Paul Byrne / 14 December 2008 Free Bet

The week from hell ends on a high, with the news that a certain Stephen Ireland is poised to make his long awaited return to Giovanni Trapattoni's squad sometime next year. In an interview with a Sunday newspaper, Ireland's father said he expected his son to return to the fold in 2009 and how he hopes to see his son play in the World Cup. Great news for Traps and great news for Ireland. This was exactly the news I needed to hear after a full week spent without so much as a sniff of pork.

Having polished off a plate of sausage and ham sandwiches, wrapped in bacon, I settled down to watch the Liverpool V Hull match where poor old Robbie Keane was once more shunned by his manager. And despite the need for goals, he spent the whole match sitting forlornly on the bench powerless to prevent his team dropping two precious points to Hull. The game started in sensational fashion as Paul McShane headed Hull into an unlikely lead. I rubbed my eyes in disbelief as McShane soared like a salmon and looped a header beyond Reina's reach into the top corner. For a brief moment, I thought that the pork sandwiches had infected my brain but no, McShane was indeed the Hull goalscorer. Unfortunately for Paul he got injured soon after and his match was over after 27 minutes. Still though, he'll be delighted to have contributed to an excellent result for Hull and they continue to live the dream.

Roy Keane must surely be wondering if he left too soon as his old Sunderland team romped to a 4-0 win over bottom club West Brom. Andy Reid is enjoying life in the post-Keano era as he again put in an excellent shift in the middle of the park. Reid scored a goal and had a hand in two of the other three goals and it looks like he's going to end the year on a high after a somewhat turbulent year for the Dublin man.

Things are also looking up for Glenn Whelan at club level, as an injury to Salif Diao meant that Whelan started his first Premiership game since the start of the season as Stoke entertained Fulham. Whelan played well but unfortunately, the Stoke attack were as toothless as the front row of a Daniel O'Donnell concert, and he had to be content to come off the pitch with a 0-0 draw. Poor old Rory Delap left the game early after a recurrence of an old shoulder injury which the physios will be eager to fix ASAP. Delap's throws will be missed as Stoke have become reliant on them through the season.

Shay Given kept his third clean sheet in four games as Newcastle's recent good form continued with a 3-0 away win over Tony Adams' Portsmouth. Encouragingly, Damien Duff made the match day squad which would seem to suggest he's over his latest injury. He didn't come on against Portsmouth but should be back for next week's game against Tottenham.

Stephen Ireland and Richard Dunne had days to forget as they were sucker punched at the death by Everton with Tim Cahill scoring a winner deep into injury time. It was Dunne who needlessly gave away the corner that led to the goal, which puts Man City manager Mark Hughes under even more pressure as City slide further down the table. City will be splashing the cash in January and whilst Ireland's place in the team looks secure, Dunne may be slightly nervous as he waits to see who's brought into the club.

Keith Andrews was again the worst player on the pitch as his Blackburn team were soundly beaten by Wigan. He may fade back into obscurity as quickly as he rose to prominence if he doesn't get his act together soon. He was hauled off by Ince after 67 minutes to be replaced by another Irishman, Keith Treacy and I'll be surprised if he's retained for Blackburn's next game. Kevin Kilbane had his weekly ten minute cameo as he continues to remain on the fringes of Steve Bruce's first eleven.

Patrice Evra's suspension gave John O'Shea a rare start, as Man Utd were held goalless at White Hart Lane against Harry Redknapp's resurgent Spurs team. O'Shea had a decent game, defending well when called upon, and getting a couple of excellent crosses in to his front men who should have done better with their chances. O'Shea should get a couple of more starts in the coming weeks as Evra is suspended for another couple of games yet.

Andy O' Brien didn't do quite so well in his defensive role, as Aston Villas Young and Agbonlahor ran riot at Villa Park tearing Bolton's defence to shreds on numerous occasions, as Villa won 4-2 to keep the pressure on Arsenal for that final Champions League spot. Portsmouth are next up for Bolton, and O'Brien will have to improve on this performance if he is to keep Crouch and Defoe at bay.

Good Week For: Giovanni Trapattoni. It's looking very likely that Traps will have a world class midfielder at his disposal at some stage in 2009, as it's been reported that Stephen Ireland is about to make his long awaited return to the Irish squad. This will be the most anticipated return since the sausage!

Bad Week For: Keith Andrews. What a difference a couple of weeks make. Back in November, Andrews came from nowhere to secure a first team place at Blackburn, and also score on his international debut at Croke Park. Now after two awful performances in a row he's in danger of fading back into oblivion once more.

Ireland's starting 11 (as of 14/12)

• Goalkeeper: Shay Given
• Left Back: Paul McShane
• Right Back: Steve Finnan
• Centre Back: Richard Dunne
• Centre Back: John O'Shea
• Left Wing: Aidan McGeady
• Right Wing: Damien Duff
• Midfield: Andy Reid
• Midfield: Stephen Ireland
• Forward: Kevin Doyle
• Forward: Robbie Keane