The 74-year-old pundit has spoken out for the first time regarding his shock omission from the panel commenting on tomorrow's crucial Euro 2016 qualifier against Scotland. 

Clearing up any misunderstandings surrounding the rumoured "scheduling issues" which saw him excluded, Giles said the following via The Irish Mirror:

“I would have liked to have got a call from the Head of Sport to explain to me what the situation is... I made it very, very clear that I was available and I wanted to do the match. There is a contractual situation where I’m contracted to do a certain amount of matches, and I have fulfilled the obligation for those matches. But we’ve always been very flexible on matches that we’ve done, and could do more and do less. I was prepared to do an extra match, and made it clear, obviously, there was no extra payment for that match.”

In case you weren't aware, RTE's Head of Sport is Ryle Nugent. 

Giles, speaking during an interview on Newstalk's Off The Ball, added: “I’ve never spoken to Ryle Nugent about it. Any information I got from Eugene O’Neill, who is the producer of our particular programme, I’ve never spoken to the Head of Sport directly about this. I would have liked to have got a call from the Head of Sport to explain to me what the situation is... I think Eamon (Dunphy) did make a case to Ryle Nugent about getting me on on Saturday. I had to stress to Eamon that I’m not seeking this. It’s like going to a party that you’re not invited to."

As it happens, Giles' contract is up in a couple of months, so - if current scenarios are anything to go by - it doesn't look likely that he'll be part of RTE's panel for 2016. 

Between this and the recent of death of Bill O'Herlihy, it really is the end of an era for Irish sport.