Having seen his side create a number of clear-cut chances against Wales only to draw a frustrating blank on Wednesday night, Giovanni Trapattoni was almost channelling Ray Parker Jr yesterday: If there’s something weird and it don’t look good, who ya gonna call? Goalbuster.

In a jailbreak to rival the acquisition of those three World Cup points in Kazakhstan, Giovanni Trapattoni was last night reaffirmed as manager of the Republic of Ireland by the FAI, ending days of feverish speculation about his position.

If Ireland are to regroup and successfully renew their World Cup campaign after Friday’s humiliation, Marco Tardelli might be the man to get the players to put it behind them.

MANCHESTER CITY manager Roberto Mancini will hold talks with star striker Carlos Tevez tomorrow in a bid to persuade him to stay with the club.