He's pulled out of the squad through a slight injury, Trappatoni said that if he starts the season well he'll definitely be in the starting 11 for the qualifiers in september.... Do not fear he may have seen the light
It's been in the papers all weekend? Foot injury. The Trap has indicated he may have been wrong to overlook Wes, but defo in his team for next games.
have to say, i'm so pleased for little wesley that he's getting international recognition. true, its come about 5 years too late, but better late than never. only seen him play the one time for ireland but he was by a mile (and that is no exaggeration) the best player on the park. oozes class that lad.
That's basically why it's taken him so long to get a gig under Trapper Tony. The RoI style is rigid, inflexible and very workmanlike under the current boss, so mazy runs and trickery with the ball at your feet are kind of alien to that set up. That is why I'd use the word pillock, for not being prepared to experiment a little with formations and/or personnel. A bit like someone else closer to home
I reckon if this kind of jumping was added to the Olympics, we could enter a competitive team from our board alone, never mind NOT606 as a whole .....
It is a myth that Trappatoni has somehow been oddly blind when it comes to Hoolahan. In reality, it was Trappatoni who gave him his first senior caps and the chance to prove himself an indispensible part of the RoI international side. But when he was given the chance, he didn't take it at that time. WE know that Wes is a better player now than when he joined us, never mind when he was at Livingstone and Blackpool (which was when he first came on Trappatoni's radar). We also know that the Hoolahan who shines brilliantly in certain games, can also disappear in others, and can sometimes cause more problems for and frustrate his own team than he does the opposition. As Trappatoni himself has said (BEFORE his comment about having maybe ignored Wes a little bit), he knows all about Wes.
there is certainly some truth in all of that. what astonishes me though, is that trappatoni is one of the truly great managers of the modern era, yet he couldn't spot hoolahan's natural talent. regardless of whether he impresses him in a certain training session or not, technical ability and vision should be visible to even the most ill-informed of fans, let alone a real manager. as far as i'm concerned, hoolahan hasn't been picked solely because of the way trappatoni likes his teams set up, not because he doesn't think he is a good player. his face just never fitted.
What surprises me is your saying on the one hand that Trappatoni is "one of the truly great managers of the modern era" and then on the other immediately questioning his judgement! If one of the truly great managers of the modern era decides that Wes (for all his natural talent) is less suited to being a regular in the best RoI side than certain other players, my conclusion is that this very experienced, knowledgeable and successful guy probably has good reasons. We are Wes fans and, like all fans, football, film, music or whatever, can't for the life of us understand how anybody can question the object of our devotion!
fair points robbie. but my feeling is that trap is way past his sell-by date - he probably was by around 1998! footballers like hoolahan were overlooked back then, its the 'spanish revolution' which brought about the trend for smaller, niftier players like hoolahan playing in creative roles. trappatoni is from a different era but back in his day he was one of the greats - now he is just average and out of date. he admires strength, physical prowess, stamina and attitude above flair and passing ability. to bring it back to norwich, it would be a bit like bringing mike walker back to manage us today. football has moved on, trappatoni hasn't. nobody can tell me that someone like glenn whelan is a better footballer than wes hoolahan! however, there is a time and place for both, its just trap never allowed for that 'time and place' as far as wes was concerned.
As an aside, it was a mistake to bring MW back when he WAS brought back! And actually, IMO, a mistake for the fans to get so agitated when he left for Everton. To make the point in exaggerated fashion: if you put a monkey on Frankel's back, the horse will likely still win the Derby! The real credit lies with Dave Stringer. [Well, that should start a discussion to occupy us until pre-season starts .......!! ].
