"I'm Irish. Getting back involved with Ireland was a big plus. The opportunity was too good to turn down." 

Probably for the first time in history, an assistant manager has received more scrutiny than the manager who he will be working under.

But that was always going to be the case where Roy Keane was involved.

The former Ireland captain sat down with Off The Ball's Ger Gilroy to explain why he has chosen to join the Ireland setup and what he and O'Neill intend to do. 

Keane told Ger that he was itching to get back into game after a two year absence.

"You probably think at the time that it's not a benefit. But when you step back, you look at the game in a slightly different way. You certainly come back hungrier. I don't think I was the type of manager that took things for granted, but when you're out of the game, you soon miss it. I'm hungry to help Martin bring success for Ireland. We are going to be working with quality players. The job is to get a bit more out of the team.""

The former Manchester United skipper was also in reflective mood and told Ger that he is keen to learn from his experiences at Sunderland and Ipswich.

"It's always a balancing act. You've got to look and learn from your mistakes but then again, I don't think it was all bad. There were positives as well from my experiences as a manager, with Sunderland in particular where I was successful. It was very difficult at Ipswich but if you're going to be a manager and want to be involved for a long time, there are going to be disappointments."

Keane also gave a bit of an insight into how he and O'Neill will work with the Irish players.

"Sometimes it will be subtle things on the training pitch, sometimes it will be sit-down chats and from Martin's point of view it's getting on players' backs. We have to create an environment whether it's the tempo of our training, the way we prepare for matches. We'r'e very serious about winning matches."

But he also explained how his remit stretches beyond the Ireland senior team.

"We shouldn't kid ourselves that Martin and I will only focus on the senior team. Ultimately, we'll be judged on results but we're on board with the FAI and will look at every aspect whether it is the coaching involved in the coaching courses or the underage international team. We're under no illusion that we're fully committed to supporting Irish football in general."

That all-encompassing focus also takes in domestic foobtall which can often be overlooked.

"People have been too quick to knock League of Ireland football. The year I had with Cobh playing League of Ireland was fantastic for me. I've always praised the League of Ireland and we have to remember that lots of players are playing in that league up to the highest level possible," said Keane.

"We shouldn't be too quick to criticize it. I've been fortunate to get to one or two League of Ireland games and for any young player, if that's their best chance of playing at that level, then go for it."

 

©INPHO/Cathal Noonan