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If there was any question about Roy Keane’s passion for his country following Saipan and other incidents during his international career, the former national team captain has been dispelling that notion over the past few weeks.
Due to the much-publicised issues with the FAI, a return to the Ireland setup was always going to be somewhat unexpected—but it seems he has buried the hatchet with the governing body and intends to do his utmost to help Martin O’Neill and the Boys in Green achieve success and qualify for Euro 2016.
Speaking to Ger Gilroy, the Corkman underlined how excited he was by the opportunity to link up with O’Neill and his country. "I'm Irish. Getting back involved with Ireland was a big plus. The opportunity was too good to turn down,” he said.
Photo: INPHO/Cathal Noonan
A two-year absence following his dismissal by Ipswich Town has left him eager to get back to work, but he insists the time out was not wasted, "You probably think at the time… 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 in reflective mood and told Ger that he is keen to learn from his experiences as manager 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… 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 in the game for a long time, you are going to have disappointments."
Roy Keane playing for Ireland, first leg World Cup Playoffs, 2001. Photo: INPHO/Billy Stickland
Known for his passion and steely determination, his former boss at Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson, caused a stir recently when he described Keane—if rather unfairly—as an “intimidating, ferocious individual” with eyes like “wee black beads”. Keane freely admits that he’s “always been a man that plays with my heart on my sleeve,” an attitude he will undoubtedly bring to the new job.
Keane, who took the first training session of the new regime, gave 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're very serious about winning matches."
New Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill and assistant Roy Keane working for ITV. Photo: INPHO/Donall Farmer
But it’s not just the Ireland senior team who will be on the receiving end of the Keane edge, he explains, "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."
Keane also made a point of highlighting the important role of the League of Ireland which is often ignored, despite the fact that many current Ireland players began their careers on these shores. Indeed, before signing for Nottingham Forest in 1990, Keane spent a season at Cobh Ramblers in 1989/1990 and he feels that it was beneficial for his own development.
"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."
Aware that his excitement to be part of the Ireland team may not be particularly apparent, even to his own family, Keane joked, “My kids always say to me, ‘Dad, are you happy?’ And I say ‘Yeh’ and they say, ‘Tell your face.’ But I genuinely am happy to be back involved.”
Listen to the full interview with Roy Keane on Off The Ball
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This article originally appeared in Newstalk Magazine for iPad in November, for more details go here.
