Tardelli: Show some respect
Giovanni Trapattoni normally does the morning after the match before press conferences but, doubtless still smarting from all the questions the previous night which concentrated on the missing men rather than the merits of the 5-0 win against Northern Ireland, the manager opted to send his assistant out to bat for him at the clubhouse in Gannon Park yesterday.
Tardelli is among the most jovial of men but even he was showing the strain as he began by saying: “Better to speak about the players who are here because they deserve it.”
At one point in what might be best described as a lively session, he was even obliged to sit back and have an exchange between journalists and the FAI’s press officer translated for him.
After persistent questioning, Tardelli generated some light amidst the heat, even if the detailed background to the withdrawals from the squad of James McCarthy, Marc Wilson and Jonathan Walters remains elusive.
What’s clear now is that, officially, the three have been ruled out of Sunday’s friendly with Scotland and the Euro qualifier against Macedonia with injuries: McCarthy with that disputed ankle problem, Wilson with a hamstring and Walters with a shoulder injury.
Better news is that Glenn Whelan and Keith Fahey, although both require scans, are expected to join the camp in the next 24 to 48 hours.
Around those bald details still swirls a fog of confusion, but Tardelli attempted to cut through it yesterday with an impassioned plea for some basic respect.
Addressing the FAI’s querying of Wigan’s medical assessment of McCarthy, Tardelli said: “It’s not that they (the FAI) didn’t believe him but the scan which they received didn’t give a clear sign of a bad injury or a difficult injury. What we are saying is he could have come in (and been assessed by the FAI’s medical staff) and then gone back to his club.”
But then he quickly moved on to what, as far as the Irish management is concerned, is regarded as the heart of the matter.
“The problem with James McCarthy is not if he comes or not, the problem is the behaviour,” he said. “Mary O’Brien (of the FAI’s International Department) sent him the message and he never answered. Mary O’Brien is a woman who works for the FAI.
“She needs respect. Also you (the media) need respect. Why you ask me always about James McCarthy? Ask James McCarthy. We respect allplayers. We deserve respect like the Irish people, the journalists, the FAI and Mary O’Brien. Giovanni and I went to Wigan in a car, a three hour journey (to meet McCarthy).
“We spoke with James. I think the FAI, Giovanni, me, we need all Irish players. James McCarthy has a problem, he has an injury. The season for James McCarthy was very hard. He played with the problem in his ankle. I believe him, I believe(Anthony) Stokes, I believe the other players. But sometimes it’s possible to come here to be assessed by the doctor and then go back. “For us, there isn’t any problem.”
Tardelli insisted that this week’s controversy does not mean that the Ireland management team will not call up the players concerned again. However, by emphasising the commitment of the players who have been in camp, he implied that the missing men will have their work cut out to make up lost ground, “If McCarthy, Waters and Wilson come here and are injured, and others come in and do well, then we must decide,” he said. ” If (Stephen) Ward plays well, scores a goal, why must I pickWilson? I will pick the player who is better at that moment. But every player has a future in the Ireland team.”
Tardelli was visibly on much happier ground when the talk turned to some of the impressive performances in Tuesday night’s 5-0 stroll in the park against Northern Ireland, a game in which Keith Andrews, in particular, made a strong claim to regain a starting place against Macedonia. “Keith Andrews hasn’t played a lot, he was injured for a half season and he only started to play three or four weeks ago,” said Tardelli. “But he’s good, he’s fit now. We have a good options for the match against Macedonia but we don’t know if we will have all players yet. (Aiden) McGeady plays on May 29 and (Shane) Long on May 30. Before that (John) O’Shea and (Darron) Gibson (are in the Manchester United squad for the Champions League final). We will need every player. But I think Andrews is fit now and we will watch him play again against Scotland on Sunday. Also today, (Darren) O’Dea worked hard in training, so it’s possible he will play on Sunday too.”
And Tardelli insisted that it was solely in the interests of protecting him for Skopje that a clearly unhappy Robbie Keane was substituted when still chasing goals against the North.
“We understand, because he wants to reach 49 or 50 goals and become the first player to reach 50 in Ireland or Britain,” he said. “But there are many matches and, for this week, he needs to play 70 minutes and maybe 45 (against Scotland). We are looking for him to be fit against Macedonia.”
