World Cup qualifyingIf the contract of Brian Kerr, like that of new Dutch coach Marco van Basten, contained a clause requiring that his side play entertaining football in every game, then there might have been a few anxious moments when the FAI's suits met their manager after Wednesday's draw with Switzerland in Basel.

Results, though, are indisputably the priority for an association much more concerned about the heady mix of cash and kudos that goes with World Cup qualification than the finer points of how their manager chooses to achieve it.

Before Wednesday's game the Irish looked well capable of taking a draw from their first away game of the new campaign, although one might have expected a side containing most of the Republic's key players to achieve that goal more impressively than was the case.

Still, it is clearly the result, and the fact that the Irish have taken four points from their opening two games, that matters most and there will scarcely be any complaints from Kerr's employers over the way in which his side were obliged to battle doggedly through the second half for their share of the spoils.

One reason for optimism ahead of Wednesday's game was the extent to which the Swiss had been afflicted by various setbacks with injury, suspension and loss of form, all generating doubts about the home team's ability to repeat their success of last October.

It may be early days yet but with the Republic's next qualifying game, at the Stade de France, almost exactly a month away, there are strong indications that the French will also have their share of problems when the Irish arrive.

The most obvious factor thrown up by events on Wednesday was, of course, the sending-off of Patrick Vieira in Thorshavn, but there are reports of more widespread problems for new French coach Raymond Domenech who, it is suggested, has failed to win over most of the country's established stars.

Domenech shrugged off the consequences of Vieira's dismissal after France's unimpressive 2-0 defeat of the Faroe Islands, saying it had been the referee's decision and there was little he could do about it.

"I didn't plan to play tonight's game with 10 men," he said, "and I didn't plan to play next month's against the Irish without him but if he gets an automatic suspension what can I do? I'm disappointed, though, as Roy Keane must be for he only came back into the Irish team for the sole pleasure of this encounter (with Vieira)."

The Frenchman was less light-hearted when asked about who might come into the team, insisting he was short of experienced options and might struggle to find an adequate replacement.

One of the team's new generation of stars, Ludovic Giuly, conceded the game against Ireland might be difficult if the home side did not improve in their performances in their opening two games but maintained that France's longer term prospects remain bright. "We're a team in transition and so we can't afford to play against the Irish with our eyes closed. We must talk to each other and work hard together on the pitch," he said. "But in the end we will qualify. Just give us time."

The French do remain favourites to come out of Group Four as winners but it may well be the Irish are going to Paris at an opportune time.

Irritated by having been dropped on Wednesday, Chelsea midfielder Claude Makelele is again talking of international retirement, a particular blow given Vieira's unavailability, while Robert Pires has plans to meet Domenech to get an explanation as to why he did not start the game.

Among the French media and public there was still some lingering hope that players like Zinedine Zidane and Lillian Thuram might reconsider decisions to retire from the international game but the former, who went to see Madonna at the weekend rather than watch his former team-mates play, says he will not do any more interviews if he is asked one more time about the issue while the latter also insists his decision is irreversible.

Others within the squad were reported to have been irritated by restrictions imposed by Domenech on the use of mobile phones.

Perhaps the only thing that has gone right for him is Thierry Henry's decision to stay on for the good of the team despite saying he would have preferred to go after the European Championship. But the Arsenal player's ongoing inability to reproduce anything like his club form when playing for Les Bleus must be a major frustration.

For all their troubles the French have been beaten only once at the Stade de France, by Russia more than five years ago, and retain a pool of talent that their rivals can only envy.

For the moment, however, they look vulnerable and another point won away from home to one of the group's leading teams, no matter how ugly the performance that achieves it, would leave Kerr's side needing to beat the Faroes four days later to go into the New Year with eight points and two very tough matches out of the way.

It may not be a pretty sight but around Merrion Square they will certainly settle for that scenario.