Learner’s Podcast 28 – Trapattoni

A A This week Damon is still in freezing Tokyo while Damian is in hot and humid Bangkok. On this week's show our Ireland pundit, talks about the appointment of Trapattoni as Ireland's coach. We also have another expression forA English for Football. There is a transcript A for the report below as well as the following links for language learners. Worksheets and transcripts Vocabulary lists Online quizzes and crossword puzzles Weekly blogs from our football-crazy writers inA fansa€™ forumTranscriptNow, good news for Irish football fans as the FAI, the Football Association of Ireland, finally appoint a new manager in Giovanni Trapattoni. And I spoke to our Irish football correspondent Brendan Fitzpatrick earlier on the reaction in Ireland.A BF: The new coach is 68 year old Giovanni Trapattoni. He's won everything in the game, he's won the league in Italy, he's won the league in Germany, he's won the league in Portugal and he's also won the Champions League and every major European club trophy so, very much a coup for the FAI and that's the way it's been seen over here with everyone delighted with his appointment.A DF: So a lot of optimism in Ireland today?BF: Lot of optimism in Ireland today, Trapattoni was approached by the FAI about ten days ago and after he was approached by the association he contacted an old friend of his called Liam Brady who played under Trapattoni for Juventus in the 1980s. He checked out the position with Brady and Brady told him that he believed there was enough raw materials, i.e. the players for them to qualify for the World Cup.A DF: Do you think Liam Brady will have a role to play in the new Irish set up?BF: Now i caught up with Liam Brady, who was holidaying at the time in Barbados, who said that he would like to sit down with Trapattoni face to face and to discuss a particular role in the Irish set up but at the same time he would be reluctant to leave his current position at Arsenal where he's head of youth team affairs, so perhaps some kind of part-time role there in the future.A DF: Interesting. Now has there been a positive reaction towards the FAI for their appointment?BF: Yes, there was one, I suppose, cloud on the horizon yesterday when the FAI announced at the press conference to anoint Trapattoni that they'd received A£1million from an Irish businessman called Dennis O' Brien towards the appointment of Trapattoni. O' Brien donated this money, he approached the FAI in October, one week before the departure of Steve Staunton so the question mark remains would Dennis O' Brien have put forward the money, say for example if the FAI were to appoint Terry Venables or did he in any way have an input into the selection into the new coach. The FAI say it is a A£1million gift that they'd got from the businessman with no strings attached and that's what Dennis O' Brien himself has been saying himself over here in the media in the past 24 hours.A DF: OK, good times ahead for Ireland hopefully, thanks a lot Brendan. A A