Given gets all-clear in London as McShane is added to Ireland squad

SOCCER EURO 2012 COUNTDOWNAFTER DAYS in which things seem to have gone from bad to worse, Republic of Ireland manager Giovanni Trapattoni may have overstated things slightly when he arrived pitch-side towards the end of a wonderful morning in Malahide, produced a wide smile and announced: "I only have wonderful news."

Essentially, he went on to say, nothing much has changed although clearly the Italian felt that the original reporting of three first-choice defenders and the team’s goalkeeper – Richard Dunne, Seán St Ledger, John O’Shea and Shay Given – being ruled out of this weekend’s grand Euro send-off at the Aviva had been a tad alarmist.

All, it was emphasised, would be in a position to play if the game was actually a competitive one.

But he observed, once again, that he would be branded “an idiot” if something more serious befell them over the course of the 90 minutes and so the likelihood is the four will be rested and some of Trapattoni’s supporting cast will get an opportunity to impress.

Just about every one of them must be beginning to wonder whether the question of who starts in Poland is really as much of a done deal as had been thought up until now.

Both the manager and his employers were at pains yesterday to stress that everybody should, as things stand, be fine by the time the opening group game against Croatia comes around on June 10th.

There is, however, a diminishing sense of confidence with regard to the way things do stand, something added to if anything by Trapattoni who said that, now that Paul McShane had been called into the squad for tomorrow’s game against Bosnia-Herzegovina, he will stay with it, come what may.

The 26-year-old was out on the training pitch yesterday having cancelled a holiday in order to return to Dublin.

McShane seems likely to start at the Aviva tomorrow afternoon and could then be easily drafted into the Trapattoni’s final 23-man squad for the tournament up until the middle of next week in the event that somebody’s condition deteriorates.

After that he could still be brought in as a replacement for an injured player with Uefa approval up until the morning of Ireland’s opening game.

It now seems McShane will travel with the team in case he is required and then stay on with the squad but without being an actual member of it until the team is eliminated. “He comes with us,” confirmed the manager.

“Afterwards, he can stay on the bench or (up until June 10th) we can decide whether to use him if we have other injuries.”

Just now, Trapattoni insisted, Kevin Foley is the only member of the current squad who is really not fit to kick a ball in anger.

The rest, he says – that’s Dunne, St Ledger, O’Shea and Given – are simply being nursed along for fear they will aggravate existing conditions.

Still, Given’s day trip to London in order to see a knee specialist – Andy Williams – he had worked with before, hardly inspired confidence and Trapattoni’s suggestion that it was merely so that the player could be reassured about his fitness was some way short of entirely convincing.

“It’s okay,” he said. “He needed the specialist to say ‘Shay, be careful or don’t be careful’, to tell him whether there is a risk of repeating this injury; to tell him whether he needs one or five days rest and whether he can start again against Hungary.

“But I don’t know what the specialist will say or what the new scan will show,” he added.

However, the player himself subsequently tweeted that the news was in fact good and that he will indeed be able to resume training next week after another few days of rest. The FAI later said he was back with the squad and should be fully involved again on Wednesday.

The bottom line remains, however, that despite having wanted to play tomorrow according to both Trapattoni and Marco Tardelli, the Aston Villa goalkeeper is set to join other senior players in the stand this weekend while Keiren Westwood joins the likes of McShane, Darren O’Dea and Stephen Kelly out on the pitch.

Given the way the numbers stack up, the defence would appear to come close to picking itself but midfield is more interesting with the manager still hinting that he may look to shuffle his pack a little. “We have the players and we can evaluate them in this game,” he said, “for example McClean and Gibson. We can use the game for this as I know what Duff and McGeady can do and Hunt also.”

Asked if he had decided whether McClean would make his first start he said that he hadn’t but added that “there is a very, very strong possibility”.

It would all make for an interesting afternoon although the reality is that Trapattoni’s track record would suggest that, when push comes to shove, the enforced changes at the back may well mean the manager plays it very safe in every other department.