Wasn't it Gary Lineker who once said that the best way to watch Wimbledon play football was on teletext? Well, having watched a match in that very way the other night, this column can report that the Lineacre fella might be right. Then again, maybe it was just the result that made this such an enjoyable experience: Kaiserslautern 0, Bohemians 1.

Trying to observe from over here what went on over there via teletext and what it means to wherever you are over there is not the easiest way to get the whole story. But what, even in these Olympics-soaked days, can be judged from a black television screen with some yellow letters on it is the enormity of what Bohemians achieved.

And not just in Germany. Over the course of two games, 180 minutes, Bohemians lost to the side who came fifth in last season's Bundesliga by a single goal margin. Given the chasm that separates the two clubs in terms of history, structure and resources - Kaiserslautern have Youri Djorkaeff playing for them - Bohemians deserve huge praise merely for making the Germans sweat. From talking to colleagues, it seems that Bohemians did not receive this. Perhaps this is because of the Olympic saturation, but, and again this is an impression from England, it felt symptomatic of the League of Ireland's inferiority complex. It should not be this way, not any longer.

Taken together with Shelbourne's narrow defeat by Rosenborg and their victory over Aberdeen in the previous round, Bohemians' displays against Kaiserslautern should be the cause of a lot of shouting in Dublin and beyond. This should be a definitive result, one that could be turned into an important moment if people show the same will as the Bohemians players.

Instead of being diverted by the debilitating debate over where a new national stadium is to be built and who is going to own it, the effort, and the money, could be better spent elsewhere, refurbishing grounds and facilities from Waterford to Ballybofey for a start. By making the facilities more attractive, it becomes much easier to sell the whole package.

People could start by first stating clearly and frequently that the package is worth selling. It is; judging by the performances already mentioned, this is an improving brand. That may sound a bit like some of that business double-speak so favoured by many involved at the bureaucrat and commercial level in professional football, but if the League of Ireland is getting the product right on the park, it could be the first step on a virtuous circle.

Ultimately that could see the boatloads of teenagers who go to England every year to try to make it here a thing of the past. Why go and struggle at Old Trafford when you can go to a perfectly respectable, self-confident club like Shelbourne? If you are good enough, don't worry, a scout from England will soon hear about you.

Glenn Crowe, the Bohemians scorer in Germany last week, is actually a good example of what the future could be. His past includes time spent with Robbie Keane at Wolves, but while Keane went on to Inter Milan, Crowe returned to Dublin. In the parlance of those who disregard the League of Ireland, Crowe was deemed a failure.

What, though, if Crowe had not gone to Wolves as a boy? What if, instead, Crowe had joined Bohemians first, then scored the winner against Kaiserslautern? Would scouts from England not be offering to buy his auntie a washing machine? I think so. But so what if they were not doing that? Is it not enough that Crowe can clearly play football to a level where he can score goals against the fifth best team in Germany? Is it not enough that the League of Ireland could not be self-contained, self-sustained and self-confident? To some, no.

Ignore them, and also ignore those who say that an all-Ireland league is far-fetched and wouldn't work in terms of money and fans. There were sponsors lined up for the proposed Super Eight cross-Border competition, and if players of the quality of Kevin Grogan - at UCD on loan from Man United - were playing for Linfield or Limerick then supporters would come back. Imagine the difference a dozen or two of the best young Irishmen struggling in England and Scotland would make if they were sprinkled around eight or 10 clubs in an all-Ireland league. Imagine if you could say that you first saw Robbie Keane playing for Glenavon or Finn Harps. Like watching football on teletext, all it takes is imagination.