Andy Reid not giving up hope of Republic of Ireland recall

02 November 2009 13:13
Reid remains determined to win over Republic manager Trapattoni, even though a series of star performances for Sunderland failed to win him a place in his squad for the World Cup qualifying play-off against France this month.[LNB]'I'm feeling good, I'm feeling confident and I feel fit, I'm playing some of the best football of my career,' the Dubliner said.[LNB]Republic of Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni will play waiting game for Steven ReidRoque Santa Cruz agrees new Blackburn contractRepublic of Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni calls for Georgia venue change'I'm going to continue what I'm doing and if I get the call to play for Ireland again, then brilliant. I've said all along that I would love to play for Ireland again.[LNB]'If I don't get the call then I have to continue playing well here.[LNB]'The club pays my wages, I'm a Sunderland player and I have to get on with performing.'[LNB]Reid, 27, has not played for his country since falling out with Trapattoni following a 2-0 win in Georgia in Sept 2008, but has promised not to be distracted from his club duties by his spell in the international wilderness.[LNB]'It would be pointless letting the Ireland thing affect me and my performances,' the former Tottenham, Nottingham Forest and Charlton player said [LNB]'It wouldn't do me any favours in the long run. I don't pick the squad; I go out on the pitch and perform at the level I am. I can't do any more than I am.[LNB]'I just have to prove to my manager here that I deserve to be in the Sunderland team. As long as I am in the team and do my job then I'm happy with that.[LNB]'I can't control anything else outside of that. I can only do the best that I can and give everything I have in every game. I can't do anything different and I'm not going to do anything different.'[LNB]Reid made a point to Trapattoni last weekend by scoring with a sublime free-kick last against West Ham that kick-started a stirring recovery in a 2-2 draw, and he put the fight-back down to manager Steve Bruce.[LNB]'We owed the gaffer a performance on Saturday,' said Reid, who was signed by Bruce's predecessor Roy Keane.[LNB]'Last season, never mind 2-0 down, if we'd gone 1-0 down I don't think we would have come back. That was the mentality around the place.[LNB]'The new manager has given us a new lease of life. He's been brilliant.[LNB]'He's been straight, he's been fair, at times he's been fun and at times he's been hard. All the things a manager needs.[LNB]Reid added: 'We've come off on Saturday having given everything we have. We were two-nil down and then a man down and it can then go one of two ways - you can go under or you can look around at who is beside you and say, 'I'm going to go the extra yard for my team-mates, for the manager and the fans'. That is what we did.[LNB]'We had great performances against Liverpool and Man United, but we owed the manager a performance after the way we played at Birmingham. I think we let him down there. It was up to us to put in a performance against West Ham to make him proud of us. I think we did that.'[LNB][LNB]

Source: Telegraph