Trap’s way the right way, says Hunt

STEPHEN HUNT is adamant Ireland can make a major impact on next summer’s European Championships and the Wolves midfielder is just as certain he can too.

The former Reading winger has long been a strong advocate of this Ireland side and their manager and he was characteristically upfront and unequivocal last night when asked if Giovanni Trapattoni should be handed a new two-year deal by the FAI.

“How could you say anything else with the record we have with him and where we were before that? Let’s not forget that either. When we qualified for World Cups and stuff like that Packie Bonner used to grab the ball and boot it as far as he could.

“We have different players in the team now. Smaller players. They were heads above us so we do play a bit of football. There is a bit of a myth and I have said it before … we are direct but we’re not as direct as what got us to World Cups years ago.

“We’re not Brazil and we’re not going to turn into a team that plays like Spain. Nobody is and Spain got beat playing like that (against England). We are what we are. Positive. I really want to have a go at a few people but I won’t because we have got a massive game on Tuesday.”

When Hunt lets go he does so with both barrels. His most memorable – and withering – line was delivered two years ago when branding Eamon Dunphy a “skinny little rat” after the pundit’s criticisms of a 2-2 draw with Italy.

The general volume of criticism has plummeted since Friday’s 4-0 win in Estonia and, with an impressive run of games without defeat and a stingy defence, Ireland will fancy their chances of making waves next summer.

“Hopefully we will qualify and we won’t change. We are set in our ways. Results have been positive and you don’t change winning habits. We are hard to beat. We can be very difficult to play against at times and that frustrates teams and it will frustrate teams if we qualify.”

Hunt aims to be front and centre.

A regular in the team for much of the last campaign, he has since had to make do with minutes off the bench in the bigger games but he is eager for that to change.

“The manager knows what I am capable of doing it is just about trying to get it across to him to get into the starting eleven and that can be difficult to do at times but he believes in me. I speak to him a bit and Marco as well.

“I know what he is thinking and I know what he is doing with the team. I just have to do more to raise the bar and get in it and that’s what I plan on doing the next six months if I can.”