SOCCER/ FAI Cup: Boasting one of the finest CVs in the world game, Bobby Robson has seen it all before. The former England manager also knows pressure and, as England face into Saturday's World Cup quarter-final with Portugal, he suggests it is time for the players to live up to their star billing and lift a weight from the current boss's shoulders.

"We haven't played," Robson concedes, "the coach knows that, the staff know that and the players know that. The team is getting a lot of criticism at the moment but I think much of it is unjustified. But, look, we're still dancing, we're still on the dancefloor. We still have numbers on our backs too and the judges haven't removed us yet."

Now the FAI's international football consultant, the 73-year-old feels England have played in "spasms" in their four games and expects a "nip-and-tuck" game against the Portuguese. Despite the hesitancy of their victories and the soulless way they were achieved, Robson is reluctant to criticise.

"Sven can't head a ball out or kick one in. Instead he can motivate and inspire, but the players must take it upon themselves."

Indeed, Robson feels the Swede is coping admirably under relentless press scrutiny.

"I saw him on television today and he seems to be handling it quite well. He knows he's leaving after the tournament, so he's probably not unduly worried by the criticism. I'm sure he'd love to give England a big hurrah before he leaves.

"Sven knows well what he has at his disposal and England were never going to lose to Ecuador. They didn't have an attack that could penetrate the English defence and as long as we scored one goal it was always going to win the match."

Germany, for obvious reasons, is the other team that has weighed on Robson's mind more than most. Along with senior manager Steve Staunton, he will play a telling role in bidding to negotiate a path around the World Cup hosts when the Republic of Ireland open their European qualifying campaign in Stuttgart in nine weeks' time.

Despite their nervy start - defensively anyhow - Germany have the class to progress to the finals, Robson says. He feels Irish aspirations could be damaged if preparation for the Stuttgart game is anything less than 100 per cent.

"In a way I'm glad we're playing them first, to be honest," he says. "It'll give us a measure of where we are, if we're near them, are we as good as them, are they way better than us - we'll soon find out.

"At the moment, outside of Argentina, they look as good as anyone in the tournament . . . Stan (Staunton) has been over to see them and he says we must not fear them and I couldn't agree more."

Another of Ireland's qualifying opponents, the Czech Republic, will be more of an unknown quantity, opined Robson, who believes - with the expected retirement of key players such as Pavel Nedved and Jan Koller - Karel Bruckner's side will need to be well scouted ahead of their visit to Dublin in October.

Robson was in Dublin to make yesterday's draw for the third round of the FAI Carlsberg Cup, in which the ties of the round see Dublin pair Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians renew rivalries and Shelbourne at home to Derry City in a rerun of the 1997 final.

"It's a fantastic draw for us," says Rovers manager Pat Scully. "The chairman, Jonathan Roche, had been saying, 'Get Bohs, get Bohs,' and we have, so we're absolutely delighted.

"I'm sure the respective fans are also delighted. Our supporters have been magnificent all season but haven't perhaps had the games in the First Division that would capture their imagination. This one certainly will."

Scully's Bohemians counterpart, Gareth Farrelly, has been plying his trade on these shores for only some 18 months but is fully aware of the rivalry involved, having overseen three derby games last season.

"It's a big, big game for sure. Our league position isn't perhaps how we would like it but we want to win every game, not just cup matches like these. The rivalry between the fans is massive, possibly the biggest in the country, and this draw will give everyone a lift, and that's something to build on."

Elsewhere, Killester United, the only non-league team left in the cup, will host Dublin City, while Limerick will travel to Belfield for a meeting with UCD.