Kerr battles woes with wit and wisdom

BRIAN KERR’S trademark Dublin wit was much in evidence after training yesterday in Malahide when he strove to banish World Cup concerns at the number of first-choice players ruled out of tomorrow’s opening qualifier against Cyprus.

Ireland’s manager dealt in his usual breezy fashion with all queries relating to the absence of Roy Keane, Matt Holland and Liam Miller, and even managed to put a positive spin on the news that Jason McAteer had announced his retirement and Rory Delap had confirmed he would not be travelling to Dublin.

Southampton’s Delap became the latest player forced by injury to scratch from a squad now reduced to 20, but Kerr said: “The players who are here are the ones who have played consistently before the friendly matches started (at the end of last season) and during the friendly matches they showed the commitment to the cause.”