INTERNATIONAL SOCCER:THERE WAS mixed news for Giovanni Trapattoni from the games involving members of his Republic of Ireland squad in England over the weekend, with Kevin Kilbane ruled out of both World Cup qualifiers against Georgia and Montenegro with a fractured cheekbone.

Kevin Doyle, though, rediscovered his scoring form with a hat-trick for Reading on Saturday, having managed just one goal in his previous 24 appearances for his club.

Kilbane, playing for Wigan against Hull City, sustained the injury 10 minutes in to the second half in a collision with Sam Ricketts, manager Steve Bruce later confirming the player would need an operation on the cheekbone and would be out for "around six weeks".

Having played Kilbane at left-back against Norway in the friendly in Oslo a fortnight ago Trapattoni must now rejig his defence. Four of the contenders for a place in the back four saw no action at the weekend, Steve Finnan and Stephen Kelly not even making it on to the bench for Liverpool and Birmingham City respectively, Alex Bruce suspended for Ipswich Town and Paul McShane, whose last competitive game was against Serbia in May, completing a season-loan to Hull City from Sunderland, for whom he hasn't played since April.

Joey O'Brien, meanwhile, went off after 14 minutes when he suffered a head injury in Bolton's game against West Brom, but Queens Park Rangers' Damien Delaney recovered from the illness that forced him off in last week's League Cup game against Carlisle to play at left back in the scoreless draw with Bristol City. Delaney was one of just eight players from the 22-man squad to complete 90 minutes for their clubs over the weekend, the others being Shay Given, Stephen Reid, Richard Dunne, Andy Reid, Doyle, Stephen Hunt and Aiden McGeady.

Eight players, including McShane, Bruce, Kelly and Finnan, saw no action at all, with Dean Kiely, Glenn Whelan and Liam Miller unused substitutes and John O'Shea having the weekend off after coming on for the last half hour of Friday's European Super Cup defeat in Monaco by Zenit St Petersburg.

After Saturday's 4-2 victory over Crystal Palace, Reading manager Steve Coppell, in response to questions about Doyle's hat-trick, joked that his phone was broken, for fear that he would receive a call from a Premier League club looking to buy the striker before tonight's transfer deadline.

Coppell, though, insisted he was confident Doyle would remain at the Championships club. "We've had no contact from anyone for several weeks about him, why on earth would a Premier League club be interested in him now after one performance? If he was going to be desirable to anyone then they have had 10 weeks over the summer to get him."

"If anyone buys someone in the last few days of the window then unless it's been set up for a few weeks - which isn't the case with him - then it smacks to me of a panic buy.

"I know that scoring has played on his mind but I told him that the goals would come as he was in the right positions. Once you get one, they tend to come. It's the very nature of a striker's existence and three came at once today."

Coppell made no comment on growing speculation that Doyle's team-mate, Stephen Hunt, was a target for Everton, their desperation for new blood heightened by an abject display at Goodison Park on Saturday when they were beaten 3-0 by Portsmouth.

While Republic of Ireland international Alan Lee completed his move from Ipswich Town to Crystal Palace in time to make his debut against Reading his former club-mate Jon Walters, who won caps at under-21 level for the Republic, was the subject of a €2.5 million bid from Premier League newcomers Stoke City.

Meanwhile, Italy coach Marcello Lippi has recalled fit-again captain Fabio Cannavaro and striker Luca Toni for their opening 2010 World Cup qualifiers against Cyprus and Georgia.

Fiorentina defender Alessandro Gamberini returns from injury too, while midfielder Gennaro Gattuso has also been called up.

Lippi makes his competitive return to the Azzurri bench against Cyprus in Larnaca on Saturday and then faces Georgia in the northern city of Udine on September 10th.