Legendary Republic of Ireland manager Jack Charlton has offered support to the current man in charge Giovanni Trapattoni.
In an interview with the Irish Independent, Jack gave his thoughts on Trapattoni, Roy Keane and the League of Ireland.
“I would have thought that the League of Ireland would have developed into a much stronger league, but it doesn’t really seem to have happened,” he said.
In relation to the current national manager, Jack expressed sympathy for il Trap, who has been criticised for his direct approach.
“You only have a short time with them before they go back to their clubs,” he said. “You don’t want them to have forgotten things the next time they come back. So you need something that’s simple and easy to remember.”
One person he doesn’t have sympathy for is Roy Keane in relation to his spat with Jack’s immediate successor Mick McCarthy.
“We all know what happened with Roy and Mick. That was one thing I totally disagreed with. You do what your manager tells you . If he tells you to do it this way, do it that way.
“He pushed Mick very, very close to a fight. I was on The Late Late Show when it happened in Saipan and somebody gave me a piece of paper with what Roy was supposed to have said on it.
“I couldn’t even repeat it.”
Jack was speaking while visiting Ireland in order to be inducted into the Irish Independent‘s Sportstar of the Year Hall of Fame.
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