McShane puts case for the defence

PAUL McSHANE sits before us as the Irish captain for tonight’s game against the U-23s but no media encounter with the Hull City man can be allowed go by without a trip into the recent past.

So, yes, it’s the fall-out from Paris in November all over again, with Roy Keane continuing to buck the trend by insisting on pointing the finger at the Irish defence rather than Thierry Henry. What does McShane make of his former Sunderland manager’s stance?

“Well, that’s Roy Keane, isn’t it?” he says. “He’s got an opinion on everything. But I just play by the rules. That’s what I did. People have got their opinions and he’s not slow to let his be known.”