Hunt: Ireland ‘let the side down’ but would be welcomed back
Speaking on RTÉ’s ‘Tubridy Tonight’ on Saturday, the Reading man said his fellow midfielder would be welcomed back by the Irish players, but suggested that Ireland could expect “a slagging” over the background to his exile.
Recent reports from Ireland’s club Manchester City have cast doubt on the player’s desire to return to international duty, although it is expected that Giovanni Trapattoni, when he takes over as Irish manager next month, will attempt to change his mind.
Although Ireland’s exit in Bratislava has come to be known, for well-publicised reasons, as ‘Grannygate’, it was subsequently reported that in the build-up to that game — a 2-2 draw in which Ireland scored — the player had been bullied by his team-mates over his rather startling new hair-do.
One report had it that he was held down and had his hair pulled by two team-mates, an accusation which was roundly dismissed by Stephen Hunt at the time.
“The articles were wrong,” the Reading man said then. “I don’t know where this business of him being held down on the ground by two players came from, that’s stupid. It never happened.”
There was, Hunt said, banter, but “there’s always banter. You only don’t get banter if people don’t like you. Can you imagine how much stick I get over my hair?”
And he added: “If he got bullied I’d say it, but he wasn’t. We were disappointed he didn’t stay and play. He’s got his own problems and he’s got to deal with it, but only Stephen Ireland can deal with it and that’s it. We’ve all had hard childhoods and he has to be a man. He’s playing in the big boys’ world now and it’s difficult.”
Meanwhile, Bobby Robson believes the England team should be led by a British manager and feels Giovanni Trapattoni could have been a better choice before he became Republic of Ireland manager.
The former England manager has tipped Gareth Southgate to be a future England manager and believes Fabio Capello is hampered by his lack of English.
“Mark Hughes or Martin O’Neill were as good as anyone around. Harry Redknapp would not have been a bad choice at all. But the FA expanded the search and talked to Capello – big track record, big player, Real Madrid, Roma, Juventus – he’s been successful there, so they’ve gone for him.
“But wait and see, I’m not so sure.”
Trapattoni succeeded Steve Staunton as Republic boss in February and Robson believes he could have been a better choice than his fellow Italian.
“He is very experienced, good track record, good CV, been at big clubs and speaks decent English, better than Capello. Well, Capello can’t speak the language can he?
“At half-time, how can you communicate tactics to a player if you can’t talk to him.”
Trapattoni’s Red Bull Salzburg finally relinquished the Austrian Bundesliga title yesterday afternoon despite the Italian orchestrating a 2-0 win in what was his last home game in charge at the Red Bull Arena.
It had been a big ask but not mathematically impossible, but Rapid Vienna’s 3-0 victory at home to Cashpoint SCR Altach handed the league to the Austrian capital club with one round of games still to go.
Rapid had earlier this month handed out a crushing 7-0 hammering of Salzburg which all but guaranteed them a 32nd title at the expense of Trapattoni’s current employers.
Robson also backed Boro boss Southgate as a future England manager, saying: “Gareth Southgate will turn out to be a very fine England manager. He speaks well, he played for England, he is an educated boy.”
Meanwhile, tickets are available for the May 24 game between Ireland and Serbia at Croke Park (kick-off 7.30pm), Trapattoni’s first match in charge.
Tickets can only be purchased by logging on to Ticketmaster.ie or by phoning 0818 719 300.
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