http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnksdA8wgD8
Giovanni Trapattoni and Richard Dunne were understandably downbeat after last night’s defeat to Sweden, while the reaction of Liam Brady on RTE was a very interesting one indeed.
Ireland’s hopes of World Cup qualification all but died after a 2-1 defeat to Sweden at the Aviva Stadium last night; barring victory in Vienna on Tuesday and a miracle against Germany next month, it looks like our absence from a World Cup will extend to 16 years at least.
Given the manner of the defeat last night there was plenty of reaction to the performance and the fate of Giovannni Trapattoni, who is back under severe pressure after almost facing the sack this time last year.
In that regard, it was interesting to hear the thoughts of Liam Brady (see above), a former assistant to Trap in the Irish set-up, who has previously offered an impassioned defence of the veteran Italian on numerous occasions in the RTE studio, often causing a heated debate with Eamon Dunphy, Richie Sadlier and, to a lesser extent, John Giles, in the process.
Brady still stuck up for Trapattoni last night but he also said that “the manager will probably have to pay the price” and that “he knows the consequences” of last night’s performance and of the probable failure to qualify for Rio next summer.
Richard Dunne, who was excellent in his first competitive international since the Euros, tried to remain upbeat but it was clear to see how much he was hurting, while Trap himself spoke of the importance of the Austria game on Tuesday night, even if he must be starting to realise that the writing is on the wall for our qualification chances and his own future at this stage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI7wVftkkLA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQUAGDyrpQQ
Videos via YouTube/Jeffrey Molloy and YouTube/maximumfutball
Hat-tip: 101 Great Goals
