If Keane is clever, he’ll have players running through brick walls for him

Today will see the official unveiling of our new manager Martin O’Neill but, inevitably, much of the hype surrounding his appointment has been devoted to his surprise decision to have Roy Keane as his assistant manager.

With Martin having managed Celtic and a number of other big clubs with great success and Keane unquestionably being one of the most famous Irish sportsmen of all time, it really doesn’t get any bigger than these two. Certainly from a commercial perspective, the FAI must be rubbing their hands in glee, with the friendly against Latvia on Friday likely to be a sell-out as we enter a new era in our footballing history.

Still, I have to be honest and say that when I first heard that this was looking like it would be the new management team, I thought it was a very bizarre development, to say the least. Both men may have been on most people’s short list as a potential manager but I doubt anybody thought they would end up working side by side. But as the days have passed and the reality of the situation has sunk in a little bit, I have tried to look beyond the obvious doubts that many people are having. And, on reflection, what I see is the potential for something very exciting indeed.