Players' reactionWhen even Clinton Morrison won't stop "for a word" after a game you know it's been a bad day at the office for the Irish team. On even a mediocre day Morrison will emerge from the dressing-room and chat for as long as the tape in your average, and tremendously desperate, quote-seeker's recorder will last. Not on Saturday, though.

"Na" Morrison shrugged, as a fearsome minder, with a Hannibal Lecter look about him, escorted him to the team bus. The minder's face said: stick that tape recorder near Clinton's gob and I'll eat your liver with some fava beans and a nice chianti. Okay: walk on Clinton, walk on.

No chat from Damien Duff either. (His minder made Clinton's lad look as menacing as "wee Daniel"). Nor from Stephen Carr or Ian Harte, but nothing new there. Surly lads, the tape-recorder wielding rat pack have long since concluded.

Little wonder that we love, in order of fondness, Kevin Kilbane, Kenny Cunningham, John O'Shea, Shay Given and Matt Holland. If Brian Kerr dropped all five from future selections the quote-seeking tape-recorder wielding rat pack would riot, in a uncontainable kind of way. These lads are the only ones who'll talk to us, regardless of the day they've had.

"Disappointed," said captain Kenny, "but we couldn't be faulted for our effort or commitment around the pitch, we tried as hard as we could. We didn't pass the ball as crisply as we should and weren't as imaginative in our play as we have been, that frustrated us and we could sense the same frustration around the ground.

"Credit to the Russians, though, they were very dogged, got players behind the ball, made it difficult for us, always looked dangerous on the counter-attack as well. They were very resolute, they brought back a few very experienced players, they're a very strong physical unit, they were never going to be intimidated by us.

"We huffed and puffed, Damien (Duff) was very creative for us at times, scored an absolutely wonderful goal, disappointing to concede in the manner that we did, but we're only human, we went out to do our best, we did that today, unfortunately it didn't get the result we wanted, but we'll pick ourselves up and move forward.

"We're still in with a shout, we can't be too despondent, it's still all there for us - a win in Switzerland and we'll have a play-off place, at least. We've got to remain as positive as possible."

But you won't be there, Kenny, you're suspended for the game.

"It's not a problem, it's just one of those things. We're very fortunate that we've got great strength in depth in that area - Brian can call upon the likes of Richard Dunne, who's performed heroically for us before, Andy O'Brien, who's an excellent defender, and there's the option of playing John O'Shea in there as well. So we won't be weakened in any respect."

"It's disappointing for us, especially not capitalising on going a goal in front," said Kilbane. "We conceded a sloppy goal from a set-piece and it's not like us to do that, we're normally very strong in set-plays, but we've just got to look forward to what's a massive game in Switzerland next month. Of course it's difficult now but we're more than capable of going there and getting a win, especially because we'll have Robbie (Keane) back. He creates chances out of nothing, for the team and himself.

"In fairness to Clinton it would have been difficult for any front man in that game, they sat off and played very deep and gave us very little chance of getting in behind them. We knew they'd come here and play for a draw, their game plan worked very well. It's just disappointing that we didn't kill them off after we took the lead because we're more than capable of doing that.

"There probably was a little bit of nervousness about us, we didn't go at them in the way we would have liked. It was a big game for us, it was built up, a massive, massive game, but that's when you have to stand up and be counted as players. I'm still confident, though, about the Switzerland game - we've gone to tougher places than that and got results and I'm sure we can do it again."

"It was a strange kind of game, they didn't create many chances, but we didn't either," said Given. "It was just disappointing to give away a scrappy goal after we'd gone one up - after that they sat very deep and we couldn't break them down. We didn't really get going, I don't know why, but they didn't really get going either - it was probably a dull game to watch.

"We'd a lot of possession today but they sat deep and we couldn't really get in behind them enough. We need to look at the video and see where we can improve. Very frustrating. We tried hard for the second goal but we couldn't break them down. But my gut feeling is that we can still make it. There's no reason why we can't win in Switzerland."

"I was bitterly disappointed to go off in such a big game, that's why I tried to carry on but I was fooling myself a bit," said O'Shea of the injury that forced him to go off in the first half.

"Disappointed all round, we didn't seem to do ourselves justice, but we're still in there. It's strange, it's hard to explain, but hopefully we can put our finger on it, get a bit of luck with the other results, and then do our stuff in Switzerland - we still have a chance."

"We didn't have any real cutting edge up front," admitted Holland. "But nothing's changed, we were looking for a win here and at least a draw in Switzerland.

"Now we really need three points next month so we'll go there and have a go. We can still do it, definitely, we know we can. It's far from over."