Is bitter Keane becoming a liability Irish don’t need?

Inside Track with John McIntyre

Even those of us who felt Roy Keane’s infamous walk out on the Republic of Ireland squad in Saipan on the eve of the 2002 World Cup bordered on treason have moved on in the meantime, but the question has now to be asked is the Cork man in his role as assistant Irish manager becoming a liability the team can do without?

Certainly, Ireland boss Martin O’Neill must be already sick and tired of having to deal with media inquisitions about Keane since he made the surprise decision last November to appoint him as his number two. That news alone sparked a press frenzy and it has hardly abated since. The Cobh native is just one of those polarising and controversial figures who attracts and makes headlines.

Firstly, O’Neill was on the defensive when Keane took up the same role with Aston Villa in the Premiership; then he was trying to deal with the fallout from Keane’s strident criticism – in his second autobiography, mind you – of legendary former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson; before having to field ‘distracting’ questions on the hotel incident involving Keane prior to their departure for the big Euro 2016 clash against Scotland last week.

Since joining the Irish set up, Keane had also been linked with the vacant Glasgow Celtic job and, over the weekend, he again was stirring up a storm when questioning Everton’s conduct in relation to the availability of James McCarthy and Seamus Coleman. During that tetchy press conference, he ended up getting stuck into a couple of journalists, leaving O’Neill again to try and sanitises things on Monday.

There is little doubt the Irish manager values Keane’s input while the 67 times capped midfielder continues to have a standing in the game given all his notable achievements, but O’Neill looks a man growing increasingly weary of having to continuously make statements about his high profile assistant. Overall, it can’t be helping the Republic’s preparations and one suspects that if there is another controversy involving Keane – even one not of his own making – O’Neill may decide to cut the former Irish captain loose.

The holiday incident last week hardly merited the blanket daily front page coverage the following morning, but anything out of the ordinary to do with Keane is perceived as big news. He remains a volatile character and, clearly, doesn’t forgive or forget easily . . . and though he has immersed himself in the role of assistant manager, the sideshows may be undermining his influence.

Perhaps, if Ireland had overcome Scotland last Friday night in Celtic Park, the regular TV and newspaper focus on Keane mightn’t be an issue, but this defeat has suddenly cranked up the pressure on the Irish squad which was made to look quite ordinary at times by their resurgent hosts, under the management of former Scottish hero Gordon Strachan.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.