You have to hope that the quality of Shane Duffy’s performance on the field when he makes his Ireland debut against the Czech Republic tonight is better than both the quality of the video footage from inside the Irish camp and his rendition of a 60s classic.
Duffy, the young Derryman who represented Northern Ireland before switching his international allegiance to this side of the border, is in line for his first cap for the Republic of Ireland at the Aviva Stadium this evening.
As part of an Ireland squad initiation ceremony, which we must admit we weren’t aware of until this week, new faces must humiliate themselves by standing on a crate and singing a song of their choice.
For Duffy, the song of choice was The Foundations’ timeless 1968 hit “Build Me Up Buttercup”. Timeless, and also, on this occasion it must be said, a bit tuneless.
