If the Barclays Premier League season is over, no one seems to have told Paul McShane. As a new era dawns for Ireland, with Giovanni Trapattoni, the manager, taking charge of his first match, against Serbia at Croke Park this evening, the Sunderland central defender seemed more concerned about club matters.

McShane wondered out loud why Roy Keane, the former Ireland captain and now Sunderland manager, declined to play him during most of the last four months of the campaign. “I have done everything,” he said. “I have out-trained everybody, outperformed everybody, so what can you do? I've been ripping people's heads off and it's just not nice being out of the team. It's hard to take.]”

McShane's Sunderland future was uncertain before his outburst, now he may have to look elsewhere next season. Still, he will start against Serbia today and can put himself in the shop window for 2008-09.

Trapattoni, after overseeing a five-day training camp in Portugal, was in mellow mood. Ireland are beginning their build-up to the 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign and a crowd of about 63,000 will welcome him to Croke Park. But after six years of mediocre results, Ireland fans expect results. “When you are just married, from the first moment you are happy,” Trapattoni said. “At the moment everyone is happy. But after six months ... we will see what happens.”

John O'Shea, the Manchester United defender, and Aiden McGeady, the Celtic midfield player, have been excused training because of their clubs' celebrations after winning the Champions League and Clydesdale Bank Premier League respectively. “I know what happened after they had won,” Trapattoni said, with a big grin. “It was a festival, when night becomes morning.”