In Greek mythology, Sisyphus angered the gods, and the devious tyrant was forced to roll a huge boulder up a hill only for it to roll back down every time it neared the top, repeating the action for eternity.
A myth of folklore, perhaps, yet one that really resonates with the Ireland national team's journey over the past four years.
Big performances, near misses, but inevitably this team have found themselves at the bottom of the hill, looking up, and with every subsequent attempt, their endeavours hampered by diminishing belief and confidence.
In September, Ireland failed to get beyond base camp in their first expedition, led by seasoned traveller Heimir Hallgrimsson who had been tasked to take over, and while they made a promising start to their second attempt, on home turf, they stumbled, and in the end, it proved pointless.
Arriving into Helsinki in October, the Nordic winter was yet to arrive, and despite the early uphill challenge, after the captain misread the terrain, the ascent proved much more manageable, allowing the team to dig in for a few days, the view much improved by their elevated position.
The Greek gods, however, were also fond of a sporting spectacular and it would appear they are enjoying the current form of their football team, so by half-time in Sunday night’s game, it became abundantly clear that the boulder was only likely to go in one direction.
Four games into the Nations League campaign and Ireland are exactly where they were predicted to be, battling Finland in their fight to remain a League B, tier-two country.
Granted, there were aspirations of being closer to Greece at this juncture, however, the Athens encounter showed that there is still quite the way to go before the national side can be regularly competing at that level.
And yet, despite the first-half hammering, Ireland managed to nullify the relentless waves of Greek attacking play, and took heart into the second half.
This Sysphean era, however, has been defined by two things: starting slowly, and conceding goals from shots outside the box, and it took just three minutes of the second half for Anastasios Bakasetas to prove that those traits are yet to be eradicated.
Giving away soft goals may soon be added to that disappointing definition of the team, with the manager urging them after the game to stop giving away Christmas presents.
Hallgrimsson appeared to take on a watching brief for the September games, but he was primed to make his mark in games three and four of his tenure, determined to return from the week-long expedition with something tangible to help build for next month’s games and on into the World Cup qualifying campaign throughout 2025.
Getting the first points on the board was a big step for the new manager, and it coming in the guise of a come-from-behind victory on the road offers Hallgrimsson the time and space to settle properly into his new role.
There have certainly been more positives than negatives throughout the October window as it becomes clearer what the manager is attempting to achieve.
Hallgrimsson is looking to establish a strong core within the side to ensure continuity, which he hopes will restore confidence and build momentum.
He has used these games to help identify the players who can slot into his preferred system, which focuses on a cohesive and organised XI when out of possession, coupled with a forward-thinking, front foot attacking unit with the ball.
Ireland have lined up with three central defenders in each of the last three games, and the manager has been asking them to work within a system that requires a lot of full-back work, and while it is clearly in its fledgling stages, it has highlighted the fact that Ireland are missing natural full-backs, which would surely suit the concept of lining out with a flat back four.
Hallgrimsson called it Plan B when he announced the squad for the October games as he left Matt Doherty out of the equation, so it remains to be seen how the coach has assessed the two games from a defensive perspective. Granted Seamus Coleman will not be around forever, however, the side could really have used his experience in the Athens game.
Zonal defending is how the manager described it, while adding "it's new for some of the players here to play this way, but I think we coped with it".
Hallgrimsson has no other option at international level than to learn about the players in the heat of battle, especially in this window which involved a lot of travelling and not so much time on the training pitch, relying on meetings and video analysis to attempt to educate the squad on the system.
The manager urged his side to step up and claim their jerseys, and while there have been positives, there is a sense that only a few have approached the levels of Hallgrimsson’s former Iceland captain Aron Gunnarsson, who was used as an example earlier this week as the perfect player and character.
Sloppy mistake aside, Caoimhin Kelleher has shown the manager that he is one player who can be totally trusted to help take this team forward, while Liam Scales’ battling qualities and defensive awareness has probably cemented his place in the starting side.
Nathan Collins was named as captain, suggesting that Hallgrimsson has forged a bond with the centre-half, however, he has shown some frailties, combined with the concession of the goal in Finland, which will surely sow some seeds of doubt in the manager’s mind. Collins did step up, however, in the Greece game under extreme pressure throughout and atoned somewhat following that Helsinki howler.
Josh Cullen came back after missing the September games and showed real battling qualities that will have caught the eye of Hallgrimsson, especially during the first half in the Greece where he was one of the few attempting to hold onto the ball.
Cullen, of course, was far from flawless throughout but his mistakes were mainly a result of trying to bear the burden of his struggling side, which showed real leadership in the heat of battle.
Sammie Szmodics has also impressed Hallgrimsson, and although he was feeding off scraps on Sunday night, his commitment to the cause cannot be questioned following another energetic outing.
Others have yet to really get going with the manager admitting that he was looking forward to working with a fully fit Evan Ferguson, while Chiedozie Ogbene has not looked like his former self, especially over the past two games.
Hallgrimsson is trying to assess as many as possible, playing within his system rather than relying on their club form, and while he would prefer to be sticking with the same team, this window has offered glimpses of a brighter future with Festy Ebosele, Finn Azaz, Jack Taylor, Kasey McAteer and Troy Parrott getting a good run out and having an impact.
Hallgrimsson has exactly four weeks before the squad meets up again and he has certainly gathered a mountain of content to work through until the time come around to pick his squad for the games against Finland at home and away to England.
Whether or not the manager reverts to Plan A and returns to the old guard, or decides to explore further in his quest to develop a squad for the 2025 campaign remains to be seen.
But as the Icelander gets set to start rolling that big boulder back up the hill, the main thing that he will take from these games was that incredible boost that a team can get from winning a competitive fixture.
"I have no delusions, this is always about results," said Hallgrimsson, when asked after the game whether it had been a good week.
"This is a results business, the national team, so we always like to have points, and we always like to win.
"But now I’ve been two weeks with these guys, and I think what has happened in these two weeks has been really positive.
"I think the guys are more on board and I think when we do it, and it’s not like it’s five or 10 minutes; the second-half against Finland was really good and I think this second-half was pretty good as well, even under difficult conditions against a really good team.
"So I think we have shown ourselves and the fans again what we can do. If we keep working on the correct things, improving how we play both with and without the ball, there is only one way and that is forward, growing."
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