Stan The Man in Gun Fracas

The week did not begin well for Dundalk man, and Ireland Manager, Steve Staunton with the news that no less than six of his players had withdrawn, through injury, from tomorrow (Wed) night's game at Landsdowne against Holland,

However it got decidedly worse last night, when he found himself being confronted by a gunman, outside the Portmarnock Hotel, where he is staying with the squad.

It appear that 'Stan' went outside the hotel onto the forecourt to use his telephone, and was accosted by a 'shouting' man, using threatening language, who pulled, what appeared to be, a gun from inside his jacket.

At this point Staunton fled back into the hotel and alerted FAI security staff, who in turn called the Gardai. A man was later arrested on the beach, and today Gardai were still searching for what is described as a replica of an Uzi sub-machine gun.

It's a case of history repeating itself, since it was in the same hotel in November 2003, in the run-up to a friendly game against Canada, that two armed robbers fired a shotgun blast into the ceiling of the complex, not far from where the Irish squad were dining.