Steve Staunton secured his second job in management this week. Once in charge of the Republic of Ireland, he is now at the helm at Darlington.
For the Irish, that may say everything. Darlington are 92nd and last in the Football League, without a win in their first 11 games of the season. Ireland, in contrast, are being guided by a former manager of AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus, Bayern Munich and Benfica.
Giovanni Trapattoni is three decades Staunton's senior, but the differences extend far beyond that.
Under the Italian, the Republic have genuine hope of playing in the World Cup. Under their most capped player, they lost 5-2 in Cyprus.
Tomorrow brings a reunion for Trapattoni as Ireland host Italy. The Italian managed his homeland for two years and took a point off his compatriots in Bari in April, courtesy of Robbie Keane's 89th-minute equaliser.
A repeat at Croke Park tonight would guarantee the defending champions' presence at the World Cup next summer and all but ensure the Irish finish in second place, giving them a play-off for a place in South Africa.
A meeting with Cyprus on Wednesday represents the Italians' insurance policy; even with an Irish win, Marcello Lippi's side would remain the favourites to top the group.
Second, however, carries its perils for the Irish. Fifa's recently declared intention to seed sides in the play-offs means that they are likely to be paired with one of Europe's traditional powers; that could entail a clash with France, Germany, Russia or Portugal.
In an unseeded draw, less daunting opponents could have included Latvia, Slovenia, Bosnia or Greece. Trapattoni has labelled it "the death of football" and his often mild-mannered goalkeeper Shay Given has branded it "disgusting" and "crazy".
Yet if such a situation has an advantage, it can be found in Ireland's history.
Perhaps their two greatest results came when the odds were stacked against them. The victories over England in the 1988 European Championship and against Italy in the 1994 World Cup, both clinched by Ray Houghton goals.
Excellence as underdogs will be required again, tomorrow and, in all probability, in the play-offs next month.
Yet it is pertinent that Trapattoni has made Ireland so hard to beat that they are undefeated in a qualifying group that also includes Bulgaria.
His counterpart is well qualified to assess what his predecessor has brought to the Irish.
Lippi, like Trapattoni, has managed Juventus, Inter and the Azzurri. A coach must have, he explained, the "ability to plan, the ability to grow your self-esteem and make them play as a team".
Lippi has similar strengths. Both managers continue to omit a flair player - Antonio Cassano for the Italians, Andy Reid for the Irish - as they focus on the team. Neither, arguably, is overly adventurous. A tight, tactical game beckons, with each manager an advocate of midfield workhorses.
One such player is Mauro Camoranesi, born in Argentina but first selected for his adopted nation by Trapattoni. Camoranesi, 33, who could be one of six Juventus players in Lippi's side, will be winning his 50th cap. Landmarks beckon later in the week for three others: the goalkeepers Gianluigi Buffon and Given, plus the Irish utility man Kevin Kilbane, should all reach a century on Wednesday.
Even without the injured Damien Duff, whose absence has made Reid still more of a cause celebre, Ireland are scarcely short of experience. Indeed Keane, with 40 goals for his country, may have more international strikes than the entire Italian team. On the flanks, Trapattoni will decide between Liam Lawrence and Stephen Hunt, while Richard Dunne is expected to be fit to take his place in defence after an ankle problem.
Italy, meanwhile, are without their suspended captain Fabio Cannavaro while the tireless winger Claudio Marchisio is a doubt. Lippi has switched from 4-3-3 to a midfield diamond but, while Italy have rarely been fluent, their aim is almost accomplished.
The ends, to quote an Italian thinker of an earlier era, have justified his means.
That has been a principle of Italian football throughout Trapattoni's five decades in the game. While Ireland host Montenegro on Wednesday, his qualification campaign is unlikely to end before a play-off game. And while he faces Italy tomorrow, Staunton takes on Dagenham & Redbridge.
@Email:rjolly@thenational.ae
CRICKET%20WORLD%20CUP%20LEAGUE%202
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Leap of Faith
Michael J Mazarr
Public Affairs
Dh67
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
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6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FOLD5
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
SPECS
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Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHakbah%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENaif%20AbuSaida%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESaudi%20Arabia%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E22%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E%24200%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Epre-Series%20A%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGlobal%20Ventures%20and%20Aditum%20Investment%20Management%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 1050Nm
Range: 450km
Price: Dh601,800
On sale: now
Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
Bangladesh tour of Pakistan
January 24 – First T20, Lahore
January 25 – Second T20, Lahore
January 27 – Third T20, Lahore
February 7-11 – First Test, Rawalpindi
April 3 – One-off ODI, Karachi
April 5-9 – Second Test, Karachi
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Blah
Started: 2018
Founder: Aliyah Al Abbar and Hend Al Marri
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and talent management
Initial investment: Dh20,000
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 40
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
