Podium: Have the FAI made the right decision

Yes, says Darren Norris

September 1, 2001, is a day etched into every Irish soccer fan’s mind. A combination of Roy Keane’s iron will and Jason McAteer’s match-winning goal saw off a star-studded Netherlands team and secured a play-off spot for the 2002 World Cup.

Significantly, it was also the last time Ireland defeated a top-ranked international team in competitive fare. It’s a sobering stat and perhaps one the FAI gave consideration to when they met to discuss Giovanni Trapattoni’s fate this week.

Of course a record of four defeats from the last six competitive games by an aggregate score of 15-2 doesn’t make for positive reading. But look at the opposition. Having disposed of Ireland in the Euros, Spain and Italy went on contest the final, Croatia were the competition’s hard luck story while Germany have reached, at a minimum, the semi-finals of the last four major competitions.

Those teams are operating at a vastly superior level to this Ireland side. Wielding the axe on Trapattoni for being found wanting against vastly superior opposition would have been misguided.

But ask yourself this if you’re still in the no camp. Who would replace Trapattoni and assure us passage through to the World Cup in Brazil? The alternatives, with the possible exception of former boss Mick McCarthy, were uninspiring. Roy Keane would have had his supporters but his managerial record is less than compelling and that’s before we mention his history with the FAI. Owen Coyle has just been sacked from Bolton while Chris Hughton is struggling at the foot of the Premier League with Norwich.

At that, would any of them want it? It’s not exactly enticing. Damien Duff and Shay Given have retired and there’s no flood of new talent emerging. Why would a Harry Redknapp, for instance, want the job?

Then there’s Ireland’s World Cup qualifying group.

Germany, despite their remarkable midweek implosion against Sweden, will probably win the group with the Swedes coming second. That will, in all probability, happen regardless of who’s sitting in the Ireland dugout and for one simple reason: Germany and Sweden are significantly stronger and, unlike Ireland, have a tradition of making finals tournaments.

The Germans, for instances, have been a standing dish at 17 of the 19 previous World Cup finals, the Swedes 11.

Ireland, in contrast, have made it to the finals just three times.

The financial issue would inevitably have been a factor in the FAI’s thinking. Paying off Trapattoni would have been costly, as would finding a replacement.

Trapattoni can also justifiably point out that his tenure has been a relative success. Performances have rarely been pretty but a record of two qualifying defeats and 1-0 play-off home loss to France in four years makes impressive reading.

That’s not to say he hasn’t made mistakes. His failure to attend games, his ongoing difficulties with the language, his tendency to alienate players and bizarre selection decisions has left him open to criticism. Like most, I’d like to see Shane Long, James McClean and James McCarthy start regularly. I’d like Wes Hoolahan and Anthony Pilkington brought into the squad.

But even if this happens it’s naive to think it will transform this team into world-beaters.

Trapattoni is a manager, not a magician. Keeping him was the right move.

No, says Miguel Delaney

On Tuesday night, Liam Brady said Ireland would be the “laughing stock of Europe” if the FAI sacked Giovanni Trapattoni.

Here’s the thing though: Ireland already came pretty close to that in the summer. Because, at Euro 2012, Ireland became the whipping boys like UAE 1990 and Canada 1986.

In other words, Ireland became one of those teams who, somewhat paradoxically, saw their reputation nosedive despite the fact they had actually done the hard part of qualifying and becoming one of the de facto 16 best teams in Europe.

It’s that contradiction which is at the root of the current debate.

Over the last few days, those who still back Trapattoni have simply pointed to the numbers: three defeats in 27 qualifiers, a first qualification in 10 years.

Pointedly, though, almost all of these numbers came before Euro 2012. The only ones that didn’t were victories over Kazakhstan and the Faroe Islands that should have been foregone conclusions.

The key question, then, is whether those previous successes are still relevant now.

The available evidence suggests not.

For the most pressing example, look at the very trait that actually got Ireland qualified: the defensive resilience.

The results of Euro 2012 completely eroded that quality. Because, whatever about conceding bucketfuls to the best in the world, it led to a situation where Ireland couldn’t even keep clean-sheets against Kazakhstan and the Faroes.

At the height of this week, one coach closely connected to a number of players in the squad suggested it was down to something deeper: “Once you lose what you had like that, it’s almost impossible to rebuild it.”

Of course, a further complication is that, because of the gradual dismantling of the core XI that were so solid up until 2012, Trapattoni now has to place more trust in the players he didn’t necessarily man-manage in the best way before.

And, despite the arguments put forward by Robbie Keane, there are simply a far greater number of stories coming out about how the majority have lost belief.

For those that doubt these accounts as a ‘media agenda’, it’s worth looking at it from another angle. When a manager’s team is starting to come apart, what are the general signs on the pitch? Well, the most obvious is, when something goes wrong, capitulation.

Classic examples came throughout the Steve Staunton era... and in the last four months.

This, really, is the crux of the issue.

When we look back at the Trapattoni era, one of the enduring positives other than qualification will be the manner in which he restored respectability after the embarrassment and chaos of the Staunton era. Except, now, all that has returned.

Here’s another big question: would the capitulations against Croatia, Spain and, most painfully, Germany have happened in the first two years of Trapattoni? If the answer is no, it’s come full circle. And it suggests something fundamentally broken.

If that’s truly the case, it’s likely the only solution is what happened the last time: a change of manager.