Keane: Toffees too stringent with McCarthy
Keane is worried about the effect of club pressures on McCarthy, the midfielder having now missed Ireland’s last two qualifiers through injury. But the Assistant Manager noted too that, in the age-old club ve country tug of war, there can also be an onus on a player to make the big call about his fitness.
“If you ask most international managers, it’s a difficult role when a player turns up and he’s not 100% fit or he might be struggling,” said Keane. “We have had that a number of times with lots of players. It’s a big downside of international football. When a player turns up and they’re not sure if they’re going to be fit, you have to try and be fair to the club and you have to try and be fair to the player but, obviously, you’re working for your country and you want to get the right result. So it’s a difficult one for James as well. We talk about manager here and manager there but there’s a player in between all that. I can speak from experience, he’s under lots of pressure. And also you’re hoping the player can make the decision and say ‘I’ll give it a go’ or whatever. We can talk all day about x-rays and scans, my goodness, you know.
“Unfortunately for us, whatever way you look at it, James didn’t train all week – it’s not as if he went out and had a jog, it’s not as if he’s joined in a little bit of possession. So that was a difficult one. But, also, sometimes it may be up to the player to say, ‘Listen, I’m going to try and train, whatever my club manager says or whatever the doctor says or whatever the scan says’. Because you do know your own body.
“I worry he (McCarthy) is under lots of pressure, particularly from Everton’s point of view, because every time there is an international match, it seems to me Seamus and James are under lots of pressure – they’re turning up or they mightn’t turn up or they’re struggling.
“And obviously, the manager, Roberto Martinez, is going to try and look after Everton. That’s only natural as well. So there has to be, I think, some sort of sit-down conversation (with the club) and say, ‘listen’…”
Keane maintained in the give and take involved, Ireland have not been found wanting.
“I think Martin’s been more than good enough here, particularly (for) the friendlies, but these are big qualifying matches. And you’re just looking for a bit of fairness and to try and get the balance right.”
With baleful humour, the Assistant Manager added: “You always get the impression from Everton Seamus and James are both barely able to walk, type of thing. So when they turn up and they are walking through the reception, praise the lord, it’s a miracle.”
Asked if McCarthy might need to be more assertive in his dealings with his own club, Keane replied: “Well, if it carries on for the next year of two I think it would put a lot of pressure on James and I think that’s unfair on the player. If a player is not fit, he’s not fit. And I don’t think Martin has ever had a problem with that. But if players are turning up and it’s touch and go and scans are clear but there’s constantly pressure from the club …because, I guarantee you, when the players turn up first, they’re getting phone calls left, right and centre from their 15 physios at their club. It’s not one physio involved, it’s about 15.
“Roberto Martinez, he’s got to look after his club, he’s probably thinking, ‘We’ve got European games’. Obviously. Roberto — I don’t think he’s ever played senior level at international level — maybe he doesn’t appreciate how important they are for us and how big the games are .... But I think it’s just trying to get the balance right when qualifiers come around.”
Keane dismissed the idea concern about receiving the kind of crowd hostility Aiden McGeady experienced in Celtic Park on Friday night might have been a factor in McCarthy failing to make the cut for the game.
“Nah, I don’t think so,” he said. “They declared for Ireland, they are Irish and proud to be involved with us. I don’t think that was an issue. Why would it be? They are Irish, playing for Ireland.”
It was always going to be tight, probably one goal would be in it. Like a derby match, we’ve all seen them over the years, nip and tuck. If there’s one team that’s going to nick it, then seven or eight times out of 10, it’ll be the home team. I’m not getting bogged down by “they played better than us” or they “handled the occasion.” I wasn’t sitting in our dug-out thinking, “My God, our lads look lost”. We were going, “listen, get a hold of it, be more of a threat going forward.”
Have a bit more pride when you’re on the ball, more on the front foot, more options for the player on the ball, a bit more bravery, particularly in the attacking third. Smarter – we have got to be a smart team. The goal we conceded the other night certainly wasn’t smart, players switching off, and you get punished.
When you don’t get the result, of course, there can be an overreaction. Why didn’t Robbie play? Could we have played a different system? Hindsight is the most dangerous word you can use in football. We’ve all been there. But before the game I felt – and I still feel — the team was good enough to get a result. But when you don’t get it, you’re open to criticism. And you have to take your medicine. That’s the business we’re in.
There was nothing with the referee, I was surprised he came over. It’s our job to try to get instructions on to a player or to appeal a decision. I don’t think there was anything over the top. And the referee came over and he was quite polite. I think it was nothing but, obviously, when a referee comes over and there’s a couple of photographs taken, as usual it always looks a hundred times worse than what it is.
[Asked if the Villa player is any closer to making a decision about Ireland]. No, not that I’m aware of. I don’t ask him anymore. You don’t want to pester people but, unfortunately, you know, a lot would be coming from Jack’s Dad. We could be waiting a bloody long while, knowing his Dad.
It depends on the team, it depends how strong we are, depends on the opposition, depends on where we’re playing. Every now and again, people will hang their hat on a certain player like a Wes maybe or a Grealish or a McGeady or whoever it might be, but it’s up to the manager and staff to try and pick the right team. But Wes is a good player, Wes has done well for us…You also have to try and get a foothold in the game and sometimes you play that one off the front, the number 10 role. But you’ve got to be a good player to play in that and it’s not just about going forward, it’s about coming back the (other) way.
(When told Robbie had said he was “no Niall Quinn”) He’s a lot better than Niall Quinn. Robbie Keane is massive for this team, absolutely massive. Everyone keeps saying he was disappointed (not to play) – of course he was. Tell me any player who is going to be left out of a big game who is not going to be disappointed. That’s what you expect from Robbie. Robbie is brilliant for the group and brilliant for the team. He’s a top, top player, he’s been doing it for years and hopefully he will score goals for the next number of years.
But you just pick a team for a certain game, and the way Robbie reacted to the disappointment in our training session yesterday was fantastic, absolutely different class. He is as good a professional as I have come across.
It’s very, very tight, absolutely. There’s not much between a lot of the teams. On paper Germany, you would still think, would be the favourites, but between Poland, ourselves and Scotland, I think it’s going to be very, very tight. That’s why the other night’s result was pretty important.
But it just puts extra pressure on us now, obviously, to beat Scotland at home. But we will be ready for that when it comes around, and hopefully the players will be.
(Asked if he or the squad were wary of leaving team hotel). No. We go into Malahide and have a coffee, it’s fine. We were out last night for a meal, it was fine. We’re not One Direction.
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