James McClean says Roy Keane's comments were 'spot on'

Roy Keane lit a big fire under some of the Irish players who underperformed in the game against Belarus in Cork last Tuesday and — though he later attempted to soften the blow by claiming some of his comments were “tongue in cheek” – his hard words didn’t go down well with everyone.

Former international Kevin Kilbane was quick out of the blocks to charge that Keane was “bang out of order,” that it wasn’t his place as assistant manager to voice such criticism in public and that all his intervention was likely to do was “alienate” him from the players.