'Back to basics' Heimir Hallgrimsson signals a step change

The first match of a new managerial era and our new gaffer, Heimir Hallgrimsson, is going in search of lost b*****ds.

Hallgrimsson, appointed from left field in early June, is the third foreign manager of the Republic of Ireland men's senior team and takes over at the least promising time.

Jack Charlton had gotten the job ahead of Bob Paisley in contentious circumstances in 1986 and spent his first press conference, in his own words, answering why "everyone in the world hadn't got the job except me".

His first game was a miserable 1-0 friendly loss at home to Wales, when he let Mick Byrne pick the team and where the crowd famously unveiled signs saying 'Go Home Union Jack'.

Giovanni Trapattoni, by contrast, arrived on a wave of starry-eyed goodwill, the fans giddily excited that Serie A royalty was gracing us with his presence after the mad-cap Steve Staunton reign. Trap's first match was a 1-1 friendly draw with Serbia in Croke Park, in 2008 his early favourite Andy Keogh ("KEEEE-OH," cried the Sky Sports man) lamping home a late equaliser.

Hallgrimsson makes his opening bow in very different circumstances to that of Trap, in particular.

The FAI is operating in a much altered financial environment these days and the incoming gaffer has no local billionaire topping up his wages. As Ken Early disclosed last week, in an entertaining remembrance of Poland in 2012, whenever Trap and Marco Tardelli had to partake in some bizarre or hipster-y media engagement that left them befuddled, the utterance of the single word 'Benefattore' would forestall any further questions.

Owing to the comically protracted managerial search this time around, the new boss does not have a large suite of friendlies to road-test his theories on what's