Glad to be back! Gibson pleased to return to Ireland squad after Trapattoni departureIt’s early days obviously, so he could revert back to type by the end of this international week, but there were signs of a sense of humour in Darron Gibson when he was reacquainted with the media at windswept Malahide on Wednesday.
There is still time for him to return to the grumpy, surly one who was last with an Ireland squad a qualifying campaign ago. But for the moment, Gibson is happy to be back among the Irish squad. And it shows.
Having seen off Giovanni Trapattoni – and he asked specifically not to be quizzed on the Italian coach whose own stubbornness clipped Gibson’s international wings for two years – the Everton midfielder has rightly been recalled by caretaker coach Noel King this week.
High spirits: Darron Gibson is pleased to be back in the Ireland squad and joked with journalists on Wednesday
Trapattoni’s eventual successor will select him for future squads and the next two campaigns at least. And whoever that is will be casting more than a curious eye over events in Cologne on Friday.
That observation was put to Gibson after training on Wednesday morning. 'The new manager could be watching,’ he was told. 'Even though we don’t know who it is.'
Gibson was quickly on the remark, sensing an opportunity to have some fun. 'I know who it is,' he said, pausing for dramatic affect while the journos gathered around him gasped and looked perplexed. 'No I don’t,' he added. My, how we laughed.
While he may still be making tentative steps on the road to recovery at Goodison Park, having played in the closing stages against Manchester City last weekend for his first appearance of the season, the former Manchester United man will start in Cologne tomorrow night. And with Everton team-mates Seamus Coleman and James McCarthy also in the roster, there is a healthy contingent from one of the Barclays Premier League form sides. 'It can only help having three lads who know each other so well when they come here,' he said.
Joker: Gibson tricked journalists into thinking he knew who would take over from interim boss Noel King (right)
Blue boys: Gibson, Seamus Coleman (left) and James McCarthy have all started the season well for Everton
If he looked at home in the press huddle again, he has looked at home in King’s squad too. For a man who scowled his way to Poland and back under Trapattoni, the contrast in his mood is remarkable.
Yet there was never any doubt that he looked at home in a Republic of Ireland shirt. It’s just not everyone recognised that, or the sacrifices he had made to do so.
Gibson has been made to feel at home since he returned to the throng on Monday, with a few reminders from his team-mates that he had abandoned the cause for this campaign due to his broken relationship with the Italian coach.
'They’ve been quite bad with me,' he admitted. 'I thought they’d be all right and they have been. It’s been good so far. We’ve only trained twice but they’ve been good sessions. It’s been good.
'It’s great to be back in. Noel King has got his idea of how he wants us to play, so it’s been quite good. We’re getting there.
Exile: Shortly after Giovanni Trapattoni left the Ireland job, Gibson said he would welcome a recall to the squad
Back in the fold: Gibson admits some players have reminded him he abandoned the team this campaign
'There have been a few different shapes in training so it depends on how he wants to play. I think it would be a good idea to pack the midfield because obviously they’ve got some good players and you’ve seen what happened in the last game so it wouldn’t be a bad idea. We’re going to need to get our tactics spot on to get a result.
'We’re not going to go there and just bow down to them because of the last result. We want to go there to try our best to get a win.'
He may have withdrawn his services for Trapattoni but of course Gibson still kept a watching brief at home in Merseyside a year ago.
He watched the 6-1 debacle in Dublin when Germany ran riot and could easily have reached double figures.
'I did watch it unfortunately,’ he said. 'It wasn’t a good night. Obviously everything went wrong but we’re not thinking about the last game, we’ve got to move on.
Gather round: Germany manager Joachim Loew talks to his players during Tuesday's training session
Gibson certainly has, and so has Trap. Although this is a weaker squad than the one which took on Joachim Lowe’s side at the Aviva, there is still an optimistic feel to King’s troops.
But it is early days and the Irish players are well aware of the difficult task ahead in the Rhein Energie Stadium.
Gibson added: 'We want two good performance and hopefully we will get the points, that’s what everyone wants. We’ve had a few injuries but if we stick to our tactics and plan, we can get a good result. I think the lads believe what he is saying and we’re going there to get a result. We’re not going to lie down.
'Germany are a great team and if you make mistakes you’re going to get punished by them. We’re going with a game plan and hopefully it works. We’ve got to get our tactics right and hopefully our tactics work for us and we get the right result. We’re up against some of the best in the world so if we can go there and show there and get a result, it shows what a good squad we have.
'It’s good to play against the best players in the world to see what you’re up against. I’m looking forward to it.'
