LONDON — Giovanni Trapattoni, the new Republic of Ireland manager, can claim to be the greatest club coach of all time.
So why on earth would the 68-year-old who speaks halting English want to be in charge of a mediocre national team, 36th in the FIFA rankings that lost 5-2 to Cyprus in the Euro 2008 qualifiers?
Why did it take the three-man selection panel, comprised of Under-21 manager Don Givens, ex-international Ray Houghton and former England coach Don Howe, 113 days to find Steve Staunton's successor?