Dunne return would be 'a miracle': Trap

Republic of Ireland boss Giovanni Trapattoni confirmed, as expected, that Richard Dunne hasn’t recovered sufficiently to take his place in the 23 man squad for next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Germany and the Faroe Islands, the Aston Villa man being placed on standby alongside Manchester United starlet Robbie Brady.

Dunne hasn’t played since June due to a groin injury which has left his club’s medical team both baffled and furious with the FAI. Speaking this afternoon, Trapattoni confirmed he had spoken with the 33 year-old about his current situation but admitted it would be ‘a miracle’ if the Dubliner wins the race to be fit.

“We hoped he could be fit, hoped he could play and he is on the standby list because he may be able to play one game. I was in touch with him. It is very, very difficult. The doctor of the club said it is very difficult but Richard said if ‘I can play one game (for Villa) I might be available. I am not thinking about him at the moment. It will be a miracle.

“He needs to play that one game at least. It has been too long of an injury for him to come back. He is back training but training is training and games are games. It is not easy. We have to think about the opponents.”

That leaves Darren O’Dea favourite to partner Sean St Ledger at the heart of defence, with Trap saying John O’Shea will be needed ‘for other positions’.

 “When you see the team on the pitch, you will see the formation and you will know the positions,” he added.

“There is no point in speaking about the position of John (O’Shea) at the moment because we are only measuring and they have to play for their club’s before the games. We may need John for other positions.

“St Ledger, O’Dea are confident in centre-back. They have played very well and I have confidence in them. In two weeks though, there may be injuries and we have to change then. I am not thinking that far ahead.”

On the subject of Robbie Keane, Trap all but confirmed that the skipper won’t play the full 180 minutes in the double header due to fatigue. The Tallaght man has been in decent form for LA Galaxy in recent weeks but with travel set to take its toll, the Italian says it’s a problem.

“This is a point that faces all coaches. He is given 72 hours to rest. The players come later because they play in other countries. It’s difficult for everyone these days, I know. We can use the situation to help him. We can change it for him – maybe give him one hour in one game, 90 minutes in another. This is the problem we have in the national team.”

Elsewhere in the squad Keith Andrews and Keith Fahey have made a return following suspension and injury respectively, though David Meyler, Joey O’Brien and Alex Pearce all miss out.

The second player to be put on standby, Brady, caught many an eye in the friendly outing against Oman two weeks ago and insists he is an option for the upcoming games.

“I haven’t spoken to him much since because he is still an option now. After the last game I said to him well done. I like him a lot. He played well. His attitude is particularly good. He is a different player, he’s a creative player, but against these opponents we need the players with experience. Players in midfield like Fahey, (Glenn) Whelan and Andrews.

“They (Germany) are the strongest team in our group and they are legends of football. The players play in their league, they play in England and play in very strong teams. We have to believe. We have left our disappointment of Euros behind us.

“We must believe again in our quality. We must approach every game with good confidence. We have started will but Kazakhstan was a difficult game. Kazakhstan was a different approach. The players found it very difficult and the victory was very important for us. It gives us trust; it gives us belief about our quality. Our quality, mentality our attitude, we have a good chance in the group.”

A cloud, however, remains over the team following the disappoint Kazakhstan performance. Yet Trap believes his players have learned from the game and will benefit greatly from the experience.

“During the Kazakhstan game, we lost trust after the first goal. We started with good direction and played well. It was not easy to come back but we did and it was a positive result and experience. The players have increased their experience. We can’t forget that. We have not lost our attitude or mentality. We need to keep that going.”

The game against Germany represents Ireland’s first match in front of the home support in this campaign and indeed the first time since their disappointing Euro 2012 adventure. The 73 year-old added that he was at a UEFA conference recently where the Irish fans were praised for their conduct during the Euros before he called for the fans to become the ‘12th player’.

“I was at a UEFA conference where the president gave congratulations to how the Irish fans behaved. Great for us and great for the fans. We have to say thank you to the Irish people. We have the best fans. They have to start again with the same trust and same mentality. We can do well if we all believe. We need support and it can be the 12th players.”