Ireland: Robbie Keane

There cannot be too many people who would dare to question the wisdom of the now legendary Jack Charlton following his famous exploits with the Republic of Ireland.

Robbie Keane, however, would argue what Mick McCarthy has achieved since stepping into the daunting shoes of Charlton has been nothing short of remarkable.

There is no question when McCarthy took over from Charlton he was presented with an ageing squad, one which had become used to playing the long-ball game, and so a major overhaul was needed.

Charlton’s departure stemmed from the Republic’s failure to qualify for Euro 96, so when McCarthy was handed the reins, expectations were not altogether high.

But no-nonsense McCarthy ensured the bandwagon rolled on, albeit running out of gas when the finish line was in sight as agonising play-off failures followed for France 98 and Euro 2000.

At the third time of asking, McCarthy finally succeeded, with no-one more delighted than Keane that the spectre of Charlton had been laid to rest.

‘‘It has gone very well with the Republic for the last couple of years,’’ commented Leeds striker Keane, a £13million signing from Inter Milan in December 2000.

‘‘At the start of the latest qualifying campaign, people didn’t even expect us to get through, with Holland and Portugal the strong favourites to finish in the top two.

‘‘That was understandable because they are two world class sides. But the fact is we are emerging now.

‘‘It has to be said Mick McCarthy has done a marvellous job in bringing us all together. He had to get rid of a few senior players and start off with a young side, but it has worked.

‘‘He also had to change the whole system because under Jack Charlton it was more long ball, something which we don’t really play now.

‘‘The way we do play now is the way we all want to play and everything has since clicked together.’’

McCarthy will be relying on Keane to contribute with the goals to see the Republic into the knockout stages, which should not pose too many problems for although Germany are favourites to qualify, Cameroon and Saudi Arabia are the other opponents.

The goals, though, have dried up on the international front as Keane has hardly found the net, while at Elland Road he now finds he is bottom of the pecking order.

Keane had an enjoyable first 12 months with Leeds following his arrival from the San Siro, scoring nine goals in 18 appearances last season and a further eight in 21 this season before his involvement was curtailed by Fowler’s arrival and ultimately injury.

The Dublin-born forward required surgery for an ankle problem just after Christmas, keeping him on the sidelines for nearly two months during which time he was forced to watch Fowler and Viduka strike up a formidable partnership.

But Keane has not lost faith in his ability, and is confident he will score on the biggest footballing stage of them all as he said: ‘‘I don’t see why not.

‘‘As a kid I dreamed of playing in the World Cup finals, and now that dream is going to be realised. I can’t wait to get out there and play.’’