Coleman hopes to make cut this time
“I’m a massive Donegal fan and I keep in touch with the lads, there was no happier man to see them win. They’ve been a great inspiration for everyone in the county. Michael Murphy is a great captain and for the young people in Donegal there’s no one better to look up to, he’s a great role model.”
What of those rumours about Donegal manager Jim McGuinness joining the Liverpool staff?
“I’d rather he came to Everton. I’ll have a word with him,” he laughs. “Yeah, I read that online, I don’t know how true it is. I spoke to Jim a few times and, honestly, he’s a great, great man. You can see the love he has for football and sport, it’s something else. It would be great if he got a role with one of the football clubs, he could turn his hand to it, no problem. It’s the type of man he is.
“I think two years ago there’s no way Donegal would have won the All-Ireland without him, he’s changed all the players. He’s got something special about him. I played against a few of them, Mark McHugh and Paddy McBrearty, they’re with the rival club 10 minutes away. And there’s Michael Murphy and Karl Lacey. Ah, you’d know them all, they’re all close by and all good lads. I’m delighted for them.”
For now, though, Coleman’s sporting focus is on convincing Trapattoni that he’s the man for the right-back slot for Friday’s World Cup qualifier against Germany.
“He has tried me out there in the friendly games, like against Oman, so I have to see if I impressed him. That’s all I can do. I hope being back in the Everton team has helped, but Ireland is a hard team to get in. It would be brilliant to get the nod for Germany, but you have Stephen Kelly there and Paul McShane fighting for that position too, so it is not going to be easy.”
Germany, the second ranked team in the world, any hope? “It’s not going to be easy, they’re a great team, but every underdog has his day. If the fans get behind us, I think a positive result would be a draw – but you never know what can happen. It’s still 11 against 11.”
He won’t be watching the game in Fawltys in Killybegs, but he’ll hope he won’t be watching it from the bench either. But if he is, he’ll be a fan in his jersey.
