Roy Keane: Players will decide Euro 2016 finals squad

At the Irish team hotel in Castleknock yesterday, Roy Keane was asked how he was feeling on the morning after the night before.

“Well I’m tired, I know that,” he began. “No, it was good, even better this morning. Obviously there was a lot of excitement last night. And rightly so. You have to enjoy these moments. And the staff, we had a good night.

“It’s even better when you wake up this morning and say, ‘yeah, the players got the job done’. There were setbacks and disappointments in the campaign but, in sport, you’ve got to hang in there and that’s what the players have done. The players are fantastic, they did the country proud.”

But even in the throes of a long night of celebration, the Irish staff already had one eye on what it will take to deliver more big occasions next summer, not least in terms of selecting the personnel who will fill just 23 seats on the plane to France.

No extended provisional squads need apply.

“Strangely enough, we were discussing that as well — that was at about half-past-six this morning,” Keane said, with a smile. “But that might make it slightly easier when we are over there because we are constantly working when we turn up with 28/29 players. They are not great coaching numbers when you are on the pitch. The 23 will make it easier.

“Obviously narrowing it down to 23 players will be hard but you always say to the players that are not playing — Aiden McGeady, Gibbo (Darron Gibson), Pearcey (Alex Pearce) — that it is important these lads go and get games under their belts because it will be very difficult for the manager to pick lads who may not have kicked a ball for six months. But I always think the players pick the team and the squad. If lads are out there performing, there is a good chance they will be travelling. If not, then it will be difficult.”

What of the possibility of fringe players and even brand new names coming into the frame between now and next summer?

“You would always hope so. That is why it is good there are a couple of friendlies coming up, there will a chance for (Alan) Judge to get involved and (Harry) Arter. These boys we still haven’t seen enough of. That is the nature of football. Whatever about results in these friendlies, they will be put on the back burner, and Martin will give fringe players the opportunites to get into the squad.

“You are always hoping one or two will surprise you and step up to the plate in international football and make a name for themselves. Whether there are lads we have not mentioned in the background — obviously the Grealish saga dragged on a bit — but we have seen the U21 side once or twice and there may be other players out there. We hope there might be lads in the background who will make a late charge.”

Keane also said he hoped that there is more to come from the current squad.

“Every time you work with players, from a selfish point of view you always think that there is more to come,” he said. “You would be worried if you thought ‘that’s the best that we can do’, because as a manager and staff you try to improve the players. I was asked a question as to how we can keep the ball better — we just have to keep working at it. We have younger players coming through who are comfortable in possession. But for as long as I can remember, we have struggled to keep possession. And that has to improve.”

Tournament football, of course, is a very different beast to a qualification campaign, and France 2016, Keane readily agreed, will make unfamiliar demands of the whole Irish camp.

“Yes, from the players, management and staff. We have not experienced it before, although I have as a player. There will be a few games in nine, 10, 11 days so that will be the challenge to the players and the squad of players. It’s new for the manager, it’s new for me and the other staff but we have enough experience under our belts to deal with the challenge.”

Interestingly, Keane took issue with the widespread perception Monday night’s decisive victory over Bosnia was the story of an Irish side confidently breasting the finishing tape rather than scraping over the line.

“It felt like a scrape to us on the sideline,” he declared. “People said to me afterwards it was almost comfortable — what game were you watching?

“It wasn’t comfortable to us — it might have been if Shane (Long) had bloody scored! We could have enjoyed five minutes of football. So I don’t know where the enjoyment comes.”

And then he answered his own question, as he recalled another wee hours conversation about how qualifying as a coach measures up against qualifying as a player.

“Even last night, we were discussing it with the staff,” he revealed. “I’ve been lucky and the manager has obviously had a lot of success. I think they are different types of enjoyment.

“Obviously it feels harder when you are a coach. But this is certainly up there with them. We did enjoy the moment, there’s no getting away from that.”