John O'Shea/Brian Kerr combo a throwback to mid-2000s tumult

John O'Shea's brief initial stint as Ireland manager begins in a grand setting this Saturday as the Belgians come to Dublin.

He'll be flanked by his former international manager Brian Kerr, for a long time regarded as a kind of lost leader in exile by a cohort of Irish supporters.

There are surface level similarities with the infamous Steve Staunton-Bobby Robson ticket of the mid-2000s.

International centurion and celebrated defender takes the reins, drafting in a grand old man as influential advisor.

Though it's only promised to be short-term, hopefully things go smoother this time.

At the nadir of the Staunton regime following the 2-1 win over San Marino, Robson, who was recovering from cancer surgery at the time, was sent out to bat for his beleaguered manager on Liveline, where he had to listen patiently to Brush Shields' thoughts on team selection and was repeatedly interrogated as to whether he had Stan's number "on speed dial".

Kerr's belated return to the international fold, however brief, has delighted those supporters who've always maintained he got a raw deal when ditched at the end of the 2006 qualifying campaign.

A few of his staunch critics have since repented - albeit not, we understand, the then CEO. Liam Brady, who bluntly called for his removal after the turgid goalless draw against Switzerland in November 2005, even touted him as Stephen Kenny's successor over Christmas, with Damien Duff and Stephen Bradley to be drafted in as assistants.

A loyal constituency have painted Kerr's removal as a historic wrong turn for the national team, though there were plenty of conflicting perspectives on that. Namely, that he failed to qualify - however, narrowly - with a team of decent quality and paid for his conservatism