Ireland v Portugal/Armenia (RTE 2)

Consistency of selection is not much to ask for. If a team is performing well why change it ? It’s bad enough when Heimir Hallgrimsson  does it but now RTE are at it too.

For the admittedly unfortunate defeat against Portugal, the irritatingly smarmy Peter Collins presented, with the analysts chairs filled by Shay Given and the excellent Didi Hamann. The German midfielder who has the endearing habit of referring to Ireland as we.

Collins is no Bill O’Herlihy (pictured above) but he can do the job and interacts well with the insightful panel. Come Tuesday for the Armenia match all three were replaced by Joanne Cantwell, Kevin Doyle and Richie Sadlier respectively, none of whom improved matters from Saturday.

At least when Cantwell donned her optimistic hat and presented the scenario in which Ireland could end up in a play off next month     Sadlier drew on his inner Dunphy and thundered ” What in God’s name makes you think we can get anything from the Portugal game?”

A perfectly reasonable question to which Cantwell had no answer, RTE used have a great panel, now they have pundits with platitudes, almost as poor as those on the Sunday Game.

Neven Maguire / RORY O’Connell / Donal Skehan / Mark Moriarty (RTE 1)

Too many cooks spoiling RTE schedules Woz thinks, The Chefs Special ? Perhaps so but do we really need to much of a good thing

Rory O’Connell How to cook well in Morocco (RTE 1 Weds 8.0) followed immediately by Donal Skehan’s, Real Recipes begs two questions.

Why would viewers need to cook well in Morocco and what is an unreal recipe.

Second helpings.? Thanks very much but I’ll pass.

The Late Late show (RTE1 Friday 9.30)

Woz was always of the opinion they should have stopped this on Gaybo’s retirement but Patrick Kielty is making a good fist of it.

There are usually three main topics on a chat show, Politics, Entertainment and Sport, and where previous hosts like Tubridy and Kenny fell down on the latter the former Down minor goalkeeper has mastered all three briefs and crucially realises the guest is the main player on the gig. Not as unmissable as it originally was but better than it recently had been and by some distance too.