Trap improved Ireland’s position

Now most of the Irish sports media, and top commentators such as Eamon Dunphy and, to some extent, Johnny Giles, can gloat over the departure of Ireland soccer manager Giovanni Trapattoni, a very costly national football coach for the last five years, following pressure from all sides, primarily from the fans.

As a former long-standing correspondent from Ireland for Italian sports papers, I have witnessed the ups and downs of Ireland, especially before and after the Charlton era.

If it is true that every town in Ireland should have a statue dedicated to big Jack for his triple achievements from 1988 to 1994, it is also true that ever since, with the exception of the Mick McCarthy and Brian Kerr’s tenures, Ireland did slide down into insignificance until Trapattoni took over. This is something that the Irish fans’ fraternity, which is notoriously a ruthless judge of the national team’s affairs, has forgotten in Ireland’s case.