Republic of Ireland assistant coach Marco Tardelli is reported to have watched Town’s 2-1 victory at QPR on Tuesday evening. The Blues named a squad including five players who qualify for the Republic in the starting line-up with two more on the bench.
Central defender Damien Delaney, who won two caps early in Giovanni Trapattoni and Marco Tardelli’s time in charge of Ireland, says he hopes to receive further calls: "The international season starts up again in the next few weeks, so if Marco Tardelli was there, then that's great. If I were to get a phone call I'd be delighted.”
Tardelli will also have been interested to run the rule over skipper Jon Walters, who has previously won Ireland B caps, U21 skipper Owen Garvan, Daryl Murphy, who won nine caps earlier in his career, and David Norris, who qualifies for the Republic but is yet to be capped at any level.
On the bench were Brian Murphy, who was named in the Ireland squad for the World Cup play-offs against France at the end of last year but is yet to win a cap, and Alan Quinn, who has won eight Irish caps.
Two more Town players previously capped by Ireland are currently on loan, Alex Bruce at Leicester and Colin Healy at Falkirk, while youngsters Ronan Murray, Ian McLoughlin and Shane O'Connor are the other players with first team squad numbers who qualify for Ireland.
Meanwhile, former Town and QPR boss Jim Magilton has been linked with the vacant manager’s job at Bradford City.
Elsewhere, it has been revealed that legendary Blues boss Sir Bobby Robson left his entire £3.6 million fortune to his family. Robson lost his battle with cancer last July at the age of 76.