‘ROY DOES GREAT WORK FOR THE FAI WITH Q&As’

MARTIN O’NEILL says Roy Keane ‘will divide opinion until he is buried’ but the Republic of Ireland manager is adamant that he never considered sacking him as a result of the recent controversies, citing the off-field work he does for the FAI.

Harry Arter asked not to be considered for international duty in August after he was on the end of a foul-mouthed rant from the assistant during the summer, a situation which was exacerbated when a leaked WhatsApp audio message from Stephen Ward, which detailed his version of events, also revealed that Jonathan Walters was involved in a bust-up with Keane (below).

Arter has since spoken to O’Neill’s right-hand man and the issue was ironed out sufficiently for him to return ahead of the upcoming Nations League double-header with Denmark and Wales.

‘Roy will divide opinion until he is buried. When I took Roy on, I knew all of those things. Some of the things he does for us – he works for the FAI. He does as much Q&A and business things as I do at the end of the day,’ O’Neill said.

‘Those things are always forgotten. Because it’s Roy, he’s a talking point. People want to talk about him and talk to him.’

Asked if his job was in danger after the fallout with Arter, O’Neill responded: ‘Why? Why? Why? You keep saying these things. You must feel now, there must be a part of you that thinks: “Do you know what? That Harry Arter thing – Harry is coming into the squad now. Stephen Ward, if he’s fit, he’ll come into the squad. Jon Walters did come into the squad.” It was an argument that finally came out a couple of months later. Surely there must be a slight bit of embarrassment on your part?’

O’Neill was also involved in a somewhat tense exchange with one journalist, who carried an interview with Matt Doherty recently in which he stated ‘his face didn’t fit’ with Ireland under O’Neill.

‘I wonder why he hasn’t got a full debut. My job is not to please you by picking somebody. My job is to pick the side. If it wasn’t Matt Doherty it would be somebody else down the road. It would be somebody playing for West Brom.

‘If it wasn’t him for West Brom it would be somebody playing for Barnet, or someone like this here. My job is to try and win some football matches.’