Houghton plays down Trap health fears

GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI’s age and health was not a concern when the FAI approached him to be Ireland manager, according to Ray Houghton.

The 71-year-old Italian’s poor health forced him to miss last night’s friendly against Argentina at the Aviva stadium after he required stomach surgery. Houghton was one of the three-man panel assigned to source the new man after Steve Staunton’s departure in 2008 alongside Don Givens and Don Howe. And despite the then 69-year-old’s advancing years, Houghton said the trio were not concerned about his ability to do the job on a long term basis.

“No, not when you saw him,” Houghton said yesterday at the launch of Boylesports’ ‘Road to a million’ competition. “Look at Alex Ferguson, you wouldn’t say he’s too old and there is not a huge difference in age between him and Mr Trapattoni. Today, managers are tested more regularly than any other time.

“Lets hope he’s going to be okay. I think you can read too much into it. When we spoke to him, that wasn’t a factor at all because when you listen to him and speak to him, he lives his life in the right way, he eats the right things and his body is a temple.

“Look at him, he’s always working out, he trains with the lads and I think, at his age, it shows he is focused on the job in hand and what he wants to achieve. Everyone takes ill, it doesn’t come back to age. The fact is he’s lived his life in a really good way, his body is his temple.

“He tells players off for eating certain foods that he doesn’t believe are right for professional footballers. If you look at him, there is not a lot to him, he’s not excessive in any way. I think he is a role model for young managers.”