SOCCER:ANOTHER DAY or two of this and, far from the "Hope" T-shirts that have managed to become an iconic image of Trapattoni's time with Ireland, they'll be flogging those ones based on the British second World War slogan "Keep Calm and Carry On" to fans on the way into the game against Bosnia Herzegovina this weekend.
Even Marco Tardelli’s smile was wearing a bit thin in Malahide yesterday as he delivered the latest bout of team news.
Sean St Ledger had woken up with a sore groin, he revealed rather more gloomily than he usually delivers the pitch-side news. But then the upshot of St Ledger’s withdrawal is that three of the team’s regular back four will sit Saturday’s game out.
Later, the FAI revealed that goalkeeper Shay Given, who Trapattoni’s assistant had suggested was still angling to be involved, had taken a day trip to London to see a knee specialist with whom he had previously worked.
The text message in which this latter morsel was delivered to reporters also included an assurance that the goalkeeper will be in tip-top shape for the Euros.
“Keep Calm and Carry On” in other words, although the additional news that Paul McShane had been sent for was an early indication that perhaps the situation is getting serious.
McShane will give Trapattoni welcome options on Saturday as he can slot in at either full back or centre half.
It is merely that the manager had previously been confident that no reinforcements would be required and so it is only natural that the steady retreat on O’Shea, Dunne and Given’s prospects of being involved in the first of the team’s warm-up games will give rise to fears that one or more of them will end up missing the more important fixtures ahead.
That an unexpected and unexplained injury had now added St Ledger to the list of the walking wounded, does not exactly help.
“We have a problem,” acknowledged Tardelli. “In defence, we have five players with injury problem. This morning St Ledger has a problem in his groin. Also, there is John O’Shea, Richard Dunne, Kevin Foley and Shay Given.
“If the player comes here because we have so many players injured, then we may need him in Montecatini,” the assistant manager continued.
“It’s possible for the player who comes here to come to Italy for camp as well.”
The official line at this stage is St Ledger needs between two and four days to recover and the others should all be able to ease back into action over the course of next week.
Asked directly if any of them was likely to be unable to participate in the game against Hungary on Monday week, Tardelli replied: “No. The players are good. It is a precaution.”
Still, it was hard to shake the suspicion that if he was a little more fluent, he’d have added something like the situation being fluid, just to cover himself.
Pressed, in any case, on whether he felt the situation was “worrying”, he suggested, not unreasonably, it is better these things happen now than in Poland. The pity is it’s not a straightforward case of either/or.
One of those sure to benefit from the various problems being encountered just now is Darren O’Dea who, to be fair, could probably do with the lift given the uncertainty he is having to endure in relation to his club career ahead of the European Championships.
The 25-year-old had been hoping to make Leeds United his home on a long-term basis but having been told he does not feature in new manager Neil Warnock’s plans he finds himself waiting for Celtic to decide whether they will exercise their option to extend his stay at Parkhead by a year.
Neither party seems to see him actually having a future with the Scottish champions but taking up the option would put Celtic in line for a fee from his next club and as a result, most likely, impact upon his options over the summer.
“Nothing is happening as I’ve to wait for the (chief executive) Peter Lawwell to make up his mind,” said the defender.
“He’s told me I’ll get a letter in the post which . . . he probably doesn’t own a cell phone or something or he could ring us. I have someone waiting by my letterbox every day.”
O’Dea is pretty reasonable about Celtic’s position, admitting that they are entitled to try to recoup some of the money they invested in developing him over the years but clearly he’d prefer them just to call it quits and, either way, it is clear that he could have lived without the distraction just now.
“I can understand his situation,” he says. “Ideally, in my world, it makes sense just to let me go if I’m not part of the plans. Let me go and I will look after myself. But I owe a lot to Celtic as they have put a lot of work into me and he probably feels they deserve something back for it.
“It’s down to him to make that decision, not me. But it’s the 31st of May that he needs to make his mind up by which I think is eight days away. When he makes up his mind I can make up my mind on what I am doing. My missus is literally sitting by the letterbox.”
