The train mishap that might have sparked an explosion

The standards he demands of the FAI certainly haven’t slipped but in his new book Roy Keane outlines an incident during the summer trip of the US that may, as he admits himself, have triggered another Saipan during a previous volatile stage of his career.

It’s June 2014 and the FAI have chosen train as the mode of transport for the Ireland party from Philadelphia to New York.

The problem occurred as the squad and players were about to disembark at Newark station in New Jersey ahead of the game against Portugal.

Martin O’Neill’s assistant takes up the story in his second autobiography, The Second Half: “We were using two doors to exit the carriage but the FAI official said we should all get off through the one door.

“The door shut. Myself, Martin, Seamus McDonagh, Steve Guppy, three of the medical staff and Aiden McGeady were stuck. The train moved off.

“The players were on the platform pissing themselves laughing. It was like a school trip. Panic stations.”

Given Keane’s notorious temper, coupled with his historical criticism of the FAI’s disorganisation that escalated into one of Ireland’s most controversial sporting weeks in 2002, one could be forgiven for mistaking what ensued.

Red mist descended on the Irish management team — but not the Cork man.

“People were going mad and Martin was a bit annoyed,” he continues. “But I was quite calm about it. I texted one of the FAI staff — it’s Saipan all over again. But I was joking.

“We went on to Penn Station in Manhattan — about a half an hour away. We were lucky it wasn’t Boston or Chicago.

“We eventually got back to Newark and out to the team bus. The players were sitting there, real quiet.

“The two people that organised the travel were pale — white. Everyone was quiet, very tense.

“Then one of the lads put on the music. They’d gone off and bought speakers while we were on the train. I don’t know the name of the band but the song was ‘Runaway Train’ and they all started singing it.

“Runaway train, never going back, Wrong way on a one-way track. It was brilliant.”