Carsley claims that he was misquoted

Lee Carsley insists there is no unrest in the Republic of Ireland dressing room and that the squad have every confidence in manager Steve Staunton.

It appears no Republic match can pass without a furore of some kind and so it has proved again in the wake of yesterday's Euro 2008 qualifying win over Wales at Croke Park.

Following the game Carsley was asked about the changes Staunton had made to his midfield, in particular with goalscorer Stephen Ireland playing in an unaccustomed position on the right, and whether the various roles were discussed.

'He just named the team, and didn't really go through any roles to be honest,' replied Everton midfielder Carsley.

'I've played against Manchester City before and Stephen has played out there [on the right].

'He wasn't actually playing right-wing, he was playing just tucked in. It's a position that suits him.'

The inference, of course, is that Staunton sent his team out with no instruction on how to combat the Welsh, adding fuel to the fire he is tactically naive and out of his depth.
Attempting to clarify the situation today, Carsley claimed 'the quotes were taken out of context'.

He added: 'The question was about the instruction coming onto the pitch in the second half when they were on top.

'There wasn't any instruction because you haven't got time to stop the game, look over at the bench and say "oh, shall we do this".

'You have to try to do it yourself.'

That is at odds with what was actually asked, although Carsley also claims he "misinterpreted" the question.

However, he maintains Staunton is on top of the game, insisting: 'The preparation was fantastic.

'Any question of unrest in the dressing room is wide of the mark. We prepared properly and everyone knew their roles in the team.

'Preparation is more or less the same for every game. We will watch videos on the opposition and set up how we are going to play.

'We'll have some idea of what system they're going to play, and we will work from there.'

Despite the criticism that has surrounded Staunton following his appointment, Carsley said: 'I've been very impressed [with him].

'He's a good manager to play for, we're well prepared and we're enjoying it.

'We had an indifferent result against Cyprus, but apart from that we've done well.'

Staunton's mistrust and cynicism of the media is well known, and he could not hide that again when quizzed on the "Carsley quotes" subject.

'We know the carry-on in this country now. It's great,' replied Staunton sarcastically.

'With quotes, the first bit is taken and the rest is forgotten about.

'He said something, but if the whole sentence had been quoted then there wouldn't be a problem.

'He was very unhappy last night because we didn't know what was said, but we found out the truth.'

All of which has overshadowed the result, which was positive, even if the performance again lacked style and substance.

Staunton's side struggled on what was an historic occasion against a woeful Welsh team who are now fighting for respectability in the group as the defeat was their third in four games.

Somehow, Ireland are still in with a fighting chance of qualifying as they have taken 10 points from their last four matches.

Germany's win over the Czech Republic last night means Ireland are now level on points with the second-placed Czechs who have played a game less.

Unsurprisingly, Wednesday's visit of Slovakia makes it another "must-win" occasion if the Republic are to retain their hopes of a top-two finish.

'Beating Wales was very significant as it has drawn us closer to the teams above us,' assessed Carsley.

'It was a fantastic result for ourselves and hopefully we can get another on Wednesday.

'Coming into these two games we knew we had to take six points. We have three, so Wednesday becomes another big game for us.

'We still have to play Germany and the Czech Republic, so the ball is in our court.'