Euro 2008 Qualifying Germany v Republic of Ireland: No question, it was a gutsy performance, honest, hard- working, full of endeavour, and we can take a little bit of encouragement from that, but I think if we look back on that game in a few days we'll see it more as it was: plenty of effort, very little quality. When they needed something a little special to get back in the game there was just nothing there, and that's just how it is I'm afraid, we just don't have the quality to turn gutsy performances in to good results.

I wasn't surprised by the way we played. I never have too many worries for us when we play away because I know how competitive we are and we very rarely get turned over badly away from home. But I just think the game seriously underlined the distance we have to go.

It was a bit similar to the Welsh, they did well against the Czech Republic on Saturday, but conceded the late goal and came away with nothing, despite all the effort. Same with us. And that's just the way it is, in the end teams without real quality players get beaten, no matter what they put in to the game, and you don't qualify for anything.

Even at 1-0 down you wonder if you have a chance, but we never really created anything. Look at who was the busier goalkeeper? Can you honestly say any Irish player was better than Shay Given? As he has been for some time now. And that says it all, that's us at the moment.

We're short, really short, especially in midfield. It's the most important area. They had Michael Ballack and Torsten Frings, who are not only very good players, they complement each other so well. We had John O'Shea and Kevin Kilbane, neither natural central midfielders, but we were asking them to boss that midfield. It's never going to happen.

I just don't know what it is with O'Shea, I really don't. He looks like he has everything, but you never come away thinking he ran a game. With Manchester United and Ireland they're still trying to find a position for him. But he's tried centre back, he's tried left back, he's tried right back, he's tried midfield, and he really hasn't looked convincing in any of them. The more you look at him the more you have to think he's a squad player, somebody who'll come in and fill a hole for three or four games and then get left out when the fella he's replaced comes back. I think that's how it will be at United this season, when Paul Scholes and Michael Carrick are available, and I can't see him getting a place in defence.

There's nothing wrong with being a utility player but when everyone's fit you've got to find yourself a position. That's O'Shea's problem now. And that's our problem, we need so many players to play so, so well, above themselves, game in, game out, to have a chance, but there was no one who you felt might just change it for us on Saturday. Even Damien Duff. But I think he'll get better at Newcastle, they'll allow him express himself, which is exactly what he needs, and he'll get plenty of games, so he'll get fitter too.

Germany aren't the greatest team in the world, but they don't whack it forward, they've got a nice structured build-up, they get wide, they've got runners from midfield, they play like a team convinced they can score in the last minute if they have to. The difference between them and us is when they are under a little bit of pressure their technique is good, and you couldn't really say that about a lot of our players.

On the plus side I thought Kevin Doyle did well, he looks like he might be a player. But, on the other side, you just always wonder which Robbie Keane is going to turn up. You need Robbie Keane the cheeky chappie, dropping the shoulder, full of arrogance/confidence. You need Duffer feeling like he can beat anybody - if you get that then, by the looks of Doyle, you could have a useful trio. But that's the point again, you need all these players to be at their very best for us to have any chance at all.

But these are the players we have. Along the way we'll have some good results at home, we'll pick up a few away from home, the Croke Park experience will be great, but we're not going to qualify. We know we're not.

Which makes me wonder about the criticism of Steve Staunton from some quarters? What's the point? The lad's learning, he's never managed in his life. And you learn more in adversity than you do when you're winning, that's for sure.

Yes, he shouldn't have got himself sent from the pitch because you then can't be an influence on the game. He's been in the job two minutes, you cannot judge him yet. He's an easy target. The time to judge him is after the last half a dozen games in the qualification; it's then we'll have an idea of how the team is developing, if it is, if they're building towards having a decent crack at qualifying for the next World Cup. He was given a four-year contract, you don't judge him after a few months. It's absolutely crazy, but that's the world we live in.