Denis O'Brien's interview from RTÉ Radio 1 's Drive Time programme yesterday

Denis O'Brien:"I was with Eddie Jordan in Dublin and we were talking about who was going to be made the team manager and he basically said to me that we should give a hand out and maybe get somebody really good and then I immediately contacted John Delaney and told him on a no strings based, you know . . . look that if you need any sponsorship that I'd be happy to help out."

Mary Wilson:"This isn't sponsorship, or, is it?"

O'Brien:"Sorry, not sponsorship. It's a straightforward meeting 50 per cent of the cost of the new manager and his assistant."

Wilson:"I got a text saying that getting someone of Trapattoni's quality was going to cost four times the cost of Steve Staunton. You are meeting 50 per cent of that cost?"

O'Brien:"That's correct."

Wilson:"This is a significant amount of money even to a man as wealthy as Denis O'Brien."

O'Brien:"Well look. What do we need? It's about getting the best person. The FAI and John Delaney in particular want to get the right person and whatever that was going to cost, you know . . . this is money well spent because I think it is going to be a fillip for the team. . ."

Wilson:"Did you have a name in mind yourself?"

O'Brien:"I wrote to John Delaney and said: 'Look. I don't want to have anything to do with the board, the FAI, John Delaney, the chief executive and the committee they set up'."

Wilson:"There must have been a bit of worry though between the FAI and yourself about the type of influence that amount of money could bring with it."

O'Brien:"Absolutely no influence at all Mary because that was put in writing to the FAI at an early stage. Absolutely zero. I've made it a condition that number one the money that was being provided to pay . . ." (line breaks up)

Wilson:"The line is breaking up Denis O'Brien but are you delighted with the decision that the three-man panel has made?"

O'Brien:"I'm delighted. And I think John Delaney and the board of the FAI deserve a lot of credit for what they've done."

Wilson:"There has been criticism of the delay in finding a manager . . . Were you party to the process that has gone on more than the rest of us?"

O'Brien:"Well I knew what was happening obviously because John Delaney kept me in the loop. But I'm a great believer in that if you hire the right people . . . and waiting three or four months was necessary in landing the right person for the job."

Wilson:"Have you ever met Trapattoni?"

O'Brien:"No I haven't. No I haven't."

Wilson:"Have you followed his career?"

O'Brien:"I have yes. I've 'Googled' him and he's a terrific manager."

Wilson:"Had you become disillusioned by the national team and our results internationally?"

O'Brien:"I think everybody was a bit disappointed because we have a coterie of very high quality players, playing at a very high level. Just to put one reason or another, the team haven't been able to perform. I think with the leadership of Trapattoni and the assistant manager and the help of other people and the team within the FAI, hopefully they will be able to bring back the glory days to Irish soccer."

Wilson:"Good and all as the manager is do we have the players."

O'Brien:"If you take (Kevin) Doyle, I think he's playing terrifically well for Reading. You've got (Stephen) Hunt, you've got Shay Given. You've got six or seven players who are right in the middle of the top echelons of Premier League players. So that's a fairly good nucleus for a team in the future. Anyway I'm sure the manager has looked at the squad and he feels the raw material is there to go on and bring success back to the team."

Wilson:"Does it feel good this evening to be the man who made it all possible?"

O'Brien:"There's as many as 10 people involved in this so look . . ."

Wilson:"You made the difference financially."

O'Brien:"I think all the credit should go to John Delaney and the committee. I think the FAI and the criticism they received over the three months was very, very hard but they stuck to their guns and now they've got the right person."