Tardelli defends text policy as Doyle still fumes

Marco Tardelli has responded to Kevin Doyle’s disappointment at being notified of his axing from the Irish squad by text, saying that it’s normal for the team management to contact the players in this way.

Hardly the most outspoken of players, the extent of Doyle’s annoyance may be judged by the fact he took to the Wolves website yesterday to express his disappointment at the impersonal manner in which he had been informed that he would not be in the final squad of 23 for the World Cup qualifiers against Sweden tomorrow in Stockholm and Austria next Tuesday in Dublin.

Explaining that he discovered the message on his phone after captaining Wolves and scoring the winner against Bristol City at the weekend, Doyle said: “I was very disappointed to come in after the game to a text message saying I wasn’t to travel to Ireland to join up with the squad.