Royal Harte plays cool on international recall

READING’S Ian Harte says he’d welcome a return to international football if Giovanni Trapattoni picked up the phone but, for now, he’s happy to concentrate on matters domestic.

“If it (an international recall) comes, it comes, if it doesn’t, I’m not going to lose any sleep about it. I’m not getting any younger; I’m nearly 34 so the most important thing for me now is playing my best football for Reading.

“If I go away for 10 days (on international duty) I don’t get to see my two little girls and for me that’s the important thing now. If I get a call I do, if not I’m not really bothered,” said the former Leeds United defender.

Harte, who played his last game for Ireland in 2007, has been in impressive form since he moved from League One outfit Carlisle United at the end of August. He’s netted eight times already this season for Brian McDermott’s side as they bid for a place in the Championship play-offs.

Tomorrow Reading face Manchester City in the sixth round of the FA Cup and Harte believes an upset is possible.

He said: “We have players like Jimmy (Kébé) and Jobi (McAnuff) who can cause their defenders problems and our strikers can wreak havoc up front.”

Harte revealed Stephen Carr’s success in the twilight of his career was a major inspiration. “I know Stephen well and my agent looks after him as well. I know he was back in Ireland, he’d retired and I think it was the physio or the doctor at Birmingham who phoned him up and asked him to come across. The performances he’s been putting in for Birmingham and the journey to beat Arsenal and lift the cup at Wembley is pretty amazing.”