"Hello to everybody."

The translator with the moustache and the twinkly smile brings us words of felicitation from Miroslav Blazevic who sits suited and bespectacled to his left. Blazevic is the manager of the fanatically supported, third best team in the world. Croatia.

"Congratulations to the team of the Republic of Ireland. Congratulations to all the ambience of the stadium.

In 30 years of his career Miroslav Blazevic never saw an audience like this. Not even in the Stade de France when his team played France in the semi-final of the World Cup.

Well, that's what he said anyway on Saturday afternoon in the wee band room in the corner of Lansdowne Road after a match which may in time be seen as a landmark of the era, like Ireland and Russia in Dalymount or Ireland and England in Stuttgart.

Blazevic took his part in our little piece of history stoically, offering warm smiles to the media who often suffer frostbite at these post-match inquiries.

"Of course," said the translator, "he is not satisfied with the result, or the play of his team, but the will and strength of Ireland was great and they deserve it. Once more congratulations on the success."

As a press corps we were 2-0 up and we felt entitled to fanny about with it.

What did he think of the referee?

A long conference ensued between manager and translator.

Translator draws himself up, takes deep breath.

"No comment."

What did he think of the sendings off then?

"He never wants to comment on the refereeing."

Ok what did he think of his team's discipline?

"Sorry?"

Well two red cards. Not very disciplined is it?

"The first red was okay. The second one, well the referee continued to show up with the red card. But it was a tough game, in that kind of game everything is possible."

And cravenly we set about extracting the balm of kind words from him. What did he think of us? Could we beat Yugoslavia?

Would he like to play golf in Ballybunion?

He only drew the line when we asked if they wouldn't have lost anyway if Suker and Boksic were playing, but by then we didn't care.

Blazevic got up to leave before we asked him what he thought of us winning the Eurovision so often.

Mick McCarthy came just then and there was no sound of tempest, just the sunshine of his smile.

"It's an obvious reaction," he said. "Very pleased. We played well and deserved to win. Three points. It's a start."

There will be no medals for gallantry handed out to members of the press corps after Saturday's affair. No gallantry. No medals. This was a love-in, one big smooch. We were all of the one being, a shared entity. Purr.

Wasn't Roy absolutely fabbydocious out there Mick?

"Roy is one of the best players in the world," said Mick, as we nodded gravely. "We don't have many players like him. So was it him or was it them or the absence of Boksic and Suker and everyone else? It depends on what slant you are going to put on it. Roy is one of the best players in the world. He does make a difference to us, Yes of course he does. I know it was a big plus to have him back."

At the end there, Mick, was another goal on the cards or were we just delighted with two? You seemed to be urging them on, but we've said too much already. You tell us.

"I guess it's as much my frustration being on the sideline not being able to do too much about it. We had the most experienced players on the pitch at the time but we have no experience of being two-nil up at home against nine men.

"For me I thought they scared me more with nine men, they were liable to throw a ball into the box and they were pushing and shoving and I thought he might give a free at the edge of the box or a penalty, and I was wanting us to not back off and just to keep the ball up the other end of the pitch. "They brought a big sub on and he was trying to rough us up. It suited them to put balls in the box and maybe us lean on him and jump on him and next thing it's two-one and we are all holding on. I wanted them to squeeze up field and keep the ball. I'll take what we got though."

And the tactics?

"My change of approach came when I asked one of my centre forwards to drop back and play deeper. More Robbie Keane then Cassie, I wanted a target up front and I wanted Robbie Keane to play off him from the front, rather than running behind him. It worked."

Penalty and two sendings off. Did the referee get it right?

"Definitely. Yeah."

(Many of press corps carried out on stretchers having convulsed with appreciation and mirth.)

"Robbie Keane should have had a penalty. The sendings off? The second one was a bad tackle. Same applies with our two stupid bookings for dissent. we might lose those two players at some stage because of those two bookings.

The only sign of a high, studs up tackle comes when somebody asks Mick McCarthy if his tenure in charge of the team has been a bit of a rollercaoster ride. What he means, of course, is that we kick lumps of him when he is down and prostrate ourselves before him when he is up. Rollercoaster ride it is though.

"I've enjoyed my time as manager." says McCarthy "I love the job. It's you lot that give me the rollercoaster ride."

He gets to that stage where he is itching to go. We are unwilling to detain him. Team right. Tactics right. Result right. There is nothing left for us to say.

"We are a force to be reckoned with," he says. "That is my full squad and full team. We've been working towards that. Ups and downs travelling around the world with second string teams giving them games giving them caps and we've not had the results we wanted, individually or collectively. I told you beforehand, my cards are on the table today with my squad and my team, and they won."

And many clapped as he got up to leave. Funny old game journalism.