D&G anyone? yes indeed , Last Christmas I gave you my heart and the very next Christmas you released the feckin song again. Last year we were splashing out on the Dolce and Gabbana and this year it's Doom and Gloom. Well I am here to tell you that there is one reason to be cheerful this Christmas and that is that our national football team is back on track. Your house is worth half what you paid for it, your pension looks comparable to that tip you gave a waiter in Florida last summer and your car won’t be getting traded up anytime soon but listen, your team is back in action!

Look to the future right now, it's only just begun, we have Georgia and Bulgaria at home and then we head to Italy. Six points from the two home games would leave us in great nick heading to Bulgaria in June and I am going to use this opportunity to predict that we get them. Hark now, hear , aside from the loss of  Steven Reid we will hopefully have a full complement of personnel. Perhaps Roy Keane as the new manager of Bulgaria will give them a boost but there is no reason we cannot put them to the sword in Croker. Man for man we are better and unless they bring in Mourinho or Sir Alex then our manager is better too. Now I am not going to defend his selections, personally I think that Andy Reid should be in the middle with Glenn Whelan. Not many on the YBIG site agree with me as regards Whelan but in my break down of the team after the Montenegro game I said I would stick with him and I have seen nothing to make me change my mind in the two games since. He does an excellent job and the fact that Gibson is not ready for the green jersey yet has detracted from this. Ronnie Whelan was more than happy to jump on the anti-Trapatoni band wagon with Dunphy after the Cyprus game and I think he did himself a huge disservice. . The fact is that Glenn Whelan had to cope with a much less experienced partner in the engine room and he performed well enough , not as outstanding as in Mainz or Montenegro but well enough. I rate him and you won't dissuade me. He has made my list and I checked it twice.

But what about those Reading lads? On fire ! Snow is falling all around us; the Hunts are playing, having fun. They both possess the ability to turn a game (and an opponent) on its head, something Trapatoni learned against Poland. If he learned any other lessons in that run out remains to be seen. We certainly did as supporters; I will deal with the singing section later.

This year as I sit down to my dinner on Christmas day I will have to deal with the spectre at the feast, the Banquo of Irish Football, me Mam will be playing deck the halls but you know what it might not seem like Christmas at all, cause I remember when Stevie was here and all the goals he scored last year in Croker, Bratislava and in Stan Marino. So Ireland, please come home , for Christmas.

Try to imagine, a house that's not a home, try to imagine Christmas all alone, or better still try to imagine a table covered in pint glasses! Scenes that will play out all over Ireland this festive season will only be a reminder of the one that played out in the hotel in Mainz on the night of the sixth of September. Spirits were high, the lad on the guitar the life of the party until the grumpy auld grey haired fellow pulled the plug on it. Santa Claus you Cnut, where's me feckin pint? The cheek of him but that's where Andy Reid will be, since he left Germany, his tears could melt the snow, oh loneliness and splinters from the bench, but he really has no place else to go.

So this is Christmas and what have you done? I bet you've written to Santa, well now it's time to write to the FAI and ask them to include you in a singing section in Lansdowne Road. Our away support can give it socks from the first whistle to the last, its time we brought some of that Mojo home with us. The performance of the Polish fans has opened quite a few eyes now and as a mate of mine said we need to stop feeling like the Germans in Escape to Victory. I urge you all to log on to the site and get involved in this campaign to allow those who want to belt out a few tunes to sit together. Children singing, but perhaps not Christian rhyme.  And finally a big shout out to the three kings who came to Davey Langans dinner bearing gifts , Niall Quinn , Liam Brady and John Delaney himself all made substantial contributions to the testimonial fund through their bids in the auction.

So it leaves me now just to wish you all and your families the best compliments of the season, it's been an Interesting year from the viewpoint of an Ireland supporter. I hope we continue this decent run in our group and hopefully when I write next years missive we will all be planning our African safari. Jungle all the way. Beir Bua agus Nollaig Shona Daoibh go leir.