015.
Team: Shay Given, John O'Shea, Richard Dunne, Sean St Ledger, Kevin Kilbane, Liam Lawrence, Keith Andrews, Glenn Whelan, Damien Duff, Robbie Keane, Kevin Doyle
Ireland vs Estonia
We were truly awarded the golden ticket when we pulled Estonia in 2011 where we put the tie beyond doubt by thumping them 4-0 in Tallinn.
Although it was our most recent playoff success, our team that night was considerably stronger and more experienced than any one we're likely to field on Friday.
Damien Duff and an in-form Aiden McGeady lined up on the flanks and Robbie Keane and Jon Walters led the line. How we'd love to have Walters available for Friday but such is life.
The inclusion of Richard Dunne gave the otherwise weak back four a level of assurance which we may not see by our inexperienced backline on Friday.
Team: Shay Given, Stephen Kelly, Richard Dunne, Sean St Ledger, Stephen Ward, Aidan McGeady, Keith Andrews, Glenn Whelan, Damien Duff, Robbie Keane, Jon Walters
Which was the best side we ever sent out in a playoff?
