‘Roy hasn’t let me down in any way’
O’Neill has spoken to Paul Lambert about the Aston Villa manager’s interest in bringing in Keane as an assistant.
However, the Republic of Ireland boss said he had no idea what commitment would be required should the Corkman agree to take on the role at the Premier League club.
He added he was “delighted” when Keane turned down the opportunity to manage Celtic at the beginning of a mini-saga that has followed the Irish squad to the US.
O’Neill was speaking on the morning after a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Portugal at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey’s Meadowlands.
Knowing Lambert well having managed him at Celtic between 2000 and 2005, O’Neill is also an indirect predecessor of Lambert’s in the Villa hot-seat having carried out the role between 2006 and 2010.
“I’ve spoken to Paul Lambert,” confirmed O’Neill when asked for an update on the speculation surrounding the former Manchester United and Ireland captain.
“Paul has spoken to Roy about it. I think at this minute, Roy and I wanted to get this trip out of the way. I spoke to him the other day and I think his mind is still the same.”
However, O’Neill made it clear that if his assistant were to move on, there would be no hard feelings.
“He has treated a part-time job in a full-time manner and I have not — and don’t feel let down by him,” he said before adding it was people’s “prerogative to feel whatever they do”.
He added: “Roy has always polarised opinions so that’s not a problem.
“Do I feel let down? No I wouldn’t. I genuinely wouldn’t, because I actually thought at some stage or another, some of these things would come into place. I just didn’t think they would come so quick.
“It may not be the last time, there may be something else. There may be.
“But if you have a chance of being a manager and then an assistant manager, I’m never sure what’s next, maybe a piano player in a pub or something,” he added smiling. “Never a dull moment!”
While O’Neill pointed out the potential of managing Celtic would have ruled Keane out of continuing his role with Ireland, he stopped short of suggesting the same for whatever Lambert had in mind.
“Never having been an assistant, I don’t know what that would entail. So there is no point in me guessing something. If I thought there was a possibility of combining roles — whether Roy decides to go back and do TV work or anything, then I would have conversations with him and John Delaney. But when the Celtic thing didn’t materialise, I was absolutely delighted.”
Whatever happens with his assistant, O’Neill is already planning ahead to September and October with visits to Georgia and then Germany on the agenda as Group D of the qualification campaign for Euro 2016 begins.
The Boys in Green have endured a tough trip to the US with a lacklustre draw against Costa Rica followed by Tuesday’s heavy loss.
A first half brace from Hugo Almeida bookended a Richard Keogh own goal while the only glimmer of hope for Ireland was James McClean opening his international account in the second half before Vieirinha and Fabio Coentrao rounded out the scoring.
O’Neill will be in Salvador next Monday night for ITV to watch Germany take on Portugal and will remain until the end of the first round with thoughts of next season’s Group D effort as well as the future of his assistant manager on his mind.
After the Portugal game he was in philosophical mood, insisting his team chased a result and were caught on the break by a talented team.
“When we step into the European Championships in September I have to know as much as I can about the players who will be representing us. That’s exactly what I found out.
“We have a number of players pretty well certain to play, injury apart, but there are positions up for grabs. That’s been proved here. You talk about strength of squad. We’d like it to be stronger but we can’t invent players.”
PORTUGAL (4-3-3): R Patricio; R Amorim, R Costa, L Neto, F Coentrao; William, J Moutinho, R Meireles; Varela, H Almeida, Cristiano Ronaldo (capt).
Subs: Nani for Ronaldo; A Almeida for Meireles; H Postiga for H Almeida; Pepe for Neto (all 65); Vieirinha for Varela (73); M Veloso for Amorim (81).
IRELAND (4-4-1-1): D Forde; S Kelly, R Keogh, A Pearce, S Ward; A McGeady, D Meyler, J Hendrick, J McLean; J Walters (capt), W Hoolahan.
Subs: R Keane for Hoolahan; S Long for Walters (both 63); S Quinn for Ward; A Pilkington for McLean (both 67); K Doyle for Kelly (75); S Cox for McGeady (75).
Referee: Baldomero Toledo (USA).
After displacing Keiren Westwood last year, David Forde kept his place in goal for all the competitive matches with varying degrees of success. While he was kept busy in the dying embers of the Trapattoni era, there was no denying he should have kept out Andreas Svensson’s Sweden winner in Dublin last September. More howlers against Costa Rica and Portugal in the past week intensify the questions over the 34-year-old’s status. Newcastle’s Rob Elliot has emerged during the season to provide competition but not until teenager Ian Lawlor matures into an experienced stopper can a long-term heir to Shay Given’s throne be contemplated.
Must do better. 5/10.
Seamus Coleman and Marc Wilson were the bright spots on the defensive side from a season when Ireland’s rearguard were tipped into a tailspin by the likes of Germany, Austria, Sweden, Serbia and Portugal. In an ideal world, a back four of Coleman, John O’Shea, Richard Dunne and Wilson would inspire confidence for the challenge of Poland and Scotland ahead but the QPR colossus appears to be out of the manager’s plans.
Subtle signs of improvement but lots of homework required. 6/10.
One area O’Neill was flush with options, though a serious injury to Darron Gibson against Kazakhstan in September, under caretaker boss Noel King, deprived him of one steady anchor. James McCarthy displayed flashes of his club form but not with enough frequency to confirm he’s graduated beyond the ‘work-in-progress’ stage. Once David Meyler and Jeff Hendrick replicate the type of showing they produced against Italy, McCarthy and Glenn Whelan won’t be certain of their places when the qualifiers rev up into the autumn.
Progress under the new teacher but still a major gap to emulate European pupils. 6/10.
Between wingers and strikers, uncertainty surrounds the starting slots following a year dominated by misses more than hits. Inconsistency continues to trouble O’Neill’s favourite wide men, Aiden McGeady and James McClean, with Anthony Pilkington and Stephen Quinn pushing their credentials. Wes Hoolahan, operating in the hole behind the sole forward, ranks as the success story of the 2013/14 season.
Things were not so promising up top, with Shane Long blunt from close-range and Jon Walters as well as Daryl Murphy relied on for late aerial assaults. A return of three goals from fives starts underlines why Robbie Keane completes the season with genuine claims for a starting berth in Georgia in September.
A mere 11 goals in a dozen games, six of which were against Kazakhstan and Latvia, spell out the substandard delivery in this subject. 4/10.
Digesting O’Neill’s results since taking charge in November conjures a damning assessment as Ireland haven’t gone six matches without victory under one manager since Mick McCarthy in 1997. On the flipside, the expansive style is a sea change from the archaic long-ball stuff of his predecessor, facilitating the creativity of Hoolahan at the hub.
Granted it’s transition year for this international managerial rookie but performances have been mixed and the results woeful. No hiding place here. 5/10.
Forget the superpower of Germany in the upcoming Euro 2016 campaign; O’Neill has work to do for Ireland to even nick the second automatic qualifying spot above Poland and Scotland. Goalkeeper and left-back remain the problem positions, necessitating a call to Shay Given if, as expected, he’s be back on club duty in August. Another chiselled warrior, Richard Dunne, need not be retired to stud.
Bolstering his strike options features on the to-do list, efforts to finalise David McGoldrick’s eligibility now far more urgent.
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