"Something that you feel will find its own form"

Il Trap!

Change, they say, is the only constant -and for Irish football, it has been a year of momentous change. Steve Staunton’s tenure – record-breaking in its own grim horror – was finally consigned to the history books and in his stead the unthinkable has happened. The first ever Ireland manager to hail from outside these islands was appointed for the FAI’s most lucrative ever contract (with a little help, for the first time ever, from an Irish millionaire) after the longest managerial search ever. The man’s record-breaking achievements in the Italian and European game require no repeating here, and at 69, Trapattoni is also our oldest manager ever. John Delaney’s comments in the wake of Staunton’s ousting – “because of recent results and performances, we have been forced to change” – hinted at a shift in policy, confirmed by the appointment of the Don Givens Magi and the FAI’s thinly-veiled disdain for Terry Venables, although nobody knew then just how seismic this change might be. Responding to the flattered incredulity of an Irish media still rubbing their eyes at the sight of Trapattoni waving an Irish scarf in the RDS, the new capo shrugged when asked why he chose Ireland: “I have always sought a challenge to bring out the best in me”, he said. “I look for another challenge every one, two, three years.  I change.” Continue reading →