Delaney: Four wins now the goal

FAI chief executive John Delaney has challenged Giovanni Trapattoni to lead Ireland to four wins from their remaining five World Cup qualifiers.

Ireland are currently level with Austria and Sweden on eight points in the chase for second place in the group. Given that runaway group leaders Germany have only lost once at home in over in 12 years, Delaney’s target will likely mean Ireland having to claim maximum points from the September double-header against Sweden and Austria.

“We’re running out of games to catch up,” admitted Delaney at Cavan Box Park in Ballyjamesduff.

“It would have been a bit easier had we won against Austria, but we move on. Our challenge is to try and win at least four of our last five games.

“We were very unfortunate to only get two points from the games against Sweden and Austria. We deserved more, but we have the Faroe Islands next [in June] and we should win that.

“Then, there’s the big one in September when we have Sweden at home and Austria away. Those will be the defining games.”

Any chance Ireland had of reaching Brazil automatically vanished in October when group favourites Germany dished out a 6-1 hammering in Dublin. The nature of that defeat almost cost Trapattoni his job until Delaney and his board handed the Italian a reprieve after they won 4-1 in the Faroe Islands.

“A lot of us were very disappointed when we were beaten 6-1 by Germany,” said Delaney. “It was a poor result and a poor performance. It was something that was really embarrassing for us all — not only for me a chief executive, but as an Irish football supporter which I am.”