There's a fascinating sideshow to the latest Roy Keane affair that came into sharp focus last weekend when Giovanni Trapattoni made more appearances in England than Haley's Comet.

For months now the media here at home have highlighted Trap's reluctance to scout his players in action for their clubs.

Indeed, prior to last weekend he had been to just two English Premier League games in his seven months in charge.

When he took the Ireland job Trapattoni said he was going to spend more time with his family and he has certainly been true to his word.

According to those in the know, there is nothing even in Trap's contract to say he has to watch his players in live action.

Up to now he has lived by the power of the DVD and satellite television in his Milan home when it came to watching his players in club action.

Marco Tardelli, Liam Brady and a team of scouts were left to do Trap's donkey work until last weekend when he took in not one, not two but three games on the other side of the Irish Sea.

The lesser sighted Trapattoni was first seen at Craven Cottage in London last Saturday morning when Manchester City drew with their hosts Fulham, and one Stephen Ireland turned in one of his poorer performances of the season.

Later that evening Trap popped up in London again to witness Mick McCarthy's Wolves suffer their first defeat in nine games away to QPR.

And then on Sunday morning who should arrive at Norwich's compact little Carrow Road ground but the Italian-born Ireland manager to watch the Canaries beat Ipswich in their big East Anglia derby.

Three games in two days, two of them in the championship, and Trapattoni can finally say he has spent time scouting his players.

It's a pity for our sake that he had to take in two Championship games to see the majority of the Irish players on view in England last weekend, a stat that tells you much about the current state of our international squad.

It's a pity for his sake that he suddenly stuck his head above the parapet on the first weekend of Roy Keane's latest unemployment. Keane announced on Tuesday that he will make a return to management someday soon despite his Sunderland disappointment.

He did not say if he wants to make his comeback as a club boss or as an international manager, but you can bet your bottom dollar that there are plenty of Keano supporters here at home who would love to see him take on the Irish team and the FAI.

That's why Trap is now walking around England with a very large elephant on his shoulder.

The minute his team's World Cup hopes start to crack you will hear the Green Army start the Keano chants.

And that's when the Giovanni Trapattoni era will get really interesting, not least because the FAI will have to rid themselves of some of Keane's biggest enemies if they ever have to satisfy the public clamour to get him on board as Ireland manager.

All of which promises to be 2009, the year when Trap's World Cup ambitions will live or fall, one of the most intriguing years yet in Irish football history.