No problem for Trap as Kelly returns

Stephen Kelly has been included in Giovanni Trapattoni’s 29 man squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Sweden and Austria - despite last month’s public fall-out.

Kelly had been omitted from the squad for the friendlies with Greece and Poland after a row with the Italian prior to the Faroe Islands qualifier last October.

Speaking at the squad announcement at the FAI Headquarters in Abbottstown today Trapatttoni, said: “We spoke a lot about this situation and now we can concentrate on the next game”. Asked whether he had apologised to Kelly after their argument the boss said :“I don’t need to apologise. He said he is available. After we decide if he plays or doesn’t play.”

Marc Wilson returns from the broken leg he suffered in October while Seamus Coleman is also back in the squad after a spell on the sidelines. West Ham’s Joey O’Brien and the as yet uncapped Norwich City midfielder Anthony Pilkington are also included for the vital double header.

The squad will be narrowed down to 23 after the weekend games. Trapattoni will monitor the form and fitness of his players before making the final decision on which six players will be moved to the stand-by list.
 

Notable exclusions include the Andy Keogh and Darron Gibson. Gibson hasn’t featured for Ireland since withdrawing from the squad prior to the Kazaksthan game in early September last year.
 

Speaking about his current situation the Italian said: “I was in touch with Darron, he said he is not ready again. I saw him in the last game in England and he told me at this moment I stay.” Asked whether Gibson had a future in his international set-up, he replied: “Why not? My life is never say never”
 

Keith Andrews misses out through injury, as does Richard Dunne who has missed the whole of the season with groin and hip problems. “He told me I’m not ready I’ll be ready in the future but now I’m still injured. It’s important because Richard is very important to us.”
 

Since the 6-1 defeat at the hands of the Germans, Trapattoni has started attending more games in England. However his ‘DVD’ philosophy has not changed as he still believes technology is the best way to analyse a player’s performance: “In the pitch you can see some things which go quickly, you lose what happens. I have discovered 80% of new players with DVD, you can review and go back.”

A lot was learned from February’s friendly against Poland: “It was a great opportunity to work with younger players, and I saw a lot of potential from them. These two games against Sweden and Austria are very important, and we are focused on the task in hand.”
 

He will be in attendance at Richmond Park tonight for St. Patrick’s Athletic season opener against Drogheda United. Asked whether it was possible for League of Ireland players to make the international squad Trap said he prefers players playing in the Premier League and Championship as they have greater experience. However he did acknowledge that several of the current squad were nourished and developed in the League of Ireland.
 

Attention now switches to Stockholm on March 22 in what is a must win encounter for the side. The squad will assemble in Dublin on St. Patrick’s Day - Trap’s birthday.  On the subject of ‘must-win’ games, the ever philosophical Italian cited Barcelona as an example that a team can be beaten on any given day: “Why not, why not? Barcelona was the god, now it’s 11 against 11, I believe this.”