EURO 2012 PLAY-OFF:AS GIOVANNI Trapattoni provided the strongest suggestion yet that Kevin Kilbane need not wait until the outcome of the play-offs is known to book his holidays for next summer, the Italian insisted yesterday his strikers rather than their clubs will decide whether they are fit enough to take part in the game against Estonia.
The Italian named his 26-man preliminary squad for the games at Abbotstown where he revealed that not only has he decided to omit the Derby County full-back (who must have hoped for a recall after recovering from a back and hamstring problem to come on for the club at the weekend) but that Damien Delaney, who is initially on standby for the games himself, is now ahead of the 34-year-old in the manager’s pecking order.
Less surprising than Kilbane’s dramatic fall from favour so close to the end of the qualification campaign was the decision to include both Robbie Keane and Shane Long in the panel for the game.
Rather more startling, however, was Trapattoni’s apparent confidence regarding Keane’s ability to feature in at least one of the games despite the continuing doubts about his fitness expressed by officials at LA Galaxy and his optimism about Long’s potential involvement just a couple of days after West Bromwich Albion manager Roy Hodgson publicly ruled him out.
Keane, the manager said, has told him he wants to play and will travel home from the US, the 72-year-old insisted, regardless of whether he features for this club in Sunday’s or next Thursday’s play-off semi-final games against the New York Bulls.
The player would, however, have an additional chance to prove his fitness in the US if the club progress to the Western Conference final which is scheduled for Sunday week.
The FAI’s medical staff, meanwhile, have been in touch with their counterparts at West Brom and, with the player privately suggesting he is not a lost cause for the games, Trapattoni seems intent on giving the 24-year-old absolutely every chance to upset his new employers.
“He (Keane) is the captain, he has experience and this is a very important game so if he is fit he will play,” said Trapattoni.
“Obviously it would be nice if his (club) doctor says that he is fit but we can decide.”
As for Long, he said: “He was also positive with me. He didn’t break his cruciate ligaments; that’s the most important thing. After that we can see.”
He suggested too little time had passed since the striker sustained the injury in the Premier League game against Aston Villa to make a definitive judgment on his fitness.
Although Hodgson seemed pretty definitive earlier this week about the extent of the injury, Trapattoni maintained the situation should become a little clearer over the next few days but insisted Long is in the squad with a view to playing, at the very least, some part in the second game.
Trapattoni could certainly do with at least one of them turning up in good shape because he hasn’t equipped himself with a whole lot of options.
With Kevin Doyle definitely out of the first game, it had been thought he might recall Leon Best, Caleb Folan or Anthony Stokes but he has passed on all three, observing that the Newcastle striker will be drafted in if others are forced out but insisting that Andy Keogh, who is “clever, fast and lucky” should not be forgotten about.
In the couple of weeks since the draw was made, Trapattoni said, he had had plenty of time to study the games played by Estonia over the course of the recent campaign and he had, he said, developed a healthy respect for Ireland’s opponents.
“Brian Kerr sent me his observations, his reports on the team and I agree with him. He said what I think of this team; they have a strong mentality, they are compact and they work very hard for the result.”
Having played on Ireland’s perennial status as underdogs, however, he refused to concede Ireland go into the game this time as favourites.
“‘Favourites’ isn’t in my vocabulary,” he said, and when pressed on the fact that the names “David” and “Goliath” both are and have regularly been used to describe Ireland’s standing in respect of more highly-rated opposition, he seemed genuinely taken aback by the idea that his side might now be Goliath.
“No, no,” he almost spluttered in surprise. “We’re the same, we’re both Davids.”
The manager seemed similarly startled when the suggestion, made by FAI chief executive John Delaney recently, that the poor attendances at international games might be partly attributable to the style of football Trapattoni employs. “Perhaps he has forgotten what has happened, not just here but in Italy and the other countries, that has left people without the money to go to football matches.”
And asked about reports that he had said he might walk away in the event Ireland qualify and the management team’s contractual position is not resolved, he insisted that he had only meant that from an entirely factual standpoint, as long as their futures aren’t resolved they might stay or they might go.
“I don’t feel that I need to force this issue,” he said. “I believe that we have done a good job.”
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND SQUAD
Sha y GivenAston Villa Keiren WestwoodSunderland David FordeMillwall John O'SheaSunderland Stephen KellyFulham Stephen WardWolves Richard DunneAston Villa Sean St LedgerLeicester City Darren O'DeaLeeds Utd Paul McShaneHull City Glenn WhelanStoke City James McCarthyWigan Athletic Seamus ColemanEverton Keith AndrewsIpswich Town Keith FaheyBirmingham City Darron GibsonManchester United Andy KeoghLeeds Utd Damien DuffFulham Aiden McGeadySpartak Moscow Stephen HuntWolves Liam LawrencePortsmouth Robbie KeaneLA Galaxy Kevin DoyleWolves Shane LongWest Brom Simon CoxWest Brom Jon WaltersStoke City
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)