Experiments for Croatia look less likely

SOCCER:GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI'S upbeat talk of using this week's friendly international against Croatia in order to look at some of the options available to him looked increasingly misplaced yesterday. The Ireland manager's injury list mounted and he was left with a squad based, to an extent he'd probably settle for in early September when getting his strongest side out will be the priority, on his most "famous" players.

Having survived his midweek downsizing of the 32 strong panel he had named in mid-July, Damien Delaney, Keith Fahey and late last night James McCarthy were amongst the players to inform the Italian they would not after all be fit to travel to Dublin.

McCarthy picked up an ankle injury in Wigan’s pre-season friendly win over Villareal yesterday afternoon. He was treated on the pitch before being taken off and is now a serious doubt for the start of the Premier League season.

Séamus Coleman is also gone, having picked up an injury in Friday night’s pre-season game against Villarreal. Marco Tardelli said yesterday he is “hoping” the Everton player can recover in time from what appears to be ankle ligament damage in order to be available for the games against Slovakia and Russia next month.

Ciarán Clark got a late call up over the weekend, the likes of John O’Shea and Aiden McGeady having previously withdrawn, and Kevin Kilbane was told he could concentrate on settling in at Derby so that Stephen Ward could be given another opportunity.

Jonathan Walters is likely to return to England after the Irish medical staff have had the opportunity to assess the damage to his ankle. Marc Wilson, who is another injury doubt, will also be assessed.

Tardelli insisted the game would not be devalued by the loss of so many of the options that might have been looked at. But he did concede the situation was some way short of ideal in particular areas of the field.

“We have a problem in midfield,” he said in the light of the loss of Keith Andrews due to a groin strain, “where we have just three players – McCarthy, Whelan and Gibson (speaking before McCarthy’s injury) – and because we have so many problems against a side as strong as Croatia it will be a very tough game for us but we will still try to win the match, it is very important for us.

“I don’t know how it is,” he joked, “that so many Irish players get injured,” but he was quick to add the communications channels are at least functioning properly now, with everyone who was supposed to, he maintained, having called either the FAI or the manager directly to provide an update on their status.

Asked about suggestions that senior players, particularly Robbie Keane, might be rested so as to give more marginal figures a chance to play together, he suggested the spate of injuries may have changed the manager’s original outlook for the game.

“When you have a lot of injuries it can change your plans,” he said. “We have to make do with what we have but it is okay, the other players will do what we ask of them.”

Tardelli admitted there had not been quite the level of transfer activity in recent weeks that he and Trapattoni would have liked to see but said he was pleased that “three or four” players will get to see more first team action.

The future of a number of squad members still look uncertain and the Italian suggested he would still hope to see Shane Long move to a top flight club. Leicester City seems a more likely destination for the striker, but Tardelli said the most important thing is the 24 year-old plays regularly again this season.

When the subject, almost inevitably, shifted to Keane, he observed with a laugh, “all of last year the question was the same about Robbie but he ended up being an important player for us at the end of the season. I think it will be the same again this year whatever club he is with although ideally he would play more, just not too much.”

Meanwhile, John Toshack has made a surprise return to football as the new manager of Macedonia.

Toshack has been out of work since his second spell as Wales manager ended 11 months ago, after six years in charge.

Macedonia are second bottom of Group B, nine points adrift of the Republic of Ireland, Russia and Slovakia.