Daryl Murphy
The idiosyncrasies/insecurities which have been the hallmark of Giovanni Trapattoni tenure thus far aren’t just confined to his lack of appreciation for all things Andy Reid.
Take the situation with Sunderland’s Daryl Murphy, who only found out he was left out of the latest Ireland squad through the media.
The 26-year-old told the Sunderland Echo: “I know they are not obliged to speak to us when we are not selected, but communication is a big thing and it would have been nice to get a quick call.
“As it was, the first I knew was when the squad was announced in the papers and on the telly.
“It is disappointing. Playing for your country is the biggest honour in football and I have been pretty much third-choice striker for Ireland in the last few squads.
“I don’t really see that I have done anything wrong, so I don’t know why I’m not involved this time. I’m not going to sulk about it and I would go and play for Ireland any time at the drop of a hat.
“But it would have been good to be told that I wasn’t going to be in these squads and why.”
Though his start against Manchester City was his first since the end of December, that the former Blues striker didn’t make the 26 picked for the Bulgaria and Italy games is strange considering his club colleague Anthony Stokes, currently on loan at Crystal Palace (after a short, unproductive spell with Sheffield Utd earlier in the season), was called up as a late replacement for Damien Duff.
Though he needs to make some career choices in the summer, Murphy has the makings of a decent player. He can also play wide on the left as well as up top – where, given his attributes, the Hennessy’s Road man would surely be an option should Kevin Doyle get injured.
Given the number of well-paid helpers Trapattoni has at his beck and call, the Irish set-up’s channels of communication seem to be sorely lacking, even if there’s only so much sucking up to Stephen Ireland you can do. The language barrier is one thing. A closed mind is another.
