John O'Shea insists sacrifices will be made to ensure the
Republic of Ireland do not suffer further humiliation on
Wednesday.
Following the 5-2 loss to a team ranked 60 places below his side in
the FIFA standings, Staunton returned to Dublin to be greeted by a
barrage of criticism and calls for his head.
After just five games in charge, with the last four all ending in
defeat, Staunton surely never anticipated he would be walking the
kind of managerial tightrope he now precariously negotiates.
"We're lucky we've a game on Wednesday to put things right," said
O'Shea, who operated at left-back against the Cypriots.
"What happened on Saturday was the worst defeat in a long, long
time, if ever. I know I didn't sleep well after it.
"After going 1-0 up, everyone must have thought it was going to be
a cruise, and our concentration levels dropped.
On the evidence of Saturday's woeful display, only the optimistic
can see Ireland qualifying for the finals.
"We have to believe we can, otherwise we might as well not show up
for the rest of the games," insisted O'Shea.
"We've given ourselves an uphill task, it's a very steep hill to
climb to qualify, but we have to give it a go.
"It's what the players will demand, the staff will demand, and
mostly what the fans will demand too."