Given raring to go, insists Kelly

No offence to Alan Kelly, but you know it’s a quiet day in camp when a couple of television crews and a battery of photographers are waiting on the steps of the media hotel in Sopot for the arrival of Ireland’s goalkeeping coach.

In fact, the affable Kelly is the first to recognise the irony of the situation, hamming it up for the cameras by giving a regal wave when he steps out of the car and then, when he has taken his solitary seat at the top table, referring in deadpan fashion to the “three press conferences I’ve done in 16 years”.

And while, as you would expect, Kelly remains first and foremost a team player whose loyalty is to the management and players, not the media, he is still able to draw on his insider’s access and vast experience as an international keeper and coach to shed light on the burning issues of Shay Given’s fitness and the reasons why Giovanni Trapattoni surprised everyone by suddenly deciding to give his players the day off yesterday.

The good news he has to impart about Ireland’s No 1 is that, if the opening group game was taking place tonight, Given would be fit to play. As for the real thing on Sunday against Croatia in Poznan, Kelly said there is “no doubt” the keeper will be between the posts.

And lest anyone still failed to get the message, he added: “Wild horses wouldn’t keep him from being on that pitch.”

Yet, for all that, it’s clear the Irish management are keeping a very close eye on a player whose knee and calf problems over the last couple of weeks — not to mention those pesky blisters — have seen his input into squad training significantly restricted. And what Kelly calls the “less is more” approach to managing all that wear and tear now looks like it will be maintained for the duration of Ireland’s stay at the Euros. But the main problem right now, according to Kelly, is keeping the reins on a man who wants to be at it full-time on the training pitch.

“He’s absolutely unbelievable, like a force of nature,” he said. “Fortunately, I room with him as well as coaching him, and I say to him, ‘Look at me, I walk funny and my hands are gnarled’ so let’s just calm down a bit.

“From my point of view as a coach, it’s saying I know what you’re going through, I know what you’ve been through, let’s just rein back. Sometimes, less is more. In terms of assessing all of the players on a day by day situation, you can’t just have tunnel vision. You’ve got to assess it in a different light because the ultimate aim is for everyone to be ready for Sunday’s game.”

Kelly said it has always been the plan for Given to only play one half in Budapest on Monday night, and pointed to the keeper’s superb display against Hungary as all the evidence anyone should need that his recentinjury problems are not impacting on his ability to do the job.

But while the management could haul him to safety in that game and subsequently protect him in training, it will obviously be outside their control how the keeper’s body stands up to 90 minutes of competitive battle on Sunday. For now, they’re only concerned with getting him there in the best possible shape.

And the same applies, in varying degrees, to all Given’s colleagues, which is why Trapattoni made the decision to let the players kick back and recharge their batteries at their hotel in Sopot yesterday.

But when I asked Kelly if it had been a top-down decision or — in light of Aiden McGeady’s comments about feeling a bit fatigued — one prompted by the players, he left his listeners with the clear impression that there had been some two-way discussion going on before Trapattoni made his call.

“The players can and do approach the manager, of course they do,” he said. “The manager decided on the back of the Hungary game, the travelling and maybe a few niggles and what have you, to say, shut down. It would be remiss to come out and say that he doesn’t speak to Robbie or anyone else. He has a very good relationship with the players. He says to them, ‘if you have a problem come and speak to me’.

“For me, when he said ‘we’re shutting down’, I think that was an assessment of the travelling and of conversations that he would have with players. To say those conversations don’t happen, wouldn’t be right. He might ask players, ‘how are you feeling, how are you doing?’ and depending on the answer he’ll make a judgement on that. That’s his experience.”