John Delaney: ‘Tears were shed. It’s important we parted as friends’

Judging by the extensive reporting yesterday of the conversation that led to the dismissal as Irish manager of Giovanni Trapattoni, the Aer Rianta VIP area in Dublin Airport must have been a densely populated area on Wednesday morning.

The end of the Trapattoni affair was carried out in a dignified fashion. These things are important, even at a subliminal level. There is a lot of head-scratching and sympathy for Trap not only in Italy but across Europe, where many believe his progress with Ireland has not been appreciated, much less understood, here.

Whether the posturing and media pressure to replace the 74-year-old Italian legend facilitates an orderly succession stakes remains to be seen. A lot depends on timing and patience and ignoring much of the agent-speak that passes for insider info nowadays.