HALLGRIMSSON HAS NO FEARS OVER IRELAND'S STRENGTH

It's not only to qualify, it's the two months of being together that will continue to grow the team'

- BY MARK MCCADDEN

national teams, to be in camps in finals, it's something we really need at this moment.

There is something else that Hallgrímsson could do with - a strong pool of players getting regular gametime in Europe's top five leagues.

Recently, FAI academy chief Will Clarke made the point during a presentation that a country needed 35 players playing an average of 1,400 minutes of league football a season in a top-five league to be successful.