Stand-in King decided to keep Trap shut

Caretaker Ireland manager Noel King says he contemplated contacting former manager Giovanni Trapattoni before naming his new Ireland squad but at the last moment decided against doing so.

“I didn’t consult him, no,” said King yesterday. “I was going to give him a ring. I should have given him a ring to say goodbye but I didn’t know how to do it because it’s not a nice time when you come to the end of your contract. I just let it go, really I did. I thought, maybe, it influences the discussion. The temptation was to do it. [But] I put the phone down.

“He’s a very successful international manager. He was very good to me with the U21s. He gave me players, he took some players. I was glad to see them going [to the seniors], honestly. I had no axe to grind and I thank him for his assistance.”

Although named in yesterday’s squad, Robbie Brady has withdrawn and Jon Walters is a major doubt for King’s first game as senior boss while, in response to the news that Germany will be without injured strikers Miroslav Klose and Mario Gomez for the October 11 meeting in Cologne, the Dubliner grinned broadly and said: “Best news of the morning. They probably don’t have a big squad, ya know.”