The boys in green have heralded the dawn of a new era in Irish soccer by returning to the glory days of the past. The 'team that Jack built' has now been replaced by 'Mick's Men', who were successful in securing a qualification spot in this summer's World Cup Football Finals in Japan and South Korea.

The excitement is already building and Irish football fans all over the world are still celebrating the Emerald Isle's dramatic qualification to the finals. The fans will now cheer on their team from the wonderful stadiums in Japan, the many Irish bars home or abroad, or the armchair at home when Ireland take on the world's best in Asia next June.

Many within the game feel that Ireland's success is down to one man, manager Mick McCarthy McCarthy, a defensive linchpin during Ireland's golden era of the late 1980s and early 1990s, has finally shaken off comparisons with his predecessor, Jack Charlton, who led Ireland to the final rounds of Euro '88 and the 1990 and 1994 World Cups.

After a difficult start to his stint as Ireland's manager in 1996, when he was compelled to completely rebuild a team that had grown old, McCarthy has won over the traditionally pessimistic Irish soccer community. McCarthy was on a bit of a hiding to nothing if the team didn't do well and didn't qualify for this World Cup.

Well aware the country longed for another taste of World Cup fever, McCarthy guided Ireland through one of the toughest European qualifying groups. Indeed, Ireland finished unbeaten on 24 points, just behind Portugal on goal difference and ahead of the Netherlands, the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000 semi-finalists. Such is the scale of that feat that most Irish commentators concurred that when Ireland completed the job against Iran, qualification would be a greater feat than the legendary Charlton had managed in his reign as manager.

Now, since the World Cup draw last December, the Irish public have reacted with euphoria to the draw that pitted the team with Germany, Cameroon, and Saudi Arabia, and fans from both sides of the Atlantic are planning a mass exodus to Japan where the Irish team will be based.

The team itself has built up great momentum over the last two years, playing a simple but slick game. In fact, gone are the long balls over the top, which have been replaced by an intricate passing style much easier on the eye.

Of course in captain, Roy Keane, Ireland has a player that would find a place in any world team. His experience and leadership qualities will make Ireland a force to be reckoned within this summer's competition. There are huge hopes for the young talents of Robbie Keane and Damien Duff. If Duff is unleashed up front, no defender will relish trying to cope with his wriggling style, certainly not the stale Germans.

Mick McCarthy's team sent a message far beyond western Europe in splitting Portugal and Holland in the qualifying group and McCarthy looked a relaxed man in his hotel on Hyundae Beach after the draw where he told the press: "I'm pleased with the group, I think we've got a chance of getting out of it. But any confidence I have is not based on the group we are playing in, it's based on my players and the results we have achieved."

Either way, having disposed of Holland, the Irish have nothing to fear, in fact McCarthy said the opposite: "We've just come out of a group with Portugal and Holland, finished level with Portugal on 24 points. Our FIFA ranking is 17, I don't think anyone was there thinking' great, we might get Ireland.'"

McCarthy has admitted that he knows plenty about Germany and Saudi Arabia, but not a lot about the remaining group opponents, Cameroon. Cameroon are the reigning African champions as well as the Olympic champions. This will also be Cameroon's fourth consecutive World Cup and it is the Republic's opening match. That game will be played in Niigata, 90 minutes from Tokyo on the Bullet Train, in a stadium known as the Big Swan because of the birds that fly over to a nearby lagoon.

The Cameroon team has a German coach in Willy Schafer; the unpredictability and flair has now been married with a stronger tactical approach. Saudi Arabia finished above Iran in the Asian group and having beaten Iran 2-1 in the playoffs, McCarthy believes that the Saudis are a decent team, but thought Iran were the best team in the group. Ireland play the Saudis in Yokohama's 70,000-seat stadium, also the venue for the final.

Ireland play Saudi Arabia in their third game, but it is the second match, against Germany in Ibaraki, that will inspire the expected 7,000 Irish fans.

The Germans also needed to take the playoff route to the World Cup Finals after losing 5-1 at home, to England. However, the Germans will be rightly tipped as one of the tournament favorites before the competition kicks off.

Since the draw for the finals, Irish football fans have been checking passports, bank balances and flight schedules, since the draw has offered Ireland a great chance to repeat their World Cup heroics of 1990 and 1994. It was the kindness of the draw which immediately rekindled memories of both 1990 when Ireland, in their first appearance in a World Cup Finals, reached the quarterfinals, losing to Italy in Rome, and 1994, when Jack Charlton's unheralded team again made critics eat their words with some stirring performances, most notably the victory over Italy in Giants Stadium.

Members of the Green Army, Ireland's devoted and boisterous band of traveling football followers, hailed the draw as overdue good fortune for an Irish side. The Republic's pooling means that the Football Association of Ireland is now likely to pursue plans for warm-up games against the USA team in April and England's group opponents Nigeria. If Ireland do manage to progress past the group stage, the reward would be a game against the winners or runners-up in Group B - Spain, Paraguay, Slovenia and South Africa.

Already the focus has turned now to the Irish squad that McCarthy must pick before traveling to Asia in May. The media in Ireland feel that McCarthy has only a couple of positions to mull over. To a large extent, Republic of Ireland boss Mick McCarthy could probably already take a stab at his world cup selection. Twenty of the squad - barring injuries could already be penciled in as certainties. That leaves only two or possibly three places to fill if Fifa decides to allow countries to bring 23 players to the finals so that squads can have three goalkeepers.

The traveling Irish fans, who have already won praise and awards around the world for their friendliness, will be as important as the team that takes to the field of play, and if past competitions and journeys to games are anything to go by, the stories of the craic in Asia in the summer of 2002 will be told for many years to come. ·

The squad of players Mick McCarthy will take to Japan and S. Korea should look something like the following: Goalkeeper: S.Given, Alan Kelly, D Kiely Defenders:S Finnon, Gory Kelly, S Staunton, G Breen, K. Cunningham, SCarr, I Harte Midfielders: Roy Keane, J McAteer, M Holland, M Kinsella, K Kilbanei M Kennedy

Strikers: D Duff, Robbie Keane, N Quinn, D Connolly Possibles: R Dunne, L Carsley, C Morrison, G Doherty, A O'Brien, SReid, S McPhail

The irish soccer team's three group matcher for the World Cup Finals in Japan and South Kama are as follows: Niigata 6/1/02 Cameroon vs. Rep Ireland Ibaraki 6/5/02 Germany vs. Rep Ireland Yokohama 6/11/02 Saudi Arabia vs. Rep Ireland