Trapattoni insists Paris can be conquered

NEVER have those ‘Hope’ t-shirts which recast Giovanni Trapattoni as Barack Obama seemed more appropriate. Asked yesterday if Ireland can still qualify for the World Cup finals the manager answered, in so many words: “Yes, we can.”

Whether or not his comments for consumption in public and, more to the point, in the dressing room, accurately reflect his private thoughts, the veteran Italian did a convincing job in Malahide yesterday of accentuating the positive as Ireland prepare for the massive challenge of trying to turn their World Cup play-off around in Stade de France on Wednesday.

“Yesterday after the game I was a little bit sad because, as I said at the post-match press, we didn’t deserve to lose,” he said of Saturday’s defeat by the French in Croke Park.