As members of the six-in-a-row FAI Cup-winning Shamrock Rovers sides of the 1960s, they were part of one of Irish football's greatest success stories. But as they reflected, at a lunch in Dublin held to honour members of those teams, on Steve Staunton's fortunes as manager of the international side, Liam Tuohy and Paddy Mulligan simply couldn't see eye to eye.

More than half of the 31 players who featured in those six finals represented Ireland, and Tuohy, having been player-manager at Glenmalure Park through those remarkable years of the mid to late 1960s, went on to have a spell in charge of the Republic in the early 1970s - one reason perhaps why he is more sympathetic to the current man's plight.

"I just feel that we need to get off Steve Staunton's back," said the Dubliner. "Give him a chance. He didn't give himself the job, he was given the job. He's the most capped player of all time and I know things haven't started too well for him, but give him a break.

"If, at the finish of the day, he's not able to do it then there's time enough to change, but not in the middle of trying to build a side. You don't build a side overnight. I hope he does it and I hope he gives the fingers to a few people.

"He was given a contract for four years," continued the man who exerted a huge influence over the development of the game here, "and he should be able to see out the contract. If he hasn't built a side at that stage, then I think it's fair game to have a go at him. Winning is everything nowadays and you don't get a chance to build a side."

Mulligan, who himself missed out on the Ireland job in part, legend has it, because he threw a bread roll at a man who had a potentially decisive vote on the appointment, was more critical.

"Steve Staunton talks about planning for the World Cup, but in football you take it as it comes along," he said, "and it was on for us to qualify for the European Championship. The Slovaks were certainly there for the taking and the Czech Republic were no great shakes. If he'd picked the correct team he would have gone and done that."

The pair were joined by almost 30 members of the cup-winning teams, including the likes of Mick Leech, Damien Richardson and the one man to play in all six games, Pat Courtney. The event was organised by the Association of Sports Journalists International and sponsored by Lucozade Sport.