Trapattoni not one to turn a drama into a crisis

Giovanni Trapattoni’scommand of English might still be slippery but Ireland’s manager couldn’t have been clearer in enunciating his reply when askedyesterday if his relationship with his players was still as good as it had been before the European Championships. “One hundred per cent,” he said, “I can sense it.”

The question had arisen on the back of the weekend news that Darron Gibson had withdrawn from the squad for Friday’s World Cup qualifier in Kazakhstan, bringing to four the number of players Trapattoni has lost since the summer. First there was KevinFoley, who made clear his disaffection with the manager after becoming a late selection casualty in the immediate run-up to the tournament. Then came the retirements of Shay Given and Damien Duff, and now Everton’sGibson, smarting from being overlooked at the Euros, has become the latest to make himself unavailable.