Coyne and O'Brien called up

Tommy Coyne was on his way to a possible Ireland recall yesterday after being summoned from Glasgow for Saturday's World Cup meeting with Romania at Lansdowne Road. Liam O'Brien was also added to the squad as Mick McCarthy reappraised his diminished options for the game.

O'Brien's recall is a direct response to the loss of Roy Keane and Andy Townsend, the power base of the team in earlier World Cup assignments, but Coyne's selection derives, it seems, from McCarthy's reluctance to go with players on yellow cards.

David Connolly, David Kelly and Mark Kennedy are all at risk of missing the World Cup play-offs after being booked in earlier games and as such, look likely to be left out of the starting line-up on Saturday.

It leaves the manager with just two specialist forwards in the squad - Tony Cascarino and newcomer Michael Evans - and in the manager's own words, he needs a little extra experience to top up that situation.

Coyne can certainly go some way towards redressing the problem for he was an important member of the squad in the World Cup finals in the United States three years ago when he received generous praise for his contribution to the famous victory over Italy in the Giants Stadium in New Jersey.

Subsequently, however, his career went into sharp decline and after making just one start in the qualifying programme for the 1996 European championship, he was already in the shadows when the change of managership took place in February of last year.

Apart from a five-minute spell when he replaced Niall Quinn in McCarthy's first game in charge against Russia at Lansdowne Road, he has continued to languish in the shadows. However, an impressive scoring burst with Motherwell in the Scottish Premier Division this season - eight goals in eight games - convinced the Ireland manager that he may still have something to offer.

Jeff Kenna, who had been receiving treatment for a groin strain, participated in yesterday's training session at Clonshaugh. The Blackburn player yesterday agreed a new three-year contract with the club.

Meanwhile, Phil Babb and David Kelly were "rested" by McCarthy yesterday as they were carrying minor knocks.

Babb's return to form at Liverpool has not gone unnoticed by the Ireland management team and in a situation in which McCarthy is likely to go for a flat back four, his claims for inclusion are obvious.

Back at the start of his term of office, McCarthy built his game plan around three central defenders, but after a period of trial and error, he decided that the new system, or the added mobility it was designed to generate, was failing to produce the anticipated increase in scoring chances.

Now with the yellow-card threat hanging over both Kenny Cunningham and Ian Harte, and Denis Irwin and Steve Staunton omitted for the same reason, it seems reasonable to assume that Babb will be offered the chance of starting his first international game since the scoreless draw with Iceland at Lansdowne Road last November.

The need to protect players in danger of picking up a second yellow card was stressed, yet again, yesterday, but McCarthy refused to elaborate when asked if the precaution extended to Shay Given, the Newcastle United goalkeeper, who was carded for time wasting in Lithuania last month.

Alan Kelly, the other goalkeeper, has failed to regain his place in Sheffield United's team on his return from a protracted injury and it remains to be seen if this lack of match practice will now militate against his chances of returning to the national side for the first time this season.

The Romanian squad, motivated by the prospect of going through Group Eight with a 100 per cent record, is due in Dublin tomorrow and it is still not clear if it will include the celebrated Gheorghe Hagi. Hagi is said to be doubtful because of a family bereavement, but nobody can be certain that he will not, in fact, show up.

"If he does, the strategy will be as it was in Bucharest last April, the nearest player to him has responsibility for picking him up," said McCarthy. "He is still a fine player when operating around the fringes, but no, we will not be man-marking him."

Romania also have problems with the yellow-card rule.

Romanian coach Anghel Iordanescu said the fact that 12 of his players had already received a yellow card in previous games made the match against Ireland a cause for concern.

"Anyone booked again in Ireland will automatically miss the first game of the 1998 finals in France," he told reporters. "Romania will have to stick to perfect fair play."

Defender Daniel Prodan is banned for two bookable offences and misses the Ireland match. His likely substitute, Adrian Matei, is injured and will also miss the game.

Iordanescu said the Romanians would have to display their most impressive soccer against the Irish to extend their record of nine straight qualifying victories.