KEANEST CRITICAL TONGUE

AFTER coating a chunk of the Republic of Ireland squad last week, Roy Keane moved to clarify his position.

“I was joking with some of the stuff I said. Believe it or not, it was tongue-incheek.” Believe it or not? Not, Roy. Keane (above) just can’t help himself and what lies between the lines of every one of his entertaining, brutal, assessments of footballers – whether they be those he is helping to manage or otherwise – is the implication that they fall short of the standards he set as a player.

Even if they do or do not – and let’s not even go to World Cup 2002 – it is the sort of attitude and instinctive reaction that has probably stopped him being a top manager and will continue to do so.

Presumably, the criticism was sanctioned by Martin O’Neill and the boss clearly believes Keane, as his gun-dog, serves a purpose.

But when the real stuff starts, there has to be just one singer and just one song.

That singer is O’Neill.

EVERYONE connected with Northern Irish football can feel proud, but let’s be blunt … their new world ranking of 25 is, more than anything, another example of how FIFA’s system is laughably flawed.

Northern Ireland are not the 25th best team in the world – and they know it.

But they did win their qualifying group, don’t forget, and they will make life difficult for Poland, Ukraine and Germany.

It will be a sort of Jamie Vardy effect in operation, only Northern Ireland will have plenty of players who have toiled for years in the lower reaches of the game before getting their moment in the spotlight.

Conor Washington was a full-time postman delivering part-time goals for St Ives four years’ ago.

His rise to Championship football with QPR suggests he still has the chance to go the full Vardy route, but this is still the pinnacle for him.

His story – and so many others – is what will make Northern Ireland’s attritional football so easy to watch over these next couple of weeks.

Good luck to them.