Martin O’Neill comes across as a bit of a schoolteacher with his glasses and the receding hairline.
But it seems that not only has the Derryman brought a sense of discipline to the Irish squad, but he has grown into a father figure too.
While Roy Keane might be the ‘tough mother’ in the group, O’Neill is the man who perhaps you could see letting players off with a few minor indiscretions if it means a positive performance later down the road.
And the Ireland manager has had to make tough decision in this campaign, such as demoting Robbie eto the role of as substitute in the latter stages of our journey to Euro 2016.
The Dubliner is an Irish, and European football legend, and we won’t see the likes of him again.
But he didn’t feature for Ireland in either of the Bosnia games, and we’re sure that O’Neill knows that it pains the LA Galaxy man not to be playing for his country.
But a wonderful picture from last night’s dressing room scenes shows the height of respect between both men
Moments like this are what football is all about…#EURO2016 pic.twitter.com/qQXL8dKLZk
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) November 16, 2015