Does Trap deserve a new contract?

Darren Norris

THE next five days  will be  defining ones for Giovanni Trapattoni. Should Ireland emerge victorious from the play-off against Estonia and book their place in Euro 2012 the FAI will have no option other than to offer him and his assistant Marco Tardelli a new contract.

Defeat would almost certain spell the end of the Italian’s time in charge. The stakes are that high.

Trapattoni hasn’t been shy about talking up the merits of Ireland’s Italian job.

“We feel our work with Ireland is not finished. I speak to Marco about this. We believe we have the possibility to improve this team because we have many young players who wish to learn. And I think we deserve to continue too,” Trapattoni said in September.

The FAI’s reticence to open talks until after the play-off is understandable and Trapattoni’s obvious desire to stay on — even if he has referred to having other admirers — means the association is in a strong bargaining position. However there is some merit in Trapattoni’s claim he deserves a new deal.

Other than bringing a structure and competitiveness to the team, something that was badly needed in the aftermath of the Steve Staunton era, the stats point to a performance that, while not spectacular, has been solid and compares well with his predecessors as Ireland manager.

Of the last eight permanent Ireland managers only two have a better win ratio than Trapattoni. The man with the  best record  is not as you might suspect Jack Charlton but Brian Kerr who won 53% of his 32 games at the helm. Charlton is next best having won 47 of his 94 games for a win ratio of 50%. Then comes Trapattoni with a win percentage of 45% with Mick McCarthy in fourth on 42%.

A similar picture emerges when you examine the amount of defeats each manager had. Kerr comes out of top with a loss percentage of just 12%, ahead of Charlton at 18% with Trapattoni next best at 20% and McCarthy fourth  at 29%.

Context is important though and stats, while they don’t lie, they don’t always tell the whole story either. Charlton is idolised to this day for his achievements in taking Ireland to Euro 88 and the 1990 and 1994 World Cup finals. However, when comparing him to Trapattoni it must be remembered Charlton could call on far better players than the Italian. The likes of Mark Lawrenson, Ray Houghton, Paul McGrath, Liam Brady, John Aldridge and latterly Roy Keane were all top class players, most of whom played for elite clubs in England. The same is not the case today. Look at the Premier League table. Of the current top seven only Leon Best at Newcastle is a regular starter. Trapattoni simply doesn’t have anything like the same hand Charlton had.

Kerr can perhaps argue that he was Ireland’s unluckiest boss to lose his job given he lost only four of his 32 games in charge. However his record, impressive though it is, is distorted by the success his team enjoyed in friendlies. When it mattered most against Russia and Switzerland in the qualifying campaign for Euro 2004 and against Israel and France in the qualifying campaign for the 2006 World Cup his team were unable to make the breakthrough.

Like Kerr’s Ireland, Trapattoni’s Ireland are yet to claim the scalp of a notable big name in a competitive match. Estonia may not be a big name but they represent a major challenge and only by prevailing can Trapattoni secure a new deal. Trapattoni has often said only the result matters. Never will that be more the case than tonight  and Tuesday night. A nation expects.

Giovanni Trapattoni’s Ireland record
2008 – Present
Played 40
Wins 18
Draws 14
Defeats 8
Win percentage 45%
Loss percentage 20%

Steve Staunton’s Ireland record
2006 – 2007
Played 17
Wins 6
Draws 6
Defeats 5
Win percentage 35%
Loss percentage 35%

Brian Kerr’s Ireland record
2003 – 2005
Played 32
Wins 17
Draws 11
Defeats 4
Win percentage 53%
Loss percentage 12%

Mick McCarthy’s Ireland record
1996 – 20002
Played 68
Wins 29
Draws 19
Defeats 20
Win percentage 42%
Loss percentage 29%

Jack Charlton’s Ireland record
1986 – 1995
Played 94
Wins 47
Draws 30
Defeats 17
Win percentage 50%
Loss percentage 18%

Eoin Hand’s Ireland record
1980 – 1985
Played 40
Wins 11
Draws 9
Defeats 20
Win percentage 27%
Loss percentage 50%

Johnny Giles’ Ireland record
1973 – 1980
Played 37
Wins 14
Draws 9
Defeats 14
Win percentage 37%
Loss percentage 37%

Liam Tuohy’s Ireland record
1971 – 1973
Played 10
Wins 3
Draws 1
Defeats 6
Win percentage 30%
Loss percentage 60%

Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/uU3zW_y0CCc/post.aspx

Employment law Psychology Winter sports Eric Pickles Joey Barton Royal Bank of Scotland