Soccer

Shay Given tells FAI to act quick and replace Trapattoni

Former Ireland goalkeeper says Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane the realistic choices

Former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given. Photograph: Donall Farmer/Inpho
Former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Shay Given. Photograph: Donall Farmer/Inpho
Thu Sept 12 2013 - 19:48

Shay Given has advised the FAI to appoint a successor to Giovanni Trapattoni before the final two World Cup qualifiers against Germany and Kazakhstan next month.

The former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper believes the new man, whoever he may be, will learn more from seeing his players in competitive action than he will from a series of friendlies in the the lead up to the Euro 2016 qualifiers next September.

"I think the sooner it is done the better and make a decision as quick as possible," he told RTÉ. "Get the new manager for these games next month and he can look players that are there already, freshen things up and bring some of his own ideas and new players in.

“It is all well and good doing that in friendlies but I think it is even better if a new manager can do it in competitive games. I think it is important we don’t finish with a whimper, that we get good results and try and finish as high as we can.”

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Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane, he says, are more realistic candidates than Mick McCarthy (Ipswich Town) or Chris Hughton of Norwich City (who, along with Leeds manager Brian McDermott, ruled himself out today) because they are not attached to clubs that would need to be paid off.

Given also insisted Trapattoni deserves a lot of credit for the job he did in getting Ireland to Euro 2012.

“Personally I think people should be grateful for what he did,” said the Donegalman. “From day one, he said the most important things was the results and he wasn’t overly bothered with how we play. We can’t all play like Barcelona and the most important thing is results and qualification. It was 10 years since we qualified for a major tournament and Trapattoni got us there.

“He has to be remembered for that. We missed out in Paris that night, we qualified for the next one and this one has been disappointing and he lost his job. I don’t think we should be too negative. I think we should be thanking him for the job he done. He even admits himself it is the right time for him to step down and freshen it up and we move on to the next chapter.”