Trap right to take comfort in the familiar

This afternoon we line up at the Aviva Stadium against one of the few European nations we have never faced before.

Bosnia-Herzegovina mightn’t know us very well, just as we don’t know them, but then is there anything much to learn about Giovanni Trapattoni’s Ireland that the Italian hasn’t already laid in full view on the table? The fine Irish football website, Greenscene.me, regularly publishes a ‘Trapattoni Index’, where it ranks the form of Ireland’s squad contenders based on their domestic performances.

We have a feeling Trap doesn’t pay it much attention.

Something Stephen Hunt idly mentioned in midweek suggested there will be few surprises when we land in Poland. Trap isn’t really interested in the games they play at the training camp, Hunt suggested, doesn’t really watch the two-touch stuff.

“He’s mainly interested in his tactics,” he continued, implying no criticism in that statement. But it has to be bad news for any of the hopefuls eyeing promotion from the fringes. Trap’s plan for this tournament is set in stone and a show of form, either in training or this afternoon, is unlikely to persuade him to tamper with his tactical foundations.

And now that he has taken us this far, we should let him get on with it. While the clamour has gone up in previous friendlies for novelty selections and crowd-pleasing substitutions; this -within the boundaries injuries allow — is a time to work. A time to drill and practise the good habits and discipline we will rely on next month.

We might have seen it all before but, then, when the serious business starts, let’s hope we’ll be taking comfort in the familiar.