Big Jack’s trip down memory lane

JACK CHARLTON is to manage a team one last time at Lansdowne Road, 11 years after his highly successful decade in charge of Ireland came to an end.

The World Cup winner has agreed to manage a celebrity team which will take on a selection of Irish legends in a charity match at the Ballsbridge venue on May 23.

Charlton’s last game in charge of the Republic was a European Championship play-off defeat to Holland at Anfield late in 1995, so this game will be a belated chance for him to say a proper goodbye to the Irish public.

All proceeds will go to charities, both here in Ireland and abroad. The event is being put together by Jason McAteer’s Sport Aid organisation which held a similar event in Anfield last Easter in aid of the tsunami relief fund. That raised €750,000 and negotiations are being held with Sky to broadcast the event, while RTÉ and TV3 will also be approached.

Steve McManaman has been drafted in to give the celebrities’ team some much-needed professional experience after a heavy defeat last time in Anfield, while Robbie Fowler has also been approached. McAteer, Niall Quinn, Ronnie Whelan and Packie Bonnner - all of whom played for Ireland under Charlton - have also given their commitment to play with a number of famous Irish names from the worlds of football and showbiz to be added in due course.

“It’s fair to say that Jack Charlton has been absolutely top-drawer,” said Dave Lockwood, McAteer’s agent. “He actually had other plans. We spoke to his son John, who looks after him and the guy has just moved his whole schedule around. He can’t do enough. He is, I think, excited, which is an understatement.”

With the FAI making testimonials a thing of the past in recent years, McAteer admitted that the game will also be an opportunity for a number of former Irish players to bring some closure to their international careers.

“You don’t know when you are going to retire. My last game was Brazil at Lansdowne, which was great. I thought they were all clapping me but Brazil had just run out behind me. So it would be nice to go back and certainly get back on the pitch again with the likes of John and Ronnie, Packie and Quinny.”

Meanwhile, McAteer has backed Steve Staunton to bring Ireland back to the finals of a major tournament, claiming the former Aston Villa and Liverpool defender would be better able to understand what made players tick than his predecessor Brian Kerr.

McAteer claimed the decision to switch hotels, jettison a number of long-serving back-room staff and the heavy emphasis on videos studying the opposition did not find favour with the majority of the Irish players.

“Stan, I think, will take it back to the way it was and he will get the best out of the players because he knows how we ticked. I think you will see the right results. I think it was quite a shrewd appointment really.

“I don’t think anyone likes playing against us. Even when Brian was the manager no one really wanted to play against Ireland because they know they’re going to be in a hard game.

“I just think with the little tinkering that Stan will do, we will get that little spark back again. I can see him getting us to a major competition.”