READY: Katie McCabe of Republic of Ireland. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

WATCHING the summer party unfurl without them is paining the Ireland women's squad but the struggles of their interested subject Finland equally should hearten for brighter days ahead.

Ireland's skin in the game at the Euros, to borrow the national broadcaster's phrase, revolves around the only nation capable of derailing their route to a first tournament play-off in 13 years.

Finland were already on the slide before they travelled to England but three straight defeats – coupled with a cloud hanging over their manager Anna Signeuel – must work in Ireland's favour ahead of the penultimate World Cup qualifier at Tallaght on September 1.

What began with the euphoria of Linda Sällström racing clear to breach the Spanish defence inside the first minute ended with zero points and eight goals conceded. Defeat to Denmark in the second game sealed their exit with the final match against Germany to play.

A nation with a proud record of reaching the semi-final and quarters of the showpiece in the noughties suffered their worst return of four Euro finals.

That Signeul brought the second oldest squad of the 16 nations to the tournament illustrates Ireland's task centres on applying the last rites to a spent force. Five of the starters in the 4-1 rout by Spain were over 30, with an average age of 29.2 years old.

Signeul – a Swede at the helm now for five years – is renowned for her conservatism. Not only is she averse to transfusing her squad but the same XI have been preferred over the past year – Finland's worst stretch of results since 2007.

Two of the three wins they've registered in last 15 games were against Georgia, the minnow Ireland racked up a 20-0 aggregate cakewalk in their equivalent World Cup qualifiers.

If anything, the slump has hardened the resolve of Signeul. While she did reshuffle for the dead rubber against the Germans, it was primarily driven by illness-related absences. Belated substitutions have also fed the suspicion that she doesn't trust the back-up options.

It's rare to find such continuity at international level. From the side selected in last October's 2-1 defeat to Ireland in Helsinki, there was just one alteration nine months later in the opening pair of matches – and they were enforced.

Signeul, it appears, is a woman not for turning. That's unless the association that presides over the team known domestically as Helmarit take opt to enact the change themselves.

Following a disastrous by missing out on a World Cup play-off in the Autumn will end the 61-year-old's reign but there's a growing sense they won't sleepwalk towards further embarrassment. Victory for Ireland in six weeks will cement their exit with the daunting mission of facing slick Sweden awaiting in their final game.

It's not just dire results that has Signeul in the firing line. Concerns surrounding a succession of backroom staff departures, from assistants Maiju Ruotsalainen and Lars Mosander, through to fitness coaches Anne Mäkinen and Lasse Lagerblom, were consigned to whispers about the manager's leadership style.

That was until Ruotsalainen went public with her reasons just days before the Euros while working as a media pundit. Signeul, according to the former Finland international, didn't take kindly to news of her pregnancy, alleging it was cited as an inhibitor to her coaching duties.

Ruotsalainen duly lodged a complaint with the Finnish federation. When the investigation resulted in no action, the staffer quit in protest. " I feel that the inappropriate attitude was allowed to continue," declared the aggrieved party.

Curiously, she wasn't alone in raising issues with the superiors around Signeul's conduct. Federation President Ari Lahti confirmed there was more than one complainant " not by a large amount" but all concerned agreed the simmering scandal acted as a distraction in their bid to cause an upset in the group of death.

As invariably occurs when a storm is compounded by defeats, other charges have been levelled at the foreign manager – most sensitively her refusal to allow conversations at staff meetings in the native tongue.

"As the head coach, I have to understand what is being said and so English is the team's working language," replied Signeul, by way of defence.

Snippets of discord continue to seep out of the camp, however, including words of bafflement from record scorer Sällström at being taken off, and Signeul's employers are not blind to merits of twisting rather than sticking.

Leading figures in the domestic league, some publicly, have called for a change of guard and change of direction in one fell swoop. The tired tactic of operating a 4-4-2 system with the same players reliant on counterattacks has been increasingly disarmed by opponents.

It's plausible Vera Pauw and Ireland could be meeting a side under new management for their final stab at redeeming a campaign rocked off course from defeat to the Irish and their unlikely draw in Sweden.

"We wanted to put the coaching issue to rest for the duration of this tournament and now we will see what happens after it ends," added Lahti, ominously admitting he'll consult with players and staff before reporting to his board.

Far be it for Ireland to revel in another's team's misfortune but any advantage accrued to aid avoiding another summer as bystanders is welcome.

Cork City honour half-time hero who showed up their inaccuracy

A magically memorable week continued for avid Cork City fan Stewart McCarthy yesterday when he was presented with a signed jersey by Colin Healy and his squad.

Stewy did what 28 players City and Galway United failed to do at Turner's Cross in Friday's stalemate by finding his intended target with the ball.

His task was to find the woodwork during the half-time crossbar challenge – a particularly tall order given the record turnout for the season of 6,393 had their eyeballs focussed on his right foot.

The expectant crowd instead served as a motivator, for his pinpoint chip from 12 yards crashed off the underside of the crossbar.

His precision provoked the crowd – especially the packed Shed End behind the goals – into their loudest cheer of the night. Flanked by friend and work colleague Luke, a jubilant Stewy left the field, arms aloft, with chants of his name ringing in his ears

Proving his strike was no fluke, Stewy was back on a Cork City pitch yesterday – invited to the Bishopstown training ground by the club to accept his gifts of a jersey and ball, pose for a picture with the squad and to reenact the moment which has made him a viral sensation. Of course, he didn't disappoint.

Difficult to inspire change when familiar FAI failings persist

Delegates attending the FAI's AGM on Saturday at the Mansion House won't need to be reminded that the Round Room housed the first-ever Dáil Éireann meeting in 1919 .

Nods to history should be plentiful on the occasion of the association's centenary too but, despite upbeat soundings on the financial front, giblets of the current FAI still lagging in certain key areas linger.

That principally relates to staff. It's difficult to comprehend what the new broom expected when they commissioned the specialist firm "Inspiring Change" to conduct a survey of their 206 employees but the feedback through 78% participation levels was unequivocally damning.

Harnessed by a core finding of staff feeling "undervalued", the exercise derived specific outcomes of a disconnect with leadership, a firefighting pattern of behaviour and too much change and uncertainty. Most stinging of all though was the lack of transparency, trust and communication.

Lest we forget that the post-John Delaney FAI appointed a Senior Leadership Team two years ago this week and their permanent chief executive three months later. That's a mammoth amount of time to cultivate a cultural shift and no soundbites or strategy slogans will lift the morale at the coalface. Getting the basics right would be a start.

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