Tarmo Ruutli’s side may be inexperienced on paper, but their recent success is down to long-term planning

TARMO RUUTLI shifts uneasily in his chair as the Estonia manager struggles with the word “underdog”. He prefers to label his side as outsiders as they prepare to make history in Tallinn tonight.

Like his team and an expectant nation, Ruutli is new to all this. English is not his mother tongue and the attentions of a media circus that will be 300-strong by kick-off at 9.45pm local time this evening is so, so unfamiliar.

He seeks help when asked if Estonia are underdogs against the Republic of Ireland, first from his press officer then from a local television reporter. Before the question gets lost in translation, he offers us the “outsiders” alternative then pays Ireland the respect he feels they will be due in the A Le Coq Arena this evening.

“Sometimes this week as I look at the videos of Ireland, I dream that this is my team, that I can lead them,” explained Ruutli ahead of the first leg of the play-offs to decide the final four participants in next summer’s European Championships.

“They have quality players, the team is very good. I can’t say I was satisfied when we drew them. We will play against a very strong Ireland team with an experienced manager so we are the outsiders for this game.

“In this match, if you ask simply what chance we have, then I will tell you that our chances are 50-50 at the moment. We have tasted success already in this competition so we know what it means.

“And because we play at home on Friday night, our chance for this game is 50-50. A good result for us would be to win 2-0 at home and draw away but this is new for us. It is the first time for us and we have no experience of this.”

The visit to Tallinn may be something new for the majority of the Irish players but the one factor they won’t lack against Estonia tonight is experience, on the pitch and in the dug-out. Ruutli acknowledged that much when asked his opinion of Giovanni Trapattoni yesterday.

“Trapattoni is, of course, a great manager, very experienced,” added the manager now in his second spell as Estonia boss and with a new contract already in the bag.

“We can say that he is an old fox and I will not be too surprised if he finds some extra steps for tomorrow.”

Beaten 2-0 in Dublin when he last faced an Ireland team as Estonia coach back in 2000, Ruutli has a surprise or two of his own up his sleeve for Trapattoni and the 14,000 sell-out crowd.

New York Red Bulls striker Joel Lindpere won’t make the starting team tonight after returning from a self-imposed exile, a comeback locals feel only became a possibility when Robbie Keane’s LA Galaxy dumped Thierry Henry’s team out of the play-offs last week.

Lindpere has kept his head down since his return to the fold on Monday but Ruutli hinted at yesterday’s briefing the attacking midfielder will feature at some stage against Ireland.

“We have a new name for him since he returned, we are calling him the joker now,” revealed Ruutli as Estonia look to follow Latvia’s lead from 2004 and qualify for the Euros via the play-offs.

“Latvia’s success in getting to Portugal is one of the things we have been thinking about,” said Ruutli. “They reached the European finals so why not Estonia? We will try also to do what they did and to reap the benefits of the hard work we have put in.

“This has been an ongoing job. We have not suddenly reached the top. For more than 10 years now, we have been working hard in Estonian football.

“Our players have started to move abroad and play in better teams and better leagues and it making a difference. We saw that in the qualifiers when we had some luck as well as some success. We have worked for this.”

Midfielder Martin Vunk, who now earns his living with the Cypriot side Famagusta, is one of those involved tonight who has benefited from the investment in playing talent by the Estonian FA.

“The big difference for us now is experience,” said Vunk yesterday. “We have played together for some years now and we have grown stronger with every game. We are gaining confidence from our results and we feel better with every game.

“We can win now against big teams away from home as well as here in Tallinn. We know Ireland are a good team in defence, well organised and with strikers and wingers who are dangerous. But this is an okay draw for us.”