ROY SWITCHES ON BATTLE MODE
‘Happy’ Keane fires off warning shots as clock ticks down to kick off
AS the visiting journalist tip-toed into dangerous waters with a remark about Swedish players having identified ‘a weakness’ in the Irish team, Roy Keane stroked his piratical beard and fixed him with a steely stare.
‘Oh did they?’ smiled Keane. ‘OK... what did they say?’
‘They said central defence is a bit too slow,’ stammered the journalist.
Keane’s eyes narrowed, as they do, before he goes on the offensive. ‘We’ll see. Are you sure they weren’t talking about the Swedish centre halves? They’re not exactly really lightning either,’ he said drily.
It was a ball-winning tackle from the Irish assistant manager who is clearly up for the match tomorrow. Keane had a chuckle as he took his place in a windowless room full of buffer hoovers and plastic chairs for his final media audience before the finals.
‘Only the best, I see,’ he said as he entered the equivalent of a large broom cupboard. The setting in the Montbauron municipal sports complex was far removed from the fivestar Trianon Palace where Keane’s only complaint is about his bed being too soft.
As for Keane, there is nothing pliable about his character; he is tough as tungsten. He is clearly glad to be on the bridge alongside Martin O’Neill, for his first international tournament since 1994.
As he admits himself in his lighter moments, he hasn’t always got to the starting blocks of major finals, for one reason or another.
He is on board for this summer, and maybe two more, having shaken hands with John Delaney, a former target for his wrath, on a new deal.
‘I’ve had opportunities when I’ve been in the job, but not enough for me to go “yeah, time for me to leave now”, the time’s not right yet. I’m enjoying it too much,’ he said.
‘I’m happy, I’m contented with the job I’m in, with the people I’m working with, and you can’t really put a price on that. We’ve won enough games, or we’ve done enough in qualifying to enjoy it. The challenge now is to kick on and do well in the Euros.’
This is Keano at 44, not Keano at 30 when he was raging with inner demons, and not Keano at 22 when the World Cup finals were shiny and new and he was happy to be rowing in as one of Jack’s likely lads.
He looks at life, and people too, through a different prism. While he hankers for a return to club management, the stopstart aspect of international management suits his temperament. He can switch on for a week or two, then switch off for two months and take the dogs for long walks and pop up on ITV. Right now, he is switched on and ready for action. He would love to be out there tomorrow, snarling at Zlatan Ibrahimovic and putting the fear of God into the Swedes. He reckons Zlatan has a touch of Eric Cantona about him. ‘They’re big characters, clearly and whatever you say about Cantona he was a popular lad, and I get the impression Zlatan is the same,’ he said. ‘Whatever about his playing career, you hear from his teammates and he seems to be a bit of a character, and you can see that in the way he plays. ‘It’s good to see that, because there’s a lack of characters out there. On top of all that, he’s a very, good player. To compare him to Eric, though he’s a little different.’ The talisman Zlatan is known to fly off the handle, which isn’t a black mark in Keane’s eyes. ‘That’s good. People think having a temper is a bad thing….I don’t have one,’ he laughed. ‘It depends how you use it, I’m still learning,’ he said with another smile. If Ibrahimovic sneezes, Sweden catches a cold and Keane knows Ireland’s players must be wary of the threat posed by the 34-year-old in the Stade de France tomorrow. ‘A lot of it is about football intelligence, the players have to know their opposition players; you have to keep an eye on them. If he (Ibrahimovic) is 25 yards from goal, then you gotta get to him.’ Ireland don’t have a player of Ibra’s quality in attack although Shane Long would give anyone a run for their money right now. Four years ago in Poland, Ireland’s only goal came from a set-piece and Keane doesn’t deny Ireland will look to Robbie Brady’s left peg to inflict damage tomorrow. ‘I’m sure they’ll have been watching us in our games. Whatever you say about setpieces, no matter how much you practise them, defend them, if the delivery is right on the night, it’s hard to defend them. If Robbie Brady puts a great ball in, then you’re going to have to defend it well,’ he warned.