Caught in a Trap

Skopje, Zagreb, Tel Aviv, Paris and now the Aviva. You must think that all Irish supporters would be familiar with heartbreak and misery by now? The most recent late drama involving the boys in green was still an unwelcome reminder that football can be a cruel bitch sometimes. A minimum of four points was the target, two were achieved. The momentum from the credible draw in Stockholm was all undone by David Alaba's last minute kick to the nuts as our bid to reach Brazil took a serious dent and calls for the manager’s head grew louder.

Giovanni Trapattoni was already under intense pressure coming into this crucial double header and it will only intensify now. Simply put he shouldn't be in the job now to begin with. We all know the reasons why. I'll argue another more unconventional approach though. Trap and the FAI are simply swimming against the changing tide of international management as apart from a few exceptions, all modern day international managers/coaches only stay for a maximum of two qualifying campaigns. Ireland is once again lagging behind the rest of the world.

The road to Brazil marks Trap's third qualification campaign in charge. His regime has been successful in the sense that we were robbed in Paris and qualified for the Euros however no one can overlook the negatives also. Poor man management, rigid tactics and baffling team selections to name but a few. Granted we are in a better position than under Steve Staunton’s regime but this should be the bare minimum considering the Italian's salary. Just say the following list of players: Andy Reid, Kevin Foley, Stephen Kelly, James McCarthy, Darron Gibson, Marc Wilson, James McClean, Shane Long. If you're like me I bet you have just rolled your eyes up to the sky but this isn't even my point.

All players require fresh ideas, reinvigorated passion, new voices and tactics but sadly we all know this isn't his style. Conservatism and pragmatism take precedence over all else. Why take a chance on some creativity from Wes Hoolahan when Connor Sammon can jump and win long balls? Why use friendly matches to give younger players some much needed experience when ranking points can be won? Why experiment with a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 when the team already know 4-4-2.

I have no doubt that Trapattoni will stay at the helm for the duration of this current qualifying campaign. Any decision to replace him will prove to be too costly for an already debt ridden FAI plus the moment of truth has passed already, not once but twice. Euro 2012 exposed the limitations of an inept Irish team that was ill prepared, tactically naive and globally humiliated. He stayed on while six managers from various other countries that also qualified for Poland and Ukraine were given their marching orders. It should have been a case of “thanks Gio for the memories of Paris and Poland. Best of luck for the future” but that wasn't to be.

The first steps on the road to Brazil didn’t signal a sea change in style but rather another reminder that the ship was still sinking. By some miracle we got out of jail in Kazakhstan only to be globally humiliated once again by Germany in Dublin. Victory in the Faroe Islands granted him a reprieve as grievances were aired, warnings were fired and the Italian finally got off his backside and actually went to watch games. Don't get me wrong his previous managerial record speaks for itself (Ireland are still unbeaten under him in competitive away fixtures) and no one can take away the trophies that he has won. No matter how negatively you view the Italian, Ireland are in a much healthier position now than when he took over from “The Gaffer”.

My point is that the nature of international football management has changed dramatically. Take a look at Luis Aragones. He was the man that guided Spain to their first trophy in over 44 years at Euro 2008. He helped unite a wonderfully talented team that was more known for infighting and choking on the big stage than the glorious football La Roja is renowned for now. He stood down following Spain’s win over Germany in Vienna and was replaced with Vicente Del Bosque. Aragones knew that he took a team with Xavi, Iniesta and a world beating Fernando Torres (yes he was that good once) as far as he could. I have no doubt that he thought to himself privately “You know what. This lot have a chance to win the World Cup”. Yet he still walked away because he felt he couldn’t take them any further. Would Trapattoni adhere to the same principles? The cynics amongst us might point to his lucrative contract as the defining factor in this decision.

Another example. Laurent Blanc brought stability to a French team that was in turmoil following Raymond Domenech's very best impression of a clown trying to manage a team of rampant egos at South Africa. Blanc’s France were eventually knocked out at Euro 2012 by Spain. It’s not exactly a disgrace to lose to the greatest team of all time in the quarter finals. Do we all need reminding of how Ireland did in Poland? Blanc stood down as manager after just one campaign. One campaign! Granted he is still a relative amateur in the managerial world compared to Trapattoni and may have ambitions to manage at club level but you can understand my point. Hell even Pep Guardiola said his cycle with Barcelona came to an end and he couldn’t give anymore to the job. This was a man working with Messi everyday not McShane.

An interesting point, Trapattoni has been in his position longer than nine of the managers from the countries that make up the top ten in the FIFA rankings. The majority of the world’s elite football federations are all reading from the same script so why aren’t the FAI? Innovation and change are vital in modern day football especially in relation to tactics and coaching. Players need to be coached, challenged, encouraged and pushed. Simply put, like every other job you can get tired of seeing the same people, doing the same work and hearing the same routine. When Trapattoni got the Ireland job all his talk was of emulating the tactics and style of the Greek team that won Euro 2004. Admirable at the time but this is 2013. Football has moved into an era of “false number nines and 4-2-3-1’s” while we are refusing to catch up.

Bottom line is that what matters most in football happens on the pitch. Am I the only one that finds it worrying that all the talk before and after Ireland matches is focused solely on the manager? The road to Brazil will undoubtedly be Trap's swansong with the boys in green. Their still is hope that Ireland will be amongst the world's best 32 teams in 2014 but the road is getting more perilous. The speculation is mounting regarding the Italian's inevitable replacement. The usual names like Chris Hughton, Brian McDermott and Marco Tardelli always get mentioned but one thing is certain though, the FAI must not repeat the same mistake of appointing a manager who refuses to modernize, change and adapt. Two campaigns at most…unless we can somehow appoint Guardiola!