Door stays open for Ireland’s return

ONCE again, Giovanni Trapattoni has refused to close the door to Stephen Ireland, even though the Manchester City player has been recently quoted as saying that he will not play for his country again.

Speaking in Dublin yesterday, the manager appeared to harbour doubts about the accuracy of an interview with Ireland in which the player accused the Italian of arrogance and of taking calls on four telephones during a meeting to discuss his international future.

Trapattoni said that he could not remember if he took a call at any stage during their talks but maintained that in an important meeting like that, his habit would be to switch his phone off. As for Ireland’s claims that he was arrogant, Trapattoni said that it would be worth asking the opinion of others who were in the room at the time, including the player’s agent, Willie McKay, as well as Liam Brady and Marco Tardelli.

“You know me,” Trapattoni said to the members of the football media in Dublin. “You can believe or not if that is how Trapattoni speaks to players. Or ask other players.”

The manager added that he would like to speak to Ireland to see if he really said what he was reported as saying. “I would like to meet him and ask him directly: do you think that I was arrogant?” Trapattoni said. Clearly less than convinced by everything he reads in the papers, Trapattoni also expressed the view that Ireland might have been riled by the manager’s previously likening the player’s sensitivity to that of a hedgehog which rolls up under stress – an image which inspired one tabloid to caricature Ireland as just that creature.

But more than the barbs aimed at himself, Trapattoni seemed disappointed by reports that Stephen Ireland did not wish to play for his country again.

“Maybe it’s true what he said in the newspaper,” the manager allowed. “And if it’s true that he is not coming back, then I am sorry about that. But he called himself out of the game. I never did that.”

Yet, even now, Trapattoni refuses to rule Ireland completely out of his plans.

“I think he can still change his mind,” said the manager.

“I hope he does. It will not be a problem for me.”