after revelations from Quinns memoirs ...to the effect that The Irish team was on 2 huge p1ssups during the world cup , once in Saipan when they told the journos they were going to bed and once in Soeul before the Spanish match . For Fcuk sake if you were playing a county final , you would give up the drink for a while . I am slowly moving towrads the opinion the Roy is right about our attitude to this game and competition in general.
Here's some of it...... September 22, 2002 Niall Quinn: ‘Keane was biggest victim’ by Jim Munro ROY KEANE’S verbal assault on Republic of Ireland coach Mick McCarthy shortly before the World Cup was “one of the defining moments in Irish history,” according to Niall Quinn, whose soon to be published autobiography debunks many misconceptions surrounding events of that day. For one, Keane’s outburst was far more eloquent and considered than had at first been reported. “People talk about Irish patriot Robert Emmet’s speech from the dock,” said Quinn. “They talk about the oratory of Brendan Behan, Eamon de Valera, Michael Collins. But Roy Keane’s 10-minute oration can be mentioned in the same breath. “It was clinical, fierce, earth-shattering to the person on the end of it and it ultimately caused a huge controversy in Irish society.” In his book, Quinn goes further, stating: “It is the most surgical slaughtering I have ever heard. Mick McCarthy is dismantled from A to Z — his personality, his play, his style, his tactics, his contribution. “Words used include spineless. Useless. Stupid. Gutless . . . Incompetent. Ignorant. Backward. Conman.” The result was Keane’s expulsion from Ireland’s World Cup squad. “Roy is the biggest victim of all here,” said Quinn. “When all the anger dies down, he will have to live with the fact that he was in his prime. Roy could have been the greatest player in the World Cup. He could have had immortality for all the right reasons. Why couldn’t he put that above his own desire for perfection?” Keane felt that Quinn had sided with McCarthy and the Sunderland striker was eager to patch things up during Manchester United’s recent visit, but Keane’s sending off spoiled things. “I thought the least I could do was shake the poor bloke’s hand,” said Quinn. “All I got out of my mouth was: ‘We’ve had three months of s*** Roy.’ I was just about to say sorry for all the mistakes I’d made when Alex Ferguson came flying out. He thought I was trying to goad Roy into punching me.” It was also announced yesterday that Manchester United’s medical staff have contacted their Highbury counterparts to seek advice on Roy Keane’s rehabilitation from a hip operation. “It’s one of those injuries we’ve had no experience of so we’ve contacted the medical people at Arsenal and they’ve given us some guidelines,” explained Ferguson. “The Arsenal people have experience of dealing with Freddie Ljungberg, who had a similar injury,” he said.
Bought Roy Keanes book only about a half an hour ago but it's a good read all right but opinion is definitely shifting towards Keane, if not by any action of his but by the fact that most people now see McCarthy for the poor manager he is, Keane saga aside.
I don't think Keano saying of McCarthy being "spineless, useless. Stupid. Gutless . . . Incompetent. Ignorant. Backward. Conman." are too far off the mark. The only one I might disagree with is Conman just because I have never really taken that into account... As for Quinny, why wait until after Roy Keane was sent off to shake his hand. Not exactly good timing on his part.
i would presume he had intended waiting until the end of the match. roy's dad would probably have intervened then too, i reckon.
Does this mean you've forgiven Keane, and want him back in then, despite hs mental illness ?. Is such a view now popular amongst you Irish guys ?.
I have always supported Keane during the whole WC-Saipan saga and still do now. My view of him has not changed.
I forgot. I think he's a plank myself, although these aparent nights out doesn't show McCarthy in a good light either. It's interesting to compare this news with the story of the night before the European Cup final Nottingham Forest had, when Clough had a table full of pints, and said that no-one was to go to bed until they've finished all of them. The story of Clough goes down as an amusing football folk tale, yet McCarthy is (quite rightfully) criticised. I think Roy had a point when he was upset about the preparations, but he went about it entirely the wrong way. That and the whole book issue as well as the subsequent fallout of which makes me see him as a man with serious problems upstairs. I'm starting to pity him now. I seem to be showing an extrodinary amount of concern considering I'm not at all Irish. But then Damien Duff is Irish.