ISSUE 4 IRELAND V SWEDEN WED 1ST MARCH 2006

YBIG: What is your fondest memory playing for Ireland?
STAN: Your debut, your record cap, breaking the caps record. 88/89 was my debut against Tunisia. It’s hard to say. It was great making the record caps for Ireland. The beauty of that was we had just beaten Holland 1-0 on the Saturday and we had to go to Tallinn on the Wednesday and that was our final game. We knew it was a bit of a banana skin. But we had a great 2-0 win so it was a lovely way to finish the season.

YBIG: Of all the players in the Premiership now, who would you like most to have an Irish granny?
STAN: I think it’s obvious, Mr. Rooney. Definitely him or John Terry.

YBIG: Best atmosphere you have palyed in.
STAN: There’s Holland, and there’s New York in the Giant Stadium. The place was like, O My God. Then there was Germany in Japan. I can’t fault our supporters they just come in their thousands. They shock us every time. You expect a few thousand but you end up getting
tens of thousands.

YBIG: I think for the Czech Republic and Slovakia games it is going to be another huge one Steve, there will be nearly 20,000
at both I reckon.
STAN: Well, the stadium (in Slovakia) only holds 20,000 so someone better get on to them and tell them to build another stand or something..

YBIG: What’s the most hostile atmosphere you have experienced?
STAN: I would have to say Turkey or my competitive debut against Spain in Seville.

YBIG: Three sports people you would invite to dinner?
STAN: Lance Armstrong, Tiger Woods and Keith Wood.

YBIG: Of all the previous Irish greats, which one would you like most to have in your current squad?
STAN: Paul McGrath.

YBIG: Croke Park. How exciting will it be to be the first Ireland manager to lead a soccer team out at that magnificent venue?
STAN: It’s going to be awesome. I haven’t really thought deep and hard about it. I had forgotten all about it and it was my father who
reminded me about it. My father was a big GAA man, we are as a family, it never really sank in with everything else that is going on but it is going to be huge.

YBIG: Do players retire too early from international football these days?
STAN: Some do and some don’t. You got to go on as long as you think you can.

YBIG: In your day though you wouldn’t have players retiring at 28. STAN: 28 is a bit early, but everyone has got their own reasons.
The only thing is you would want to play for the jersey and the fans and I think down the years we have been quite lucky that way that the majority have loved it that much.

YBIG: What player did you look up to most when you were growing up?
STAN: Liam Brady.

YBIG: And manager?
STAN: I never really looked up to any manager in particular but Liverpool were always my team.

YBIG: What about family members, who influenced you most when you were learning your trade?
STAN: My Dad. He was the man that drove me, still is!

YBIG: In the past, through the so called ‘granny rule’, we had some excellent and passionate players. But football changes, will you be making sure that those who choose Ireland will be putting on the green jersey for all the right reasons and not just using it as a springboard for their own success?
STAN: Well if it is a springboard for them and they are performing it’s going to be beneficial for us. I mean it works both ways but the one thing I have said is that they will have to want to play for us. If they don’t want to play, I’ve said that, there is no point in having people that don’t want to play for us. If they don’t want to play for us, they won’t play for us.

YBIG: Are you excited about the young players coming through for us now?
STAN: Very excited, looking at the likes of young Kevin Doyle at Reading, I was talking to Steve Coppell and he reckons that they wouldn’t be where they were if it were not for him.

YBIG: And what about the even younger generation?
STAN: Yes from what I hear the under-17s have some serious players.

YBIG: So will you be tracking these lads?
STAN: Listen, between Sean McCaffrey and Don Givens I will be tracking everybody.