Players unfazed by FAI furore, explains cool Roy Keane
At the team’s training base in Malahide yesterday, Ireland’s assistant manager said he understood why journalists were seeking his views on the big news story of the week — “Of course I can and I was expecting it” — but he maintained that the focus of the management and squad this weekend is entirely on events on the pitch.
Asked if he felt restricted in what he could say, a chirpy Keane looked bemused. “No, by who?” he inquired. “Who’s going to... it’s never happened before, has it?”
Suggesting that he might address the controversy at a later date, he continued:
“We’ve got a game on Sunday and that’s got to be my focus. I’m not thinking about anything else. I’m not thinking about family, holidays, ye lads, my dogs, I’m thinking about the game on Sunday. That is my job. That’s the beauty of international football, you can just get totally focused on the game. If you want to ask me in a couple of weeks about Fifa, sure, I might have a comment but at the moment my concerns are England on Sunday.”
And the same, he said, applied to the players.
“I’ve not felt this in the group. I chat to the players over a cup of tea or a bowl of cereal. It’s not been mentioned once. Honestly, if you askplayers, most players, they are focused on their own game, their own performance.
“You go on about the downside of international football but the beauty when you come together is all our attention is on the game coming up. At the hotel, you’re mixing with the staff and players and, honestly, there seems to be no distractions this week, whatever seems to be going on in the outside world (laughs). It’s like Big Brother back at the house. We don’t read what you’re talking about or writing about.
“We’re very professional people and we’re focused on the job. From a player’s point of view, I’ve been at clubs where there were distractions about managers, chief executives or a player who’s coming or going but players can be very much in the zone. I don’t know if it’s selfish. ‘Got to get ready for game on Sunday’.”
Behind him as he spoke, the Irish goalkeepers were doing just that on the training pitch.
Said Keane: ‘If you pull the players as they are coming off — Fordey, Shay, Westy — who are all thinking they can play and you say ‘lads, what’s going on with Fifa or anything else in the planet?’, they’d say, ‘I’m ready for the game’.”
Asked at one point if John Delaney was a distraction this week, Keane quipped: “Isn’t he always?” There was humour too when the name of former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner, once described by then Sunderland manager Keane as “a clown”, was raised. “I have had issues with everybody,” he smiled.
Turning to the symbolic significance of England’s long-awaited to return to Dublin after the Lansdowne riot of 20 years ago, Keane maintained that it has not been a talking point in the camp to date. “Honestly, we’ve been here since Sunday night, Monday morning and it has not been mentioned. That’s the nature of the game we’re in. People are focusing on the next game, even the staff.
“We spend a lot of time drinking tea in the hotel and around Malahide and it’s not been brought up once. When it comes closer to the game, maybe, but I can’t tell you about conversations that might or might not happen.
“We’ll know on Sunday. It’s an important game in the build-up to the game next Saturday. In terms of looking back, I think the players are focused on what’s coming up. I think most teams — and you ask the Irish lads — they want to turn England over, of course. What happened 20 years ago?
"They want to win the game. They’ve got their pride and they know the players at club level. And if they get a good result, maybe it will give them a better chance of being in the starting 11 on Saturday. I’m guessing that’s in the players mindset at the moment.”
He does hope it’s football is the only conversation come Monday. “Please God we will be. I’m pretty sure we will be. We are looking forward to a really good game. England are coming. They’ve lots of good players. Pretty sure it will be sold out. And that’s what I’m here to talk about. It’s a press conference for me to talk about football.”
On which point, Keane was asked if Jack Grealish — whom he got to see at close-quarters at Aston Villa — was running out of time to make up his mind about his international future.
“I don’t know if there’s been a timescale on it,” he pointed out.
“What I found working with Jack in my short time at club level is that he’s a really good kid. Obviously, I’ve never been in that situation. Whatever decision he makes will be the right one, whether we like it or not. But I think if Jack came here with the senior squad, he’d have loved it. There seems to be a blame game going on. Jack was unsure what he wanted to do, and we’ve got to respect the decision — whether we like it or not is irrelevant. If you’re a betting man… I’ve got my own thoughts on what he’s going to do. Let’s wait and see.”
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
