Keane a striker supreme

I watched the qualifier against the Faroe Islands a long way from home — and yet it still felt very much like home.

Back out here in the Gulf to continue rehab on my injury, I was invited to the Qatar GAA fundraiser night on Friday to present their player of the year awards. It never ceases to amaze me how Irish people can congregate in whatever far-flung corner of the globe they happen to find themselves and somehow manage to make it feel like a home from home. I experienced this quite a lot with Irish centres around England at various clubs I was at, and I always loved it. I thoroughly enjoyed the company of the ex-pats and met some very funny characters.

Where do I start about Robbie Keane and his achievements at international level? It actually annoyed me a little in the build-up to this match that, suddenly, everybody seemed to be jumping on the bandwagon to proclaim how great Robbie has been for Ireland — just because he was going to surpass Shay Given’s record caps tally.