Original sentence: Following the respectable performance of the national team in the 2002 World Cup, the team's fortunes have subsequently declined, under the management of Mick McCarthy and his successors, first Brian Kerr, and then Steve Staunton.Others have placed the blame elsewhere, with the managers themselves, or bad luck with injuries, or a simple decline in the quality of the players available.The FAI has been ascribed some of the blame by some commentators, in relation to any or all of these managers, for appointing him too hastily, or refusing to support him when criticised in the media, or for parting with him too quickly
Edited sentence: A friendly win against Sweden was followed by defeats to Chile, Holland and Germany.His predecessor, Brian Kerr, had lost four out of thirty-nine matches and two of those were to Italy and France, the 2006 World Cup finalists.In January 2006 Steve Staunton was appointed senior team manager following the failure of Brian Kerr's bid to reach the 2006 World Cup finals.On 7 October Ireland were beaten 5-2 by Cyprus, a country ranked 103rd in the world (Botswana are 104th), a result which is arguably the worst in the FAI's history and leaves qualification for the UEFA European Championships in 2008 a near impossibility.This was the fourth loss out of five matches for Staunton