The Northern Ireland team hasn't qualified for anything since Maggie's tenure passed.. (Runs for cover)
Side story of those Maggie days. I lived in Brighton as a student in 1990. Frisked at Heathrow coming in (bring Irish) and then detained and questioned galore (I was from a fairly non political family, so I was surprised to be so hassled). It was around the time Ian Gow was killed. Went to an interview for a job in tele sales in Brighton, Did great, and then the woman says to me At the end of the interview -"well, you're very noice, but you're not a terrorist are you?" She was flaming serious. How times change!
Anyway, back to Maggie..