Bridges need to be built for Keane return

Mick McCarthy’s departure as Republic of Ireland boss left as many questions unanswered as it resolved.

Off the field, the immediate task is to find a successor for a man who not only took on the mantle of Jack Charlton, but established, until very recently at least, his own place in Irish folklore.

On it, there is the little matter of qualification for Euro 2004 after defeats by Russia and Switzerland which have punctured much of the optimism carried through from a unlikely, but typically gallant Irish showing at last summer’s World Cup Finals in the Far East.

But the burning issue, and the one which has occupied minds across the footballing divide ever since the dark days of May, is the future of national hero, demon, talisman and terror Roy Keane.

The Manchester United midfielder’s bust-up with McCarthy, which robbed his country of their most influential player just when they needed him most, inevitably came back to haunt the Barnsley-born boss, and although he initially won the him-or-me battle, the war has gone the way of Keane.

Opinion has been divided ever since the day in Saipan that Keane rounded on McCarthy, the Football Association of Ireland and later, several of his team-mates, including Niall Quinn and Jason McAteer.

His supporters insisted his prolonged and colourful outburst was simply a measure of his professionalism and commitment; but as he returned home, he knew he had burned bridges, some of which may never be rebuilt.

Keane’s broadside at his manager was blunt and to the point: “You were a crap player, you are a crap manager."

The outburst understandably provoked an astonished response, but its vehemence disguised the perhaps more valid points the player had earlier made over Ireland’s training facilities as they began their World Cup preparations in earnest.

“I’ve come over here to do well and I want people around me to want to do well,” Keane had said.

“If I feel we’re not all wanting the same things, there’s no point. It’s been going on a while.

“I’m banging my head against a brick wall regarding certain issues about this trip, from the training facilities to all sorts. This trip is the tip of the iceberg.

“But you know, we’re the Irish team, it’s a laugh and a joke. We shouldn’t expect too much.”

Yesterday’s events suggest that, despite being caught firmly in the firing line, the FAI are prepared to forgive and forget, and the fact that much of what Keane said, although perhaps unhelpful, was not untrue and will not harm him.

The Republic need Roy Keane, but they need the Roy Keane who wears the green shirt with immense pride, runs through the proverbial brick wall for his country and leads by example.

Alex Ferguson knows that man well, but he too is well aware that there is another side to his captain, a man who calls a spade a spade, pulls no punches and occasionally goes too far.

It seems certain that he will be welcomed back into the fold, but the biggest challenge may be to resolve the differences between the errant genius and the men he left behind in the Far East.

McAteer and Quinn, the latter of whom had tried to broker a peace deal, in particular made their feelings known when Keane and United headed for Sunderland back August 31.

Keane and McAteer scrapped throughout an ill-tempered contest, the former Liverpool star graphically suggesting that he include his complaints in his next book following the publicity surrounding his controversial autobiography.

Predictably, the United man’s temper got the better of him and he was dismissed for elbowing his international team-mate, and Quinn’s attempt to shake hands with him as he departed, whether conciliatory or otherwise, did not go down well.

Quinn, McAteer and Steve Staunton were the players who put up the staunchest defence of McCarthy after the World Cup bust-up.

Quinn and Staunton, both retired from international football, may not now come into the equation – although ironically, the Sunderland player-coach is one of those being tipped to be in the running for McCarthy’s job – while McAteer has indicated that he would be willing to play with Keane once again.

Whether Keane is willing to forgive and forget is a different matter. He does have allies within the team but it remains to be seen if he can trust those that were in the players’ meeting held by Quinn and Staunton immediately after the row with McCarthy, at which the squad publicly declared they did not want to see Keane return to the Republic’s World Cup camp.

“Niall Quinn and Steve Staunton came [to see me] but at the time I didn’t know they’d been to a press conference and they said they thought I went too far,” Keane had said on his premature return in the summer.

“I said I respected their opinions but I was sticking to my guns. Alan Kelly came and said he’d been to a press conference but I actually thought he meant that morning. I thought they couldn’t have had enough time.

“But when explained they’d had a press conference straight away, I could believe it. Then two players came to my room. They said: ’We respected everything you said Roy, but we want to play in the World Cup.’ I said: ’Thanks, I appreciate your honesty’.

“And they said: ’If it’s any consolation, when you left the room Niall Quinn said ‘Look lads we need to stick together, blah, blah, blah’ and there was a round of applause. But we didn’t clap’.

“I said, ’Fair play to you lads, but the damage is done.”

What is certain is that bridges need to be built, and quickly, even if the biggest obstacle to Keane’s return has already been removed.