Senior players weighed in behind Trapattoni

An influential factor in Giovanni Trapattoni’s reprieve as Irish manager was that, in the aftermath of the 1-4 win in the Faroes, senior Irish players continued to support the manager, with Keith Andrews saying his loss would represent a huge blow.

“I’d be devastated,” said the Bolton Wanderers midfielder. “I think a lot of the players would. A lot of hype goes on outside the camp but it’s a very, very happy camp. We’ve been very successful under this manager and I think it would be a shame if that changes. We’re a million per cent behind the manager.”

The midfielder said that Trapattoni had given no indication he was feeling under pressure since the 1-6 loss to Germany last Friday “No, not in the slightest. He’s obviously been there and done it. It’s a stroll in the park for him.

“Certain managers under pressure when results haven’t gone to plan, their mood goes up and down and it can affect the players but the manager has remained constant throughout and is unfazed by everything that has happened. I think that’s very important, especially with younger members of the squad that have come in, the likes of James McCarthy and Seamus Coleman who have done ever so well. For younger players especially it’s important that the man at the helm is calm in these situations.”

However, Andrews accepted that players who were not getting picked might have a less rosy view of the Italians’ stewardship.

“I can understand that,” he said. “If I wasn’t playing, I wouldn’t be happy but at the end of the day there are certain things that go on within the camp. Players who don’t play regularly at club level, they can’t have too many complaints about going to the Faroes and not playing. The manager has decisions to make.”

Countering the tide of negative criticism of Trapattoni which flowed from the Euros through to the defeat by Germany, Andrews accentuated the positives.

“His record has been fantastic. We’ve only lost two qualifying games. He’s very calm and the manner we lost the other night wasn’t nice, we were all very, very down, but remained calm and kept us focused. He’s been there and done it. Thankfully, we went to the Faroes and got the job done.”

Was part of that wanting to do it for Trap?

“Yes I think so. From a personal point of view, this manager is the one who gave me my chance at international level and likewise a lot of other lads. When the chips are down, first and foremost you are playing for your country, trying to qualify for a World Cup.

Similarly, centre-half Darren O’Dea said that the players were acutely aware of the speculation about the manager’s position going into the game in Torshavn.

“We’d be lying if we said that we didn’t know what was going on, we’d seen and heard what was being written and said,” said the Toronto FC man. “Within our camp, truthfully, there are no doubts about where the manager is at. We had one very bad night and we’re not trying to get away from that. But in the long run the Germany games are not going to decide our fate, it’s games like this one (Faroes) that will or won’t.”