Keane’s scowls give Trap cause to smile

THE sight of the fourth official holding up the illuminated board that announced a premature end to Saturday’s game for Tottenham’s No10 may have caused a furious scowl to spread across Robbie Keane’s face, but it almost certainly left Giovanni Trapattoni grinning from ear to ear.

Keane’s displeasure at being replaced after just 63 minutes was evident from the forward’s slow trudge across the pitch and his reluctant acceptance of a training top as he took his seat on the bench.

For Keane, the move brought only frustration. For Trapattoni, though, Harry Redknapp’s decision to replace Keane with Niko Krancjar meant his most important player was spared a potentially energy-sapping 27 minutes as Spurs fought to fend off Sunderland’s attempts to get back into the game and, more importantly, avoided any further risk of injury just seven days before France visit Dublin for the first leg of the World Cup play-off.