Trap and Marco look to be happy enough without him.If you thought the Cork hurling dispute was tedious, the Stephen Ireland saga is surely worse. All the same, for those of us whose only desire in life is that the Irish soccer team qualify for the World Cup, it is still a matter of great importance. There was a time not so long ago when to hold such an ambition was not all that unusual. Those were the Charlton years when the whole country was firmly caught in the grip of football hysteria and it was the sport to which all others deferred when it came to making the backpage headlines. That is no longer the case and today it is the national rugby team which is the darling of the media and the transient glory hunter.
Unfortunately that makes us die hard football fans look like weirdos, crustys, loners, bitter and twisted individuals jealous of the wealth and success of the rugby fraternity, still caught up in the rights and wrongs of Saipan and most sadly of all still debating the rights and wrongs of Stephen Ireland's self-imposed international exile. "Get a life and go shopping in Brown Thomas" I'm sure the rugby crowd was tell us disgusted I'm sure that we would still be interested in the fortunes of something as passe as the Irish Soccer team. We might as well be listening to Bagatelle, drinking pints of Harp (I still do), wearing mullets (I wish I still had the hair) and eating out of a chip van.
The Stephen Ireland question remains pertinent all the same. Trapattoni's one and only meeting with the Bald One came ten months ago when Trap first took over. They haven't met since and even though Trap was at Stamford Bridge on Sunday for the Man City game, he made no effort to meet the midfielder after this match. Trap's logic was that Ireland had given an interview on the Saturday in which he stated he still wasn't ready to return to the fold, thereby rendering the purpose of any meeting obsolete.
The efforts made by the Irish management (an extraordinarily well paid management team at that) to convince Ireland to return over the last year have been minimal at best. There have been no further meetings though text messages have apparently been sent to Ireland including one by Trapattoni wishing him a "happy Christmas". What are these guys, teenagers? How unprofessional and impersonal is it to send text messages. The message it gives to me is that they don't really want him back. If they did, there would be meetings or at least a phone call. It appears to me that Trap doesn't really want him back or is at best indifferent. If this is the case, that's fine so long as the results keep going our way and we qualify for South Africa.
Unfortunately that makes us die hard football fans look like weirdos, crustys, loners, bitter and twisted individuals jealous of the wealth and success of the rugby fraternity, still caught up in the rights and wrongs of Saipan and most sadly of all still debating the rights and wrongs of Stephen Ireland's self-imposed international exile. "Get a life and go shopping in Brown Thomas" I'm sure the rugby crowd was tell us disgusted I'm sure that we would still be interested in the fortunes of something as passe as the Irish Soccer team. We might as well be listening to Bagatelle, drinking pints of Harp (I still do), wearing mullets (I wish I still had the hair) and eating out of a chip van.
The Stephen Ireland question remains pertinent all the same. Trapattoni's one and only meeting with the Bald One came ten months ago when Trap first took over. They haven't met since and even though Trap was at Stamford Bridge on Sunday for the Man City game, he made no effort to meet the midfielder after this match. Trap's logic was that Ireland had given an interview on the Saturday in which he stated he still wasn't ready to return to the fold, thereby rendering the purpose of any meeting obsolete.
The efforts made by the Irish management (an extraordinarily well paid management team at that) to convince Ireland to return over the last year have been minimal at best. There have been no further meetings though text messages have apparently been sent to Ireland including one by Trapattoni wishing him a "happy Christmas". What are these guys, teenagers? How unprofessional and impersonal is it to send text messages. The message it gives to me is that they don't really want him back. If they did, there would be meetings or at least a phone call. It appears to me that Trap doesn't really want him back or is at best indifferent. If this is the case, that's fine so long as the results keep going our way and we qualify for South Africa.
Chippy got narky at a press conference before the Georgia game when it was suggested that perhaps more could be done to have convinced Ireland to return. The Irish management team have taken the view that the ball is firmly in Stephen Ireland's court which is all well and good but it just means that he will not be coming back.
Chippy Brady- narky or just unhappy to see me?
I get the feeling that if a serious effort was made, he could be convinced to come back. The truth is that we need Stephen Ireland a whole lot more than he needs us. He is quite happy playing away at City making his tens and thousands of euros a week, plodding away in a midtable team entirely devoid of any stress whatsoever. He doesn't really need the extra hassle (for which there will be no financial reward) of playing for Ireland.
His return is however key to our qualification bid. If available he would be the best player in the squad which is the main reason he is worth the effort. His own comments in that interview on Saturday suggest that he would have returned had more of an effort been made to get him back. He said that no direct contact had been made with him since that first meeting adding that he still didn't feel ready to return.
Trap's only task is to qualify, anything after that is a bonus but surely part of his brief is ensuring that our best players are available and happy to play. He hasn't gone far enough with Ireland. Trap and Tardelli have nothing to be doing besides meeting Stephen Ireland and convincing him to come back. Even Roy Keane could be coaxed out of international retirement, anyone can.
The truth is that this is not Animal Farm and not all players are equal. Some are better and therefore more important than others. The retirements and sulkiness of Andy O'Brien and Joey O'Brien are insignificant because we don't need these players. We do need Stephen Ireland and that is why EVERY EFFORT should have been made to get him back. I think people can be convinced of anything if we try hard enough. Trap hasn't which leads me to believe that perhaps he doesn't really want him which is fine and just so long as we qualify there will be no problem with that.
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