Err, where are the players? "At a post-match reception," we're told. Okay, so that explains why we've been waiting here like tulips in the VIP tunnel for 40 minutes asking VIPs for their VIP thoughts on the game?

"Yep."

Taoiseach? Is 2-0 enough?

"Hope so ."

Eddie Jordan? Pete St John? President? Ollie Byrne? Little boy waiting for autographs? The owner of Coventry City whose name no one can remember? Is 2-0 enough?

"Hope so," they all smile, sympathetically.

Will we leave now? Mmm, maybe. Wait - here comes Roy Keane. Gird your loins. Roy? Is 2-0 enough?

"Well, I'm sure we'd have taken that before the match," he reassures us. "We obviously didn't want to concede an away goal so we're happy with that. We're all pretty calm about it in the dressing-room, we know there's a long way to go yet, a long journey on Monday and a tough match on Thursday.

"But we're capable of performing a lot better, we know that. We're talking about the World Cup finals here, so that's a great incentive for the players."

An auld away goal would be nice, wouldn't it?

"Yeah but it's always dangerous to go looking for it - like tonight, you're stuck between a rock and a hard place: if you go too far forward looking for another goal you leave yourself open to breaks.

"Yeah it would be great to get the away goal, but the important thing is to keep it tight for the first half an hour in Iran, keep the fans quiet and build up a good solid base."

Shay Given, Roy, our saviour?

"Shay's concentration levels are very good and he was very alive to that one-on-one. That's when they're dangerous, when they have good possession, they have decent players, but we knew that. Shay had to make another save soon after, but that's Shay's job."

The knee Roy, how's that blessed knee?

"Not too bad, but I'm well aware that sometimes it can take a while before it reacts. I said all along I'd play it by ear."

So you're confident of playing in the second leg, we asked, the day before we learnt he wouldn't be playing in the second leg.

"I've said all along I'll just take it day by day, it doesn't feel too bad now but we'll see how it goes," and with that he was off, carrying the blessed knee that had "stiffened severely" by the time he woke next morning.

Next: Jason McAteer. Let's cut to the chase, Jace: is 2-0 enough?

"Mmm, it's the million dollar question, isn't it?" he says. "If we get knocked out over there we'll be throwing it away, won't we?" he asks, rhetorically. Every head in the corridor nods, in an emphatic kind of way.

"If we do a professional job and defend like we can we should be alright.

"It was like a semi-final tonight, not like a qualifier - if you get beaten in a qualifier you can rectify it in the next game, but there was a lot of tension, a lot of nerves out there. We were firing the ball up to Niall and, for want of a better word, they were getting their arses and elbows on to the end of everything, we were just unfortunate with some chances, but then we got the penalty."

Speaking of which?

"The ball ran free, I had a chance to cross, he lunged and caught me, simple: penalty.

"Maybe I should have scored in the second half - I might have done if Quinny had got his big arse out of the way - that's a-r-s-e - but they defended well, they're no pushovers.

"A lot of people thought we'd turn them over easily but Iran are a good team , we knew that because we watched the videos. We knew they were capable of scoring an away goal but we kept a clean sheet."

Niall Quinn?

"Can't stop lads, I'm in a mad rush, " he says before he stops and chats until we run out of questions. Any wonder the hacks love Quinny? Tie still alive, Niall?

"Ah, of course, but Jesus, we've a great chance. Yes, we'd have settled for 2-0, especially after the two great saves Shay made. If one of them had gone in it would have made it a lot an awful more difficult.

"We're pleased, but we're not jumping up and down by any means - at the same time, though, we've given ourselves a great chance."

The approach for the second leg?

"We'll have to think about it. There are two ways of approaching it, you either sit back and invite them on you or you go for the away goal, in which case, if you get it, the tie will probably be dead."

Your preference? "Not bothered, whatever Mick says, he makes the decisions and he'll get the stick if it goes wrong."

Big crowd in Tehran, scary? "Nah, you're there to be counted in games like that. That's not a worry. Thanks lads."

One more question? Is 2-0 enough? "Hope so," he smiles.

Funny, that's what the Taoiseach said.