SOCCER INTERNATIONAL NEWS:WE'RE SURELY quite some way off the stony silences that tend to become a major feature of the relationship between an international manager and the press, but on day two of the preparations for match four and with his side yet to taste defeat on the field of play, Giovanni Trapattoni had nothing left to say to the media after the Irish team's training session yesterday morning, writes Emmet Malone

Though clearly inconvenient for a group of people whose job it is to hang on his every word and who share a collective conviction that there could be no greater folly in life than to really believe the old adage about no news being good news, his silence was fairly understandable.

Barely 16 hours after he had said there was no reason to be concerned over Richard Dunne and Kevin Kilbane missing training, the former was back in the thick of things in the end-of-session game while the Wigan left back was having a mask fitted to protect the broken cheekbone that was operated on at the weekend. As things stand, both are on course to play in Mainz on Saturday evening.

Trapattoni, though, is clearly a charitable soul, and having been beseeched by the assembled hacks to say something before he left he opted instead to pressgang nearby players into service.

Glenn Whelan was his first choice, only for the Italian to be told that the Stoke City midfielder had already been interviewed.

With that, a slightly bemused Shane Long was guided towards the microphones.

With the two places in attack well and truly vouched for, Long spoke politely about what he sees as a three-way battle with Daryl Murphy and Andy Keogh for the role of first substitute, although the latter may well end up starting on the wing against the Georgians.

Whelan, on the other hand, looks certain to continue his run of games in central midfield with Trapattoni having already shown a willingness to invest a good deal in a 24-year-old who could have been forgiven for thinking, over the last few years, that his chance at this level might never come.

"Being honest with you, I couldn't really worry about that," he says. "I just had to worry about my own game with my club. I've said it before, if I'm not playing well for Stoke I won't have a chance of getting in the Ireland team. That was first and foremost."

In reality, the Dubliner's life has rarely been simple at club level. Having started out at Manchester City where, despite being well regarded, he was never given a chance at first team level, he went to Sheffield Wednesday where he became a hero to the club's fans but still sometimes found himself in a scrap to keep his place.

After nearly four years and almost 150 appearances, he switched to Stoke and impressed as the club completed its successful drive for promotion.

International recognition finally came towards the end of last season, but, at a time when he would have been anxious to push ahead on all fronts, he has not been starting for City recently.

On Tuesday, though, Trapattoni didn't sound especially put out. The former Juventus boss makes no secret of his enthusiasm for a player whose workrate and willingness to adjust his game to the Italian's requirements could well make him a regular fixture during the months ahead.

Whelan, in return, is delighted with the faith the manager has shown in him and a little flattered to think he is keeping a more established international like Andy Reid on the sidelines.

"I thought I did well in the first game before the summer," he says, "but the second one I wasn't too happy with, so to get the chance to do well against Norway was great. It has been great for my confidence. I'd like to think that I'm in this squad on merit.

"It's nice to know that you have been picked ahead of great players and Andy is a great player, but it was just that one time and you don't know what the manager has in mind for the following games. I know that I am keeping a great player like Andy out of the team, but I also know that if I play badly he can take my spot just as quick."

If the next week goes well for him then that particular threat will recede a little but, for the Irish to really advance their cause against Georgia and Montenegro, they probably need to win both games, an ambitious target for a side which scarcely covered themselves in glory on the road during the last campaign. In the circumstances, Whelan seems happy enough to settle for the next best thing.

"For the moment we'll just worry about Saturday's game," insists Whelan. "We'll try and get the three points there. If we manage that, then we'll look for three points in the next one. If you set your standards high you might achieve them. But if we come back with four points, then that would be great. It would mean we are coming back unbeaten and with a win under our belts as well."