Tardelli and ‘the sheet list’

Marco Tardelli is generally an affable chap but his otherwise routine pitchside briefing for the media at Gannon Park yesterday took a mildly argumentative turn near the end.

The assistant manager had almost finished giving the latest team news ahead of the game against Germany when he was asked why Ireland haven’t played well since the end of the European Championship qualification campaign. The Italian appeared to find the question perplexing.

“We didn’t play well in Kazakhstan?,” he asked back, eyebrows raised. “That’s your opinion. My opinion is different. I watched the DVD. It’s different. We had the ball always and we play, we play.”

But Ireland were one down with three minutes to go?

“And in the second half we had a chance to score a goal. You know. It’s your opinion. I accept your opinion.”

So you’re content that the team is playing well?

“Yeah.”

As well as in the past?

“We have different players. And it’s a problem because there are many injured players. We lose the players with experience and we need time (for the new) players to understand and (gain) confidence. I think it’s difficult to obtain results in a short time but, for us, against Serbia and Kazakhstan and Oman, I think this team play ... I don’t know if we play well or not — if I say well or play well, you say not well or different, I’m sure.”

At which point, the modest rise in tension swiftly evaporated as the Italian inadvertently made reference to “the sheet list” when he meant the team sheet, his accent shortening the sound of the word “sheet” to something altogether more robust.

His point, after the laughter subsided, was that picking holes in the team sheet is “easy to say afterwards. It’s easy for you, the reporters to say, play bad or play well.”

So we’re the ones on the sheet list then? “Shit list,” Tardelli corrected with a grin, before heading off.