Ian is a fifth year student in Ringsend Technical School

Irish football has now hit a new low; our footballers are losing interest in playing for their country unless they will have a good chance of playing in a world cup. Ireland have now lost the services of Steven Finnan, Steven Carr, Andy O’Brien and the ongoing saga over Steven Ireland and his apparent disinterest in playing for Ireland again.

We have an inability to nurture young football and managerial talents which is proven by footballers Darren Potter and Anthony Stokes, who once played for Liverpool and Arsenal but are now playing for Wolves and Sunderland. We desperately need a better player development system to turn Ireland into a respectable football team which has been absent for many years.

GOING DOWNHILL
The main problem with the Ireland squad is the FAI and the financial decisions they have made in the past. This is proven by the hiring of Steve Staunton.

Instead of going for experience, we went for a man who gave a lot to Ireland as a player but was unable to make an impact as a manager. Some fans believe that instead of having Ireland’s best interest at heart they were looking for financial gain.

The most resent search for the right man hasn’t been without controversy. It has taken over a month longer than planned and now we have to continue playing football without the leader we so desperately need.

IRELAND, ITALY OR ENGLAND
As an Irish man myself I would love to see Ireland winning by any means necessary but is the answer really Terry Venables or Giovanni Trapattoni. I believe that each national team should be managed by one of their own countrymen.

During all the chaos of finding the new Ireland manager the FAI have shown very little interest in David O’Leary and Roy Keane. David O’Leary had a very good reputation as the Leeds manager, and Roy Keane has the passion, the desire to win and most importantly demands the respect of those around him. Sam Alardice who was once a stone’s throw away from the England job could have the same effect on the Irish team as Jack Charlton.

SUMMING IT UP
In the end there is no denying the managerial skills of Terry Venables or Giovanni Trapattoni but I must question both possibilities. Trapattoni has spent many years as a manager and doesn’t speak a word of English. He would have very little knowledge of the Irish players. Venables is an English man and all fans might not see eye-to-eye with him unless he achieves instant success.

On a personal level I would like to see the boys in green led by a man who wears his heart on the Ireland flag. It may be true that the fans of Ireland team are expecting far too much from a squad with just two squad members playing in the top four in England, John O’Shea and Darren Gibson. I still believe that with the right attitude and the right manager we can qualify for the 2010 world cup.

As we go to print the announcement of the appointment of Giovanni Trapattoni has been made. I have mixed feelings about this. Trapattoni is an excellent tactician and has one of the best CVs in world football, but questions must be asked over his English and his knowledge of Irish football.