I can’t get over the negativity towards Trap

Probably the only good aspect of me being suspended and unavailable for the game against Kazakhstan was that I was able to get home for a few days to see friends and family. But while I was home, I couldn’t get over the negativity towards the Ireland manager, even in the build-up to the game.

I will obviously always be grateful to Mr Trapattoni for the chance he gave me to play for my country and I’d like to think I’ve repaid the faith he has shown in me.

Having said that, I don’t think I look at things through rose-tinted glasses.

From early on in my football career I’ve always looked at how managers treat players who aren’t in the starting 11 or squad, as this was often me in my early years at Wolves.

And it bemuses me to constantly see headlines saying that Mr Trapattoni doesn’t communicate with his players and things get “lost in translation”.

Only as recently as two weeks ago I had a phone call off the boss. I missed it but he left a message asking could I phone him back, please. I duly phoned him back and he told me that he would like me to join up for the Oman match in London. I explained to him that I was planning on using the two-week break to have an injection in my achilles, which has been niggling me for a few weeks. When he heard that, he had no problem excusing me from the game. In fact, his concern was whether I would be available for the games in October, but I assured him everything should be fine within two weeks.

And that was that. Seems simple enough to me, but maybe that’s because he doesn’t doubt me. We all know that the performance against Kazakhstan wasn’t anywhere near where we want to be and that we were extremely fortunate to come away with the three points.Although I didn’t get to see the game against Oman, from all the reports I’ve seen it seems to have been a worthwhile exercise.

After the Euros, I said it was important to have a closer look at fringe players and younger players and try and integrate them into the squad as, sometimes, if it’s the same faces for every trip, it can get stale and complacency can creep in. I think the manager used this friendly very well to reward some players who turn up for every trip and often don’t earn a cap, and also to have a close look at the new lads in the squad.

Robbie Brady has caught my eye whenever I’ve seen him play. He’s a very bright, lively and direct player with a lot of potential and I’m sure we will see a lot more of him. David Meyler is a player who has shown a hell of a lot of character to have come back from the injuries he has had in recent seasons, so it was a nice reward for him to get his first cap and impress.

The manager will have some tough decisions to make for next month’s crucial match against the Germans at the Aviva. There are always question marks when it comes to national team selection. There are people who say that you should be picked on current club form, but then others will argue the case that if you’ve produced the goods for your country, you deserve to keep your place in the team, regardless of what’s going on at club level. This all comes down to the manager’s preference, of course, and I’m sure the last two games will have given him plenty of food for thought.

There was also huge debate during and after the Euros about whether we should have changed shape to what some people see as a more modern formation, 4-3-3. I can see why people would favour this formation as the vast majority of nations now play with a lone striker and flood the midfield so they don’t get overrun. According to what he said to the press this week, the manager is contemplating a change in system for the match against Germany but, I guess we will have to wait until next month to find out.

One issue which has arisen again is the use — and abuse — of Twitter in football. In the aftermath of the Kazakhstan match, James McClean used Twitter to vent his frustration at not playing any part in the game.

I’m assuming from his deletion of the tweet very soon after it that he clearly regretted it. I know the manager and players certainly won’t have been happy with what he tweeted as we are a close-knit bunch and don’t like to air our dirty laundry in public. It’s a shame in a way as I think there is a place for footballers using Twitter, but clearly in the wrong hands it can be dangerous. Alex Ferguson has often said he doesn’t mind his players using Twitter — just as long as they don’t mention anything to do with Manchester United.

But putting everything else into perspective in the football world this week was the outcome of the investigation into the Hillsborough disaster. I was a boyhood Liverpool fan, as there were so many Irish players at the club around that time. In fact, I had been on my first trip to Anfield only a few months before this tragedy happened. I have always had a soft spot for Liverpool and have been to a lot of matches there down through the years.

I have many friends in the area too and I know what the outcome of this investigation will mean to the whole city.

The families of the victims and Liverpool fans have had to live with the pain and injustice for 23 long years. This week, at least, they have had some kind of vindication. The revelations in the report are nothing short of scandalous and I only hope that, finally, justice will be served, as there is clearly blood on a lot of people’s hands.

To hear that 41 of the people who that died that day could have survived is just heartbreaking. And the fans who survived the disaster have had to live with the stigma that they were to blame. At least now they can walk around with their heads held high, as everybody now knows exactly what they’ve known for all these years.