Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
ROY READY FOR A ROLLER COASTER RIDE
Keane: We’ll come off the rails if anyone believes Austria are weak.. there will be ups and downs, twists and turns
ROY KEANE has likened this World Cup push to a white-knuckle roller coaster ride. But he warned it will spiral out of control if Ireland are hoodwinked into believing Austria are in disarray. Sunday’s clash at the Aviva Stadium is a tremendous chance for the Boys in Green – joint-top of Group D – to drive on, with just four more games to come. Not least when you consider Austria appear to be a team in crisis. missing seven players through injury, suspension – and a wedding! Of their patched-up squad, 15 players have 10 caps or fewer and their three strikers – with just 12 caps between them – have yet to score an international goal. Their manager, Marcel Koller, is under fire and faces the sack if they lose to Martin O’neill’s charges. Having gone unbeaten in their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign with nine wins from 10 games, Austria were tipped as dark horses to win in France last summer. Yet they tanked to finish rock bottom of a group containing Hungary, Iceland and eventual champions Portugal. Keane, though, isn’t buying the stories of a squad in crisis. “If they win on Sunday, all of a sudden they’re back and they’ll probably be saying there’s disarray in our camp,” said Ireland’s assistant boss last night. “Disarray can happen within 24 hours – that’s why you’ve got to keep your foot down, you have to try and keep winning. “This roller coaster – you’re either up here or down there. At the moment we’re not far off the top and we want to stay there. But that’s easier said than done. “It’s tough to win a game of international football.” Keane continued: “I’ve never underestimated a team in my life, going back to when I was eight years of age. You can’t think like that. This game kicks you in the teeth. “I don’t ever remember with Ireland having any sort of easy game, even against the so-called minnows of world football. “We’ve always found it hard to win football matches and that will be the same on Sunday – and I think Austria will be enjoying that people are writing them off. “How can we afford to write anybody off ? They’ve got some good players and should have nicked a draw against us in Vienna with the last kick of the game.” Yet Ireland have consistently pulled off big wins under this management team and confidence is high. Despite all the whining about this apparently being our weakest pool of players in generations, they have delivered. Shane Long’s winner against Germany springs to mind, as does Robbie Brady’s header against Italy and James Mcclean’s solo effort in Vienna last November. This weekend, the onus is on Ireland to hammer home their advantage in Group D. They have Austria where they want them. Keane said: “That’s a different type of pressure and that’s the challenge we face on Sunday, where there’s more expectation for us to win. “You cannot live in the past. We cannot be under any illusions that we don’t have to be at our best. “We can be at our best in a lot of football matches and still not get a result. “The intention on Sunday is to try win a game. “Does it a guarantee a play-off or qualification? “Absolutely not because there are more tough games coming around.”