On Monday's OTB AM, Gary Breen offered a new perspective on the impact of Jack Charlton: the glee that he brought to Ireland fans living in England.
After Charlton's passing at the age of 85, the weekend has been full of praise for the life and times of 'Big Jack'.
Breen recounted how the Ireland team under Jack re-energised the footballing diaspora, and how he came to cherish being managed by Charlton in the Ireland squad.
"I put them on such a pedestal," Breen said of the Ireland teams of 1988 and 1990.
"It came on the news on Saturday, prior to the announcement about Jack Charlton, that it was the anniversary of World Cup 1982. I remember it vividly with Paolo Rossi and Dino Zoff.
"Then you're going into 1984 and 1986 - and [Ireland] are not there. I was an Arsenal fan growing up as a kid in London - we had David O'Leary, Liam Brady and Frank Stapleton. Then I'm thinking about Mark Lawrenson and Ronnie Whelan at Liverpool: 'Why are we not there?'
Thankfully, it was an unfulfilled wish that would not last much longer.
"Then Jack Charlton comes along, and he is the architect of something so special.
"When we beat England that day in 1988, I literally bounced into school in North London as the proudest man."
Jack Charlton
Breen spoke about a shared memory of Ireland under Charlton where it felt as if the country, and the diaspora, was under a spell.
"You think about the quarter-finals, where you are playing against Italy, in Italy. Jack spoke about Bonner's spill from Donadoni: 'the Pope would have saved it!'
"It is the likes of those moments, where we have gone from not being at major finals to not only being there, but being the team that nobody wants to draw.
"For a teenager growing up, they were unbelievable moments."
Breen sheers off from the rest of the Irish experience as he recounts being in the Republic of Ireland squad as a young player, under Jack Charlton.
"To be around Jack Charlton on the training ground - he had such presence but with such humility.
"We were all in awe of him, but he was so giving.
"I was actually brought with the first team against Austria in 1995, he said: 'Breen travels with us now.'
"Imagine hearing that, as a young kid, where they are your heroes and then you hear that. I will never forget that."
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