Well, we assembled at 4.0 yesterday and the meeting ended at 4.01 - if only all our weekly deliberations on the Irish Player of the Week award were so clear-cut. Roy Keane, who else? The first Republic of Ireland football writers' player of the year in England since Johnny Carey in 1948-49 - that was good enough for us.

An honourable mention, though, to Stoke City's budding Keano, James O'Connor. What a week. First he was named Stoke's Player of the Year, then he escaped with a slap on the wrist from the FA after picking up 14 bookings in the season, when he expected a lengthy ban, and then he scored what proved to be the decisive goal for Stoke in yesterday's 2-1 win over Cardiff, one that moved them up in to the promotion play-off places.