Liam Brady appointed to Irish International Setup

Liam Brady, former Irish midfield legend and current RTE football pundit has finally joined the backroom staff of Giovanni Trapattoni in the new Republic of Ireland international setup. Ger McCarthy analyses Brady’s credentials and the potential issues facing the 52 year old in Ireland’s upcoming friendlies and World Cup qualifying campaign.

Former Republic of Ireland Captain Liam Brady began life as part-time assistant to the new Irish manager, Giovanni Trapattoni, by travelling to the Madejski Stadium in Reading to run the rule over a host of Irish players last weekend. Brady was joined by fellow assistant Marco Tardelli, to watch the Premiership game between Reading and Manchester City where Irish players Shane Long, Kevin Doyle and Stephen Hunt all impressed. It marks a new beginning for the former Arsenal, Juventus and Republic of Ireland midfielder after agreeing a two-year deal with the FAI. Brady will be maintaining his position as Director of Arsenal's youth academy as Arsene Wenger has agreed to let him combine his new international role as long as it doesn’t interfere with his day to day job with the young Gunners.

"I've been to see Trapattoni and had a good meeting with him."I want to do it now, assist him, and hopefully soon I'll be speaking to the FAI" Liam Brady, prior to being appointed to the Irish international setup.


Career
For those too young to remember Brady will always be remembered as a cultured, left-footed, central midfielder with remarkable technical skills, high-quality passing ability and excellent close control. Born February 13, 1956 in Dublin, Brady began his playing career in London. He made his debut for Arsenal in 1973 and went on to appear in three FA Cup finals in a row between 1978 and 1980 along with fellow Irish international Frank Stapleton. He was crowned PFA Player of the Year in 1979 and finally left the Gunners in 1980 following over 300 appearances to join Italian giants Juventus for a fee of £500,000. Brady’s silky skills and accurate passing made him a firm favourite with the Turin fans and he helped Juventus win consecutive Serie A titles in 1981 and 1982. Unfortunately the arrival of the French star, Michel Platini in the summer of 1982 meant Juventus had to sell the Irish midfielder. This was due to the restriction on the number of foreign players per squad in Serie A at the time. Brady continued his Italian odyssey by appearing for Sampdoria (82 – 84), Inter (84-86) and Ascoli (86-87), before returning to London to finish his playing career with West Ham (87 - 90). He won 72 international caps, scoring 9 goals. Disappointingly, he never represented his country in a major international tournament (Euro 88 or Italia 90) as a result of either injury or suspension. While playing for Arsenal, Brady earned the nickname "Chippy". The name stuck not because of his extraordinary ability to chip the ball with such accurate precision but rather for his fondness for fish and chips!


Credentials
So what does the Dubliner bring to the role and what are the credentials that will benefit the new Irish managerial setup? Firstly, Brady knows both Trapattoni and assistant boss Marco Tardelli well from his time in Italy in the 1980’s. Secondly, he speaks fluent Italian which will be crucial in communicating the instructions of Trapattoni to the Irish players in the early part of the new manager’s tenure. Finally (and most crucially of all) his continental experience as both a manager and player, allied with his excellent work for the Arsenal Youth academy, will hopefully grant him the respect he deserves in the Irish dressing room. “I was a senior international player for 16 years from when I was 18 until I was 34 and I am really looking forward to working with Giovanni Trapattoni and trying to qualify for the World Cup Finals,” said Brady recently on RTE. “I had a meeting with Mr. Trapattoni during which he clarified the role and I am very happy with what he expects of me. He wants me to work with the players - which is of most interest to me - and also to be on the bench and in the dressing room during games. He sees me as someone he can talk to along with Marco (Tardelli). I will also be part of the scouting network and will be going to as many games as I can to monitor the players in the squad and also track the progress of up and coming players,” added the former Irish international. Brady’s familiarity with the current Irish squad from his time on the RTE football panel will be of huge benefit to Trapattoni. Residing in England will also allow the Dubliner to travel to the various Premiership matches with Tardelli and monitor the Irish players progress on behalf of the new manager.


Hazards
Compared to his foreign footballing success and international playing experience, Brady’s managerial career offers a stark contrast. He managed Celtic from 1991 to 1993 and Brighton from 1993 to 1995. Neither spell could be regarded as successful especially at Celtic, where Brady failed to win a single trophy. He left Brighton in acrimonious circumstances in 1995 following a disagreement with the Club chairman. There is also the danger of his influence becoming diluted having to juggle two jobs; Director of Arsenal’s Youth Academy and his new position in the international fold. Brady stated recently "The board of directors and Arsene Wenger are quite happy for me to do this and to keep my job at Arsenal". Arsenal’s recent success at youth level in capturing the FA Premier Youth League and the FA Youth Cup highlights his outstanding work for the North London club. It is the reaction of the current Irish players to the appointment of Brady that will be of most interest to Irish soccer fans. The Dubliner’s criticisms of players such as Aidan McGeady and Stephen Hunt, whilst working for RTE, were sometimes quite harsh. His position on the television football panel required him to express his views honestly on the Irish players and to an extent, the FAI. Respect from the players should come from his experience as an international player, his in-depth knowledge of the European game and more importantly his contribution to Irish football as one of the greatest midfielders ever produced by this country.



There is no doubting Liam Brady’s reputation as a former player, his current influence on the young players at Arsenal and his candid opinions on Irish football as a TV pundit. Brady represents another step in a new, exciting setup for the Republic in an attempt to return the country to the top table of international football. One of the former Arsenal midfielder’s first tasks should be to try to persuade Steve Finnan of Liverpool to re-consider his decision to retire from the international scene. Having an Irishman in the new Italian-styled managerial setup is also important as Brady represented his country with such distinction for many years. I hope Brady will earn the respect of the current Irish squad on the training pitch in the upcoming training camp in the Algarve and be allowed to transfer his vast international experience of over 25 years in football to the benefit of the Irish players. Only time will tell if the appointment of Liam Brady will be a successful one for Irish football.