Trap is set

AT THE END of it all, three words suffice: worth waiting for.

It might have taken something like an eternity, and ultimately it might have emerged more by accident than design, but confirmation that Giovanni Trapattoni will be the new manager of the Republic of Ireland is news that everyone involved in Irish football can wholeheartedly welcome.

You certainly can't accuse the FAI of doing anything by halves. When they appointed Steve Staunton as gaffer of the national team, they took a punt on an almost wholly inexperienced management rookie. In the veteran coach, Trapattoni, an iconic figure in Italian and world football, they have gone to the other extreme. It's hard not to avoid using the words 'feast' and 'famine' as the landscape of the Irish game undergoes another seismic shift. One small step with Stan has given way to a giant leap for Irish football.