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Tag: Robbie Keane

  • King bows out after controversial spell as interim boss

    King bows out after controversial spell as interim boss

    Noel King’s time as interim manager after Giovanni Trapattoni’s swift departure as Ireland’s head coach was originally seen as a breath of fresh air by the majority of Irish fans.

    The 57-year-old Dubliner is no stranger to the beautiful game, having played for more than two decades in the League of Ireland, managing in it for twelve, and even had a spell at French second division club Valenciennes.

    Having managed the Irish women’s international team from 2000-2010 and the Irish U-21s for the last three years, King has more than enough experience to work with the senior players of the national team, having coached a handful of his squad at the U-21 level.

    Trapattoni's spell in charge took a drastic turn after the miserable performance in Euro 2012. Photo courtesy of Davit Hakobyan on flickr
    Trapattoni’s spell in charge took a drastic turn after the miserable performance in Euro 2012. Photo courtesy of Davit Hakobyan on flickr

    His decision to invite a couple of the Airtricity League’s top players to train with the national team before the Germany game was revitalising and invigorating to see, compared to Trapattoni who continually denied the fact that there is a competitive football league in Ireland.

    The easy approach for King to adapt in the last two qualifying fixtures of the campaign was to deploy an attractive, attacking philosophy of play with a ‘nothing to lose’ mentality, which has been called for on numerous occasions by the Irish supporters and also by some sections of the media.

    In doing so, King may have won some fans and finish his interim spell earning some plaudits for giving it a go against Germany and Kazakhstan.

    However, this was indeed the easy choice and King opted to take the harder and more courageous route by stamping his own authority on the squad for those two games and no Irish supporter can complain about the two results recorded, regardless of the performance against Kazakhstan in the Aviva.

    King’s defiant and belligerent reaction to RTE’s Tony O’Donoghue in the final post-match press interview was met with great interest. Asked about his team selection after the game, he jumped into a histrionic defence of his choices and berated the journalist after walking out of the interview.

    His short spell in charge has been a drastic contrast to his Italian predecessor and his outburst illustrated his passion, emotion and patriotism for the country’s football, unfortunately this also showed a certain naïveté about the demands on those involved at the top level of management on the world stage.

    Former Sunderland boss Martin O'Neill is the bookmakers' favourite for the Ireland job. Photo: dalli58 on flickr
    Former Sunderland boss Martin O’Neill is the bookmakers’ favourite for the Ireland job. Photo: dalli58 on flickr

    Noel King has been and will continue to be an influential character on the Irish football circuit, but he was never going to be chosen to fill the void as the national coach.

    John Delaney and the FAI have a tremendously important decision to ponder regarding the appointment of the future manager of Ireland, with Mick McCarthy, Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane all being deemed early frontrunners for the post.

  • O’Shea’s swansong?

    O’Shea’s swansong?

    “What’s rare is wonderful!”- RTÉ commentator George Hamilton celebrating John O’Shea’s 27th minute goal which saw Ireland take a 2-1 lead against Kazakhstan in the final qualifying round match for World Cup 2014.

    Could O'Shea have made his last appearance for Ireland? [credit: eurocuppictures.com]
    Could O’Shea have made his last appearance for Ireland? [credit: eurocuppictures.com]
    That goal turned out to be the turning point of the match, a late own goal sealing the 3-1 victory in the final minutes. What Hamilton failed to mention was that O’Shea’s goal, his only competitive goal in a green shirt (he did score once before, against Australia in a 2003 friendly), was scored in what could very well be his last international match.

    By far and away the most successful Irish international in years, O’Shea is now 32, and with a new club manager and Sunderland in a less-than-enviable league position, this year looks like it will be anything but easy for the Waterford man.

    After breaking onto the scene at Manchester United (we all remember THAT nutmeg on Luis Figo), O’Shea established himself as the utility player in Alex Ferguson’s squad. Equally adept at playing anywhere across the back four, as a holding central midfielder (or even in goals), Johnno was partly a victim of his own adaptability.

    After finally nailing down a spot in the heart of defence at his new club, the last thing O’Shea will want is to see the Black Cats relegated. He may feel that, with an in-coming Ireland manager and youngsters like Ciaran Clarke and Shane Duffy waiting to make the step up, now may be the time to call a halt on his Ireland career.

    Many who play under Alex Ferguson tend to retire from the international game early, in an attempt to prolong their playing careers. Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs are just two of many who prioritised their club over their country, and looking at the ever-green United pair now it is hard to fault their choice.

    With Shay Given, Damien Duff and Kevin Kilbane already gone, Richard Dunne crippled with injuries and eager to cement his place at new club QPR, and with Robbie Keane nearing 34, O’Shea may feel that now is the right time to leave gracefully and let a new manager build his team with the long-term in mind.

    Dunne’s retirement, if O’Shea does decide to call it a day, would give the new boss a serious hole to fill in the middle of his defence. With Clarke still learning the ropes, and Shane Duffy far from the finished article, it would fall to the supporting cast to fill the void.

    Sean St Ledger would seem the obvious choice, but finding a partner for him wont be simple [credit: irishmirror.ie]
    Sean St Ledger would seem the obvious choice, but finding a partner for him wont be simple [credit: irishmirror.ie]
    While enough has been written on Paul McShane’s short-comings to fill several articles, he remains an integral part of the Ireland squad. With Darren O’Dea deemed unfit to serve in a poor Celtic team and now plying his trade in Toronto, Stephen Kelly a square peg in a round hole, and Damien Delaney nearly 33, it may indeed fall to the Hull City man to lead a new-look Ireland team into the Euro 2016 qualifiers.

  • Craig Bellamy vs Robbie Keane

    Craig Bellamy vs Robbie Keane

    With barely a year separating Craig Bellamy and Robbie Keane in age, the Welsh forward’s decision to retire from international football following his sides failure to qualify for Brazil 2014 has some fans worrying that the 33-year-old Ireland captain may soon follow suit.

    Keane: On the way out? [credit: 3football.ie]
    Keane: On the way out? [credit: 3football.ie]
    The two have enjoyed remarkably similar careers at club level and broken transfer records on several occasions over the years, but while Keane found stability with Tottenham Hotspur between 2002 and 2008 (where he scored over 100 goals) Bellamy has failed to ever settle, never spending more that four seasons at any one club.

    Both are recognised as great leaders and senior statesmen for their national teams, though again Keane is far more prolific than his Welsh counter-part. The Ireland striker has scored 61 goals in 130 senior appearances, compared to Bellamy’s relatively tame tally of 19 goals and 73 caps, though it should be pointed out that injuries have curtailed Bellamy’s influence on the game, the Welshman failing to string more than 14 consecutive games together in his first 12 years as a professional. Keane, by comparison. has managed to avoid any major injuries through-out his career.

    This gulf in numbers can be explained by the difference in the pair’s styles of play. Keane is more in the traditional poachers mould, cropping up to finish from a couple of yards and generally staying in-and-around the box, occasionally dropping deep to set up attacks and take the pressure off the midfield. Bellamy, on the other hand, relies on his pace, running at opposing defenders and regularly switching out onto the wing.

    Bellamy and Keane have both also enjoyed extended runs as captains of their national teams, Robbie being handed the armband in 2006 while Craig succeeded Ryan Giggs as Wales captain a year later. Bellamy stood down as captain of Wales in January 2011 however, just two months after a divisive ‘club v country’ debate, citing injury troubles.

    Indeed, Bellamy’s tendency to get himself in trouble (more than once) has affected his career for both club and country, his fiery disposition causing problems both on and off the field. Sir Bobby Robson, Bellamy’s manager while at Newcastle, once described him as “a great player wrapped round an unusual and volatile character”, and later commented that the Cardiff-born player “could start an argument with himself“. In contrast, Keane very rarely gets booked and is rarely in the news for anything other than his performances.

    Bellamy in one of his last appearances for Wales [credit: mirror.co.uk]
    Bellamy in one of his last appearances for Wales [credit: mirror.co.uk]
    Bellamy has cited the need for young players to stand up and be counted as one of his reasons for retiring. With a new crop of Irish talent currently emerging and young strikers like Shane Long and Robbie Brady chomping at the bit, will Keane also decide that the time has come for him to step aside?