The long wait for Steve Staunton’s replacement as Rep. Ireland manager would appear to be over, with several media outlets suggesting that Giovanni Trapattoni agreed in principle to take the job once his current contract (with Austrian club side, Red Bull Salzburg) expires in May. The news will come as a relief to the supporters- and players- who had become increasingly vocal and agitated about the delay in finding a replacement, though I personally was disappointed in the manner in which Terry Venables was left waiting around for such a lengthy period of time. Trapattoni has a distinguished career in club management, having won championship titles in four different countries as manager. His spell as Italian national coach from 2000 to 2004 was not as successful, however, though he has continued in management with Stuttgart, Benfica and Salzburg since leaving the international scene.
As this youtube clip suggests, the Italian’s animated character at press conferences will be quite a contrast to Steve Staunton’s reserved style.
Interestingly, reports also suggest that Liam Brady will assume a role amongst Trapattoni’s backroom team; 28 years ago, Trapattoni as manager of Juventus brought Brady from Arsenal to Italy.
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