Kerr’s straight bat

THE fun and games have begun. Brian Kerr recalled eight players to the Irish squad for the trip to Poland next week, but one cornered the attention yesterday.

For 45 minutes, Kerr got his first taste of life as manager of the most famous Irish athlete on the planet. Question after question, many remarkably similar, concerned Roy Keane. Kerr answered each one with the acute professionalism that convinced Keane the time was right to return to international football.

The more pertinent matters were also dealt with. Would Kenny Cunningham remain as captain? “Kenny Cunningham will remain as captain. He was captain when I took over as manager and he will stay as captain. When Kenny hasn’t been available, Matt Holland has been my captain, but Kenny is the captain.”

However, as this is the first time Kerr broke his dignified silence since the Manchester United captain returned, everyone wanted to know the precise details of Keane’s return to the fold.

“Roy told me he wants to make himself available and I have picked him for the squad. He is available under the same terms as every other player in the squad,” the Irish manager said.

“I have always said that I have an open mind if players who have retired want to make themselves available again and that goes for any player who has retired, not just Roy Keane.

“When I came into the job, I spoke to Roy, but he was not able to commit to returning at the time. He was in contact with me over the last number of months and has taken a deep interest in the Ireland team.”

This interest started after the draw to the World Cup qualifiers were made. While preferential treatment for Keane was a characteristic of his predecessor’s reign, with the skipper often arriving a day later than anyone else, Kerr assured everyone Keane will have to operate under the same rules as every other squad member

“We have developed a structure in the squad that everyone has to operate under, it is a structure that we believe serves the best interests of Irish football. Roy knows what those structures are and he has agreed to come in under that set-up. Roy wants to make himself available again on the same terms as everyone else.

“The same rules will apply to Roy as anyone else. There might be a bit of flexibility with regard to players of his age, but in that he will be treated the same as any player of a certain age, as regards injuries and whether they need to sit out training.”

Among the other seven players recalled is Sunderland skipper Jason McAteer, whose frosty relations with Keane since the World Cup has been one of the more talked-about chapters in the long-running saga. “I don’t envisage any problems,” Kerr said. “We are all mature and have moved on and if there are any problems, I would expect them to be sorted out quickly.

“People have moved on. It has been a couple of years since the World Cup. I can understand why players who in the past played for Ireland with unbroken service might have difficulties with it and why some fans have lingering annoyance over what happened in Japan, but I would hope that we are more mature now.”

Kerr emphasised the time has come for Irish football to move on. And Irish football will certainly be in a better state to do that with Roy Keane on board, rather than him watching from the side-lines in Manchester.

“If I wasn’t team manager, my feelings would be this is good for Irish football. It is time to move on, that is what I want to do. It is my job to support every player on the team, regardless of what has happened in the past.

“Nobody can tell me this isn’t a good thing for Irish football. Roy’s return will inspire all the young people playing football, all the people dreaming of getting to that level, and that has to be a good thing, if he is inspiring more people of wanting to play for Ireland. We are competing for the hearts and minds of all the young players.”

Kerr also addressed the asinine perception, prompted by a self-appointed voice of real Irish fans, that Keane is a player in decline and not of much worth to the team at this stage of his career. “Irrespective of what has happened in the past, he is still one of the great European players and one of our greatest ever players.

“What I have to do as Irish manager is pick as broad a base of players as possible who are good enough to represent Ireland. I don’t think anyone is going to suggest that my team would not benefit from Roy Keane being in it.”

Near the end of the press conference Kerr reminded everyone that there were 23 other players named in the squad. Apart from Keane and McAteer, those returning include Nick Colgan, David Connolly, Andy O’Brien, John O’Shea and Gary Breen. Both Liam Miller and Hearts full-back Alan Maybury retain their squad places from the Czech friendly but Stephen Carr has had to cry off with an injury that will keep him out of Spurs’ North London derby with Arsenal on Sunday.

A non-descript friendly against a workman-like Eastern European team has turned into the media event of the year. The featureless Polish town of Bydgoszcz will be the centre of Irish attention next week.