Ireland soccer team players want a new deal for Giovanni Trapattoni

Calls to reward Giovanni Trapattoni with a new contract before Ireland’s European Championship fate is decided next week.

Ireland soccer team players want a new deal for Giovanni Trapattoni

Kevin Kilbane has joined the calls to reward Giovanni Trapattoni with a new contract before Ireland’s European Championship fate is decided next week.

Trapattoni, whose current €1.8 million a year deal will expire with the nation’s interest in the Euro 2012 competition, has made no secret of his wish to stay on for a third term.

The Italian will be guaranteed an extension from his FAI bosses if wins against Andorra and Armenia in early October seal qualification for the finals in Poland and the Ukraine.
But, like captain Robbie Keane, Kilbane feels a new offer should be put in front of Trap before his squad depart for Andorra and Friday week’s fixture.

“If you look at what the manager has achieved in the last couple of campaigns then yes, you would have to give him a new deal now,” said Kilbane.

“Without a shadow of a doubt he deserves it because he got us so close to the last World Cup and he has us on the verge of qualifying for these European finals.

“We were on our knees when he took over. He has brought his character and his experience and real personality to the job, and he has got us playing in a set way that is very hard to beat.

“He’s got us organized and he’s really got us together as a team, and hopefully we will reap the rewards of that in the next two qualifiers.”
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An international veteran with over 100 Irish caps to his name, Derby midfielder Kilbane insists qualification for Euro 2012 would be a massive achievement for this current Ireland squad.

“We can’t deny that we are a small football nation, can we?” he asked ahead of a return to international duty after injury kept him out of the recent draws with Slovakia and Russia.

“We haven’t got a big pool of players to choose from anymore. It is difficult these days for Irish players trying to make a name for themselves in England because of all the overseas imports nowadays.

“When we qualified for the World Cup 10 years ago we had many players in the Premier League and at the top of the Championship playing well.

“They were all getting chances to play for their clubs every week. It is different now so I honestly don’t think that Giovanni Trapattoni could have done any more for us.”

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Nster.com