Keane cool on prospect of united Ireland side

ROY KEANE has baulked at suggestions of a united Ireland side after this week’s north-south Euro 2008 qualifying misery.

The Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland now face mountainous tasks to reach next summer’s finals in Austria and Switzerland.

But former Republic skipper Keane is cool on the idea of the nations joining forces.

The Sunderland manager said: “You’re opening a can of worms there.

“I’m sure people talk about it all the time in pubs and clubs and I’m sure they have had a look at that over the years.

“But I think it would be a difficult one, not necessarily for political reasons, but the North have their own identity with their players and supporters.

“I’m sure if the Republic played the North tomorrow there would still be that rivalry and intensity and that’s nothing to do with politics — that’s just the way it is.

“I think anything is possible, but I think the Republic have a decent team and the North have a decent team, and it shouldn’t be panic stations because of what happened on Wednesday night.

“I think things are fine at the moment. I don’t necessarily think that if the two teams got together they would all of a sudden become world-beaters.”

Keane admitted he will have to pick Sunderland’s Republic duo Paul McShane and Daryl Murphy “off the floor” after the 1-0 defeat in the Czech Republic.

But he knows he won’t have that problem with Scotland keeper Craig Gordon following his side’s stunning 1-0 win against France in Paris.

Some believe Keane paid over the odds for Gordon when he shelled out a British record €13m for the former Hearts keeper.

But Keane quipped: “He’s a bargain, isn’t he? The time to judge somebody will be over a number of years at the club. I didn’t worry too much about the money that was involved.

“Everyone will tell you goalkeepers are a strange breed — but he is probably the most normal keeper I have come across.

“He’s not an eccentric and he’s popular with the other lads.”

Keane added: “I was thinking about the Irish lads last night. I woke up at four o’clock and I was thinking they would be awake at that moment.

“They would have got to Dublin about three and you don’t sleep when you travel back from international games — that’s the physical damage it does to you.

“The mental side is when you get beaten, so we will have a look at Paul and Murph. Their minds would have been spinning, so I was awake thinking about my players, because I care about them.

“Obviously Murph didn’t play out there, but Paul is a tough character and the challenge for any top player is to recover from setbacks.”

Stephen Hunt, who will be in the Reading squad for tomorrow’s game at Sunderland, was sent off in Prague, but Keane insisted: “He didn’t deserve to be sent off — the lad was very unlucky.”