Lasting harm done to the legend of Roy
SPARE a thought for the Irish Guide Dogs. There was a time when the invitation to attend one of their events was the hottest ticket in town. The reason? An audience with Roy Keane. It was a rarity in those heady days when his every word had value, every withering criticism or gripe or sliver of praise set the agenda. What Keane said mattered. As ambassador for the charity – his Labrador, Triggs, discovering fame during the fallout from Saipan – the annual event was not to be missed. Now? All you needed to do last month was search for Notts TV on YouTube and you would hear him label modern day players ‘cry babies’ and admit he wanted to get back into club management ‘sooner rather than later’. The weight of Keane’s words have been diluted to a point where someone who once had the capacity to hold a nation in the palm of his hands would now find it difficult to hold a room without plenty rolling their eyes with disinterest. Keane remains one of the great figures in Irish sport because of his achievements as captain of Manchester United, but his five-year spell as Martin O’Neill’s assistant with the Republic of Ireland, in particular the final 12 months, have done lasting damage to his legend. Prior to the first leg of last year’s World Cup play-off with Denmark, Keane was asked whether working as No2 made him feel safe. His response was swift. ‘Safe? Secure? Comfortable? Those are not great traits to have. You always need an edge.’ O’Neill and Keane paid the ultimate price this week for the side being so blunt. When news of their departures broke on Tuesday morning, the first damning voice to emerge from within the dressing room was Matt Doherty’s. Unlike many modern day players, when it comes to dealings with the media the Dubliner has an unfortunate habit for those in power: he speaks his mind. Doherty was open about the ‘old school’ nature of the management duo and lack of thorough preparation which professional footballers have become accustomed to. O’Neill was furious with this and made a point of contacting the player to express his feelings privately. However, one aspect of Doherty’s revelations which didn’t garner as much traction was his assessment of Keane’s influence on the squad in recent times.
‘It wasn’t necessarily a case where he Keane has taken the session and was doing shape [work]. It wasn’t a case of that at all,’ he told RTÉ’s
Game On. ‘I guess he was just a backup to Martin. I wouldn’t say he was much of a hands-on on the training pitch. Maybe if he was manager, he might have a bit more responsibility, or feel like he had more responsibility.’
There were times when Keane did speak like the manager and just before the squad departed for Euro 2016, he fired a rocket at underperforming stars following a 2-1 defeat to Belarus in a send-off game at Turner’s Cross.
‘They should be counting their blessings that they’ve managed to get on the flight. A reality check for one or two players who thought they were good players,’ he fumed.
‘Sometimes we make excuses for players, “They’ve not played much football”, but they’re still training, you still control the ball, you have to run. Be fit. Prepare properly. You’re playing international football. Control the bloody ball. Pass it to your mates and if you lose it, run back and run back like you care. They need to push themselves, that doesn’t come from the coaches. It comes from good players, good pros.’
Such public statements were warranted, even welcomed, so long as results didn’t suffer. Matters unravelled over the last year but it seems crazy that, during the previous four, Keane managed to double job with a similar role at Aston Villa before eventually quitting, was the subject of a police investigation following an alleged assault two days before a Euro 2016 qualifier away to Scotland, and stoked the fires of a public row with Everton over the availability of players.
The show was kept on the road by results, so there was an inevitability that once they dried up everything would derail. Details of Keane’s vitriolic attack on Harry Arter last summer, revealed in a leaked Whatsapp message from Stephen Ward, were damning. ‘You’re a f***ing p **** , you’re a c*** you’ve been all your life,’ just one excerpt of the verbal assault.
Keane never again spoke publicly to the Irish media following this sorry episode. His briefings during international weeks were brought to an end and he was happy to slip into the background.
The problem, as Doherty revealed, is that he was making little, if any, impact in his only role that mattered. Maybe he will say his piece next time he lends his continued support to the Irish Guide Dogs.