Kerr plans to tackle Keane on Irish stance

BRIAN KERR yesterday confirmed Roy Keane will be among those players he will approach before he announces his first international selection.

But he firmly refused to allow any public discussion on the issue develop at the first conference since his appointment.

It was not long before Ireland's new manager was faced with the inevitable query regarding Keane.

He reacted with typical good humour but also revealed the stern side to his nature by peremptorily closing the book on any public debate of the subject.

"Fair play, I'm surprised to get that question today," he said. "I don't think anybody could reasonably expect that I would be foolish enough to tell you how I am going to handle that situation. I intend to deal with it.

"We have a limited pool to pick from and I want us to have the best team on the pitch. If you ask me that question today in 20 different ways I'm going to give you the same answer, I just want to nail that one early.

"I want the players to play for me, I want the players to play for us, I want the players to play for you; this is everybody's team. But I'm not going to tell you how I'm going to deal with it, just that I am going to deal with it."

Kerr will announce his first international selection on Friday, when he lists the players on duty for next month's challenge against Scotland in Glasgow.

Keane is not expected to be in the squad but it is possible that Kerr has already been in contact with Old Trafford.

The new manager clearly emphasised that he is his own man and may have used the opportunity to point to a contrast with the style of the previous manager, Mick McCarthy, with his response. He used the phrase "this is everybody's team".

Perhaps it was of significance because McCarthy was wont to talk of "my team" when referring to Ireland.

Kerr, 49, was given a huge welcome when he entered the crowded hotel room that housed at least one hundred media representatives as well as his family and some close friends. His wife Angela and their daughters Caroline, Linda, Yvonne and Louise cheered enthusiastically when he appeared.

Kerr was clearly emotionally affected by the warmth of the welcome he was accorded and there were times when he breathed especially deeply to maintain his composure. His pride in his elevation was obvious "the biggest job in the world to me" was his typically forthright and unambiguous evaluation of the post.

He confirmed that former internationals Chris Hughton and Packie Bonner will be part of his coaching team and also remained true to form when he stressed the importance he placed on the involvement of his long-time coaching colleague, Noel O'Reilly.

He touched on virtually every aspect of his work and laid special emphasis upon his determination to remain close to the nationwide coaching structure he established when he appointed a team of Regional Development Officers who were working under his guidance.

He urged those present not to misinterpret his innovations as criticism of previous management and caused general satisfaction when he promised a much more prominent role within the international operation for the National League clubs.

"The Eircom League has never been neglected by me. Just a few days ago we had four Eircom players in the U-19 squad in the UAE. I will attend my usual quota of Eircom league games. One of the parts of the package that I want to see happening is that we will have more direct involvement with the managers and coaches within the league, that they feel more a part of the whole international setup.

The National League will get a lot more attention from us in relation to coaching workshops, giving people the opportunity to hear our views, aspiring to a different standard."

When asked whether his strong relationship with the young players in the squad would stand to him he said: "They give you a good starting base when you know they have some admiration for you.

They know that you will demand the best of them, you will give the best yourself and you will pay the attention to detail that's required for to give us a reasonable chance of winning games on a regular basis."

Asked how he intended to motivate the players he said: "I've got a team around me who will support me fully. I think players will be inspired by our passion as I think most players I have worked with have been. I think the association has given me the job because they recognise my passion, it had nothing to do with winning trophies, maybe we got lucky now and again and that's the way it goes."