SOCCER:JUST weeks after Giovanni Trapattoni said he would like to remain on as manager of the Ireland team for the next World Cup campaign, Marco Tardelli has revealed he hopes to succeed his countryman at the helm when the now 72-year-old eventually departs.

“When and if Giovanni decides to step down, I would be very honoured to be able to stay here,” said the former Juventus midfielder, whose management career to date has never come close to matching the heights of his magnificent playing career.

Tardelli, though, launched a determined defence of the job done collectively so far by Ireland’s Italian management team, dismissing the suggestion their success or failure could be judged solely in terms of the side qualifying for or missing out on major championships.

Referring to the last World Cup campaign at yesterday’s launch of a new national five a side tournament (www.5s.ie), he observed: “We didn’t qualify, but we all know why we didn’t qualify and it didn’t mean we didn’t do a good job.

“Now we are first in the table with Russia and Slovakia. They are good teams and Ireland is a good team. And the work that we have done has been good. We have found many young players.

“Whether we qualify and there are contracts for us is not important. We have to evaluate all of the work that has been done so far; the project. It’s true that results are important, but let’s not forget that Ireland have gone up seven places in the world ranking.

“In the end, the FAI must decide what they want, but I think that the Irish people think that we have done a good job. The project is beginning. There are many younger players.”

Asked whether he hoped he and Trapattoni would get to discuss their futures with the association over the coming weeks, he insisted: “Now it’s important to prepare for Macedonia. After that we can see.”

Tardelli’s expression of interest in taking over from Trapattoni at some point is no surprise, but it is the first time the 56-year-old has unambiguously confirmed his hopes of doing so, with the World Cup winner having previously sought to avoid giving a direct answer to the question.

Tardelli has been in management for more than 20 years. He took over the Italy under-16 national team almost immediately after hanging up his boots and went on to take over at Serie B outfit Como, whom he guided to promotion.

He enjoyed some success with the Italy under-21s, but the course of his coaching career has been far from smooth. Como were soon relegated again, a short-lived stint at Inter ended fairly badly and he failed to make any great impact with the likes of Bari, Arezzo or the Egypt national team.

Having worked alongside Trapattoni since his appointment by the FAI three years ago, though, he is very familiar with the Ireland set-up at this stage and could, if the older man could manage to depart on a high, represent an attractive and, in the current climate, more affordable replacement at a time when there are still relatively few really strong Irish contenders for the position.