35 STITCHES COULDN’T HALT GERMAN ASSAULT
HEADBANGER Richard Keogh insists he will continue to spill blood for Ireland - and has the scars to prove it.
The night Shane Long floored Germany at Aviva Stadium, Keogh sported a giant bandage to protect a head wound.
Days before that game, he split his head open playing for Derby County in a Championship game against Leeds United.
“This scar here,” he said yesterday, pointing above his right eye. “35 stitches against Leeds and I had five INSIDE my head because it split right open.
“It was only five days before the Germany game and the stitches were still in. There was no way I wasn’t going to play in that Germany game!
“I heard people with the Mick Mccarthy references and it was a real compliment to be placed in that bracket.
“But listen, if there’s a shot to be blocked, I’ll throw myself in front of it. If I have to get cut open to make a header, I’ll do it.
“Especially for my country, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep the ball out of the net. That Germany game was amazing, everyone doubting us, writing us off. To win how we did was a fantastic night.”
Modern day footballers are often accused of being soft and Seamus
Coleman has previously railed against the Louis
Vuitton wash bag brigade.
But you cannot level that charge at gnarled Rams ace Keogh who wouldn’t have looked out of place playing in the 1970s.
Asked if that indeed would have been up his street, Keogh, 32, said: “You look back and there were some tough men.
“The game has changed, not more technical, because they had technical players back then. It’s just a lot of teams play the same way now.
“But it would have been nice to play in that era. You can see from the scars that I enjoy that side of the game!
“From when I first started playing to where I am now, I’ve had to adapt a bit as you can’t be as physical and referees are not as lenient.“Capped 19 times, Keogh has been a dependable servant since first appearing under Giovanni Trapattoni in 2013. And while he hasn’t always started under Martin O’neill (inset), he has been captain for the last three games.
One win in nine games tells its own story but Keogh is confident there will be good days ahead.
“We lost some big players and the manager is bringing in players who’ve got potential to be great players for Ireland.
“They need time to evolve.
“The process is probably taking longer than we’d like but I feel the future is bright.”