Trap's visit to Cottage gives Reid hope of making return for Ireland
Monday December 07 2009
GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI reignited speculation over Andy Reid's international future after he turned up at Craven Cottage yesterday along with Marco Tardelli to see Fulham defeat Sunderland.
The Ireland boss and his assistant were spotted at the London ground yesterday, where Damien Duff's side beat the Black Cats thanks to a Bobby Zamora strike.
It wasn't long before rumours spread that the Italians were present to keep tabs on Reid and may soon offer him a pathway back into the Ireland set-up.
And the Dubliner will not have done his chances any harm with another impressive performance for Steve Bruce's side.
Trapattoni had a busy weekend as he was at Fratton Park on Saturday to take in Portsmouth's victory over Burnley, sparking suggestions that Steve Finnan is on his radar for 2010 and beyond, while Jamie O'Hara is also still a possible Ireland call-up due to his Irish roots.
The on-loan Spurs defender-cum-midfielder set up the second goal for Pompey when Aruna Dindane headed home his cross with six minutes left on the clock.
Speaking about his chances of becoming an Ireland player, O'Hara said: "I don't know what's going on at the moment because nobody has said anything to me", but he is reported to be interested in representing the Boys in Green.
One player who is tipped as a future star of the Irish set-up is Seamus Coleman, who drew high praise for his performance for Everton as they drew with Tottenham thanks to a late comeback.
The former Sligo Rovers right-back started on the bench at Goodison Park but was called into action just 15 minutes in after Joseph Yobo suffered an injury.
Having conceded two goals, Coleman began to raid forward in the second half and set up Louis Saha on 77 minutes with a tidy cross after showing his pace with a bursting run towards the byline.
And the 21-year-old Donegal man finished off a superb performance by teeing up Leighton Baines five minutes before time, who in turn found Tim Cahill and he nodded home the equaliser.
"He was fantastic today," said Toffees manager David Moyes of Coleman.
"He played really well, he got forward and made a difference for us at times."
Meanwhile, newspaper reports yesterday suggested that Kevin Nolan may be looking to explore the possibility of putting himself in the fray for an Irish call-up by asking his grandmother to adopt Irish nationality, which would make him eligible for a call-up from Trapattoni.
- Neil Ahern
Irish Independent
