ACTUALITE |
17.05.2002
Roy Keane is heart and soul of Irish dream
PARIS
Controversial, outspoken, passionate.
Say what you want about Roy Keane, but the man who is the heartbeat of the Republic of Ireland can be relied upon to ensure that his teammates do not give up the ghost if the going gets tough at the World Cup.
"Getting to major finals is what it is all about," said Keane.
"It has been a bloody long time since my last one in America in 1994 and it is time for us to deliver again," said the Manchester United enforcer, who knows that injuries and controversy have often combined to prevent him from adding to his 57 caps.
Proof positive came in 1996 when he skippered Ireland for the first time against Russia and marked the occasion by getting sent off.
And if anyone was in any doubt at all about his commitment they would only have to remember his remarks after scoring twice in a 4-0 World Cup qualifying win in Cyprus which helped propel them on their way to Korea and Japan in a match which represented his 50th cap.
Upset by the team`s woeful training facilities on the Mediterranean island, he warned the Football Association of Ireland that he would quit if the treatment of the players did not improve.
Keane made his mark on the national team when he was an ever-present in Jack Charlton`s side that reached the second round of the 1994 World Cup, while his contribution to the cause during the 2002 qualifying campaign was mighty, weighing in with man-of-the-match performances against Portugal and Holland.
"He has been immense," drooled national coach Mick McCarthy.
"I would not change him for any player in the world and losing him would be a body-blow because he is our inspiration."
The Cork-born, 30-year-old Manchester United skipper, who has nine international goals to his name, started his career at Cobh Ramblers before moving on to Nottingham Forest in 1990 for 30,000 pounds before making his debut for Ireland against Chile in Dublin in 1991.
From there he moved to Old Trafford for a then British record fee of 3.75-million-pounds and the list of honours has been awesome - six Premiership titles and three FA Cups.
Keane also played a major role in United`s staggering Champions League triumph of 1999, but he was suspended for the final and United`s defeat in the semi-final against Bayer Leverkusen this season meant that another chance at the big one went begging.
Success at club level has not stopped him from hitting out at teammates and fans when he believes the occasion merits it.
When United were facing the prospect of finishing their first season without a trophy for four years this season, he told fellow players it was time to "stand up and be counted."
He applies the same philosophy to sections of the crowd at Old Trafford where over 65,000 people regularly watch Premiership and European matches.
Those numbers don`t always equate to atmosphere and Keane once accused some fans of being more interested in their prawn sandwiches than their appetite for the fare on view on the pitch.
Ireland, who are in Group E with Germany, Cameroon and Saudi Arabia at the finals, would no doubt prefer to have injury-plagued Keane wrapped up in cotton wool.
True to form, he sparked an injury scare when he did not play in Niall Quinn`s testimonial at Sunderland on May 14, with rumours he had suffered a recurrence of a recent hamstring injury.
"I know what would happen with the hype that surrounds Roy," said McCarthy when he played down the injury.
"People would have been chasing around to see he had done something to his cruciate or whether he had broken his back, his neck, or his skull!
"But the reality is he is undergoing treatment, and if he plays against Cameroon on the first of June then I am not bothered."
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