Ireland’s preparation on the eve of their Italia ’90 opener against England was a bit strange

Football has changed.

25 years ago today, Jack Charlton's Republic of Ireland team were preparing for the countries very first World Cup match, the famous showdown with England in Cagliari. Modern day professionals will tell you that preparation for any game is just as important as what actually unfolds on the pitch but the boys in green definitely had a unique way of getting their minds and bodies focused on the task of beating the much-missed Bobby Robson's England. Jack Charlton's World Cup diary, transcribed by Peter Byrne, is full of wonderful little anecdotes and this one was too good not to share, here it is, word-for-word. "The calm before the storm. There was an open-air Mass celebrated in the grounds of the hotel and most of the players and officials took part". Wait a second here, mass? All of a sudden, we have images of Niall Quinn and Mick McCarthy dressed up as a altar boys. What other international team would be having a mass? You have to love it. The story gets better. Jack adds, "This was a quiet day with the emphasis on relaxation to get the players in the right frame of mind for the game. "Sunbathing was again reduced to just one hour for while most of the players are by now well tanned, we still cannot afford to take risks with anybody burning. Ray Houghton is beginning to redden too much for our liking and after all the worry we have been through with him, the last thing I want to hear is that he has been affected by the sun". You have to love the fact that Jack's immediate focus wasn't on any niggling injury, refining his last minute tactics or setting up a training session but rather on Ray Houghton's farmers tan and mass. Did Ray look like this after being left out in the sun for too long? Here's the full story in the book, which is a footballing anecdote goldmine. Keep an eye out for some wonderful tributes by the JOE team in the coming days to mark this special event in Irish history, culture and sport.