REPUBLIC OF IRELAND SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT:RELATIONSHIPS ARE tough to maintain at the best of times, but they can get awfully tempestuous when something bad happens. The fallout from the 6-1 humiliation at home to Germany proved as much.
Some felt a return to single life would benefit all for a time, but the final solution was to put on a united front for the rest of the family (the Irish public) and, of course, those nosey neighbours (the media).
The relationship between Giovanni Trapattoni and FAI chief executive John Delaney is stronger than ever, the wily old Italian informed us at yesterday’s squad announcement ahead of the friendly against Greece at the Aviva Stadium on November 14th.
“My confidence is the team, the players and the result but I can say I have a good relationship with John Delaney,” said the 73-year-old.
Delaney was nowhere to be seen. Maybe this information was being piped straight to his office down the corridor. If listening, he would have liked what followed: “He doesn’t interfere in my professional sphere. I respect him and he respects me. He no say, ‘Giovanni, why this or why not this? Many presidents in Italy do this.
“I could understand Beckenbauer and Rummenigge say, ‘Giovanni, why this?’ John never asks this. I must respect his position, he is president of the FAI.”
Chief executive actually, but there was too much fleshy meat to be splitting hairs.
The issue of non-interference needed challenging. Wasn’t the manager instructed to attend more games in England by Delaney?
Trapattoni provided further insight into their amicable relationship by recounting a snippet from their recent meeting.
“(Delaney said) ‘I know you see many games but (go to more games) for our people and for you. If you not come, sure it’s better if sometimes you go’.
“(Trapattoni response) ‘No problem president’.”
Is that not meddling?
“No, because it’s also my duty. It’s my duty to know so when I answer, ‘I know every player’.”
Trapattoni couldn’t remember what game he was attending on Saturday. Marco Tardelli was rustled from his perch at the back of the room.
“Marco!?”
Tardelli: “Norwich.”
Again? Why?
Tardelli: “Whelan.”
Stoke City are visiting. Anthony Pilkington may also feature for Norwich and the striker could one day have an Irish passport.
At one point he switched to Italian and played an imaginary violin. Peter Sherrard, the FAI director of communications, translated: “I can’t blow my own trumpet.”
Is that not a violin?
“It’s not interference,” said Trapattoni. “There is no problem.”
So the storm has passed and Trap weathered it just fine.
Trapattoni insisted he had no problem attending club games to see Irish players yet he strangely continued to promote the benefit of watching recordings at home in Milan.
It begged the question that surely in a game where only one or two Irish players are involved was it not better to be in the stand, tracking the individual?
There followed a long and incoherent explanation about Liam Brady playing on the right for Juventus in 1980.
At the end he asked, “You can understand this?”
No we cannot.
Would you not see your players movement better from the stand? More broken sentences. More confusion. The problem with Trapattoni answers is they lead to more questions. So many more.
Yesterday he brought Wes Hoolahan out of a four-year international exile. The Italian dismissed the suggestion that the 30-year-old Dubliner could sit and dictate the tempo in the style of Andrea Pirlo but he indicated Hoolahan would get an opportunity in the “Totti” role, the position he once upon a time envisioned for Robbie Keane.
Either way, Hoolahan will get at least 45 minutes against Greece.
“He is experienced and we have followed him. He grows. With (James) McCarthy for example, I wish to see them on the pitch together. You will only find out on the pitch if someone is up to international level or not. It’s impossible to answer.”
This forced the line of questioning to a familiar theme, the lack of talent at his disposal.
“I am very proud to be in this country with these players because I have no Messi, no Platini – the great players, I have these players in Ireland. We have a good team with technical basis and attitude and pride. Barcelona sometimes play bad.
“I am not angry about this. After Germany I said I give the team confidence, trust and told them to believe in our strength and our job. They answer us, not only me, but all of you, with this. It was difficult to win in the Faroes because many teams don’t win in the Faroes.”
Actually many teams do win in the Faroes. Again, not worth pursuing.
Would you say your relationship with the FAI has been damaged by everything that happened since the German game?
“I have to concentrate on myself and the team. I know what happened with the president or the chief executive and board (he describes them as “consigliere”). I know, I know. It’s better they don’t speak with me. I need only speak with the players because our trust.”
Sherrard interrupts again to translate Trapattoni’s English: “To clarify, he means before an important match that he only concentrates on team affairs.”
Trap keeps talking: “I need to stay only with the players. My strengths are the players.”
Nobody can dispute that but the concern remains whether he knows all the players at his disposal.
To Carrow Road he goes.
TRAP TALK: 'I am not Jesus Christ'
On ending Wes Hoolahan's international exile . . .
"We always follow him every game. We know he is beautiful but he plays in a position behind the striker. Our system until now, we tried this in the past with James (McClean) and it wasn't positive as James is young, and we need offensive two strikers in our system."
On the new FAI imposed conditions . . .
"For me it is no problem. I can fly every Saturday. But I review every game at home.
On the FAI instructions/suggestions . . .
"To have someone make a suggestion doesnt take the authority away from me. Every chief executive . . . I have 30 years of this experience. I understand this."
On himself . . .
"I am not Jesus Christ and can make mistakes but professional, I am sure.
On his broken English . . .
"I dont speak very well English. But with the players I ask, 'does everybody understood?' they say, 'yes'. Ask them. What is important is the players understand.
On nearly being sacked . . .
"I am a realist, not an optimistic not a pessimist. I am a manager. The victory is father and to lose is an orphan. I know what can happen.
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND 26-MAN SQUAD v Greece
November 14th, Aviva Stadium
Westwood (Sunderland), Forde (Millwall), Randolph (Motherwell), Coleman (Everton), O'Shea (Sunderland), O'Dea (Toronto FC), Kelly (Fulham), McShane (Hull City), Ward (Wolves), Duffy (Everton), Clark (Aston Villa), Delaney (Crystal Palace), Andrews (Bolton Wanderers), McCarthy (Wigan Athletic), Fahey (Birmingham), Meyler (Sunderland), Whelan (Stoke City), Clifford (Chelsea), Keogh (Millwall), McGeady (Spartak Moscow), McClean (Sunderland), Brady (Manchester Utd), Hoolahan (Norwich City), Doyle (Wolves), Cox (Nottm Forest), Walters (Stoke City).
