Robbie Keane on the Late Late show

Sizzler

Zapp Brannigan wrote: »

So reckon, the young player who doesn't like playing for Ireland, is Mr Steven Ireland?

BINGO. Was thinking the same altho what made me think not was Keane said the player made the "I dont like coming here" claims after weds game...well thats the way it came across

_blank_

Sizzler wrote: »

BINGO. Was thinking the same altho what made me think not was Keane said the player made the "I dont like coming here" claims after weds game...well thats the way it came across

It ain't Stephen Ireland.

Keane clearly was talking about Wednesday night.

I reckon it was Doyler.

whiskeyman

DesF wrote: »

It ain't Stephen Ireland.

Keane clearly was talking about Wednesday night.

I reckon it was Doyler.

I was thinking McGeady myself.
He's been getting a huge amount of stick from the media, and the terraces due to his recent performances.

_blank_

I've changed my mind.

It was Keogh.

No, I mean Shane Long.

Lads, we could type names all night.

Still doesn't mean we know the answer.

Sizzler

DesF wrote: »

It ain't Stephen Ireland.

Keane clearly was talking about Wednesday night.

I reckon it was Doyler.

Doyler hasnt really been around that long. I reckon Whiskeyman has it, McGeady! Understandably has a pain in his hoop , no pun intended

Call Me Jimmy

Well if they don't enjoy coming over they can **** off. It must be so terrible getting the opportunity to play for your country. Arsehowals. And yea I can't form an opinion on something without the media? Go **** yerself robbie ye prick.

whiskeyman

Taken from the 'Gaffers' piece in the Germany match programme:

The Gaffer wrote:

I am pleased with the progress that the new players we have introduced into the squad during this campaign have made and I believe that in 11 months when we kick-off our World Cup qualifying campaign that we will have a squad strong enough to have a good shot at qualifying for South Africa

That kind of statement would have Roy Keane puking his guts up if he was still in the team...

eirebhoy

I think McGeady too. He talked about the player being inexperienced but has been around the squad a few years. He said that he doesn't enjoy coming over any more. He never said "coming over for matches" but maybe I'm reading too much into it.

Sizzler

Call Me Jimmy wrote: »

Well if they don't enjoy coming over they can **** off. It must be so terrible getting the opportunity to play for your country. Arsehowals. And yea I can't form an opinion on something without the media? Go **** yerself robbie ye prick.

I think Jimmy has had a few pints tonight

BaZmO*

I reckon it was Kevin Kilbane.

thebaz

damn it missed it -- don't suppose he mentioned why he was drunk and playing karaoke , just before our last big game -- that was 2 years ago against France , at Lansdowne , when he wasn't at the races again.

Call Me Jimmy

Sizzler wrote: »

I think Jimmy has had a few pints tonight

That's not not true...

but he's still a prick whether I've been drinkin or not. I thought staunton was the only deluded one but robbie must be smoking from stan's personal stash.

d22ontour

BaZmO* wrote: »

I reckon it was Kevin Kilbane.

I wish it was , such a liability for only the last 5/6 years..

Vince135792003

thebaz wrote: »

damn it missed it .

You missed nothing except maybe another example of why Robbie shouldn't be captain. He seemed heartfelt but objectively he didn't make alot of sense. Just going round in circles blaming the media for turning the fans on the team.

He said he accepted criticism but each time moved onto the media.

I don't want to sound like I'm knocking him either. If we're ever to do well again in the future, a big part of it I'm sure will be down to him playing as well as he's capable of.

Gillie

$hite interview! Learned nothing important from it!

Is there anyone in the International Football setup here who will stand up and be counted! We're fuked at the moment!

ciaran76

BaZmO* wrote: »

I reckon it was Kevin Kilbane.

He said young player lol !

cournioni

Can I just say... What an arsehole. Why exactly does he think that the press have been giving them stick? Not for no good reason that is for sure. It is the fans that suffer, not the players Robbie. They can go back to their club after the international break and "earn" tens of thousands a week while we the fans earn our money to see big piles of ****e like Wednesday night... Do us a favour Robbie and **** back off to Tottenham and don't come back.

irishpartyboy

If the players wanted to show some sort of unity behind Stan and the FAI, the obvious choice is the captain, but in fairness someone with more than one brain cell would've at least carried himself better and be able to make a point. Robbie isn't the sharpest tool lets be fair.

eirebhoy

Can I just say... What an arsehole Stan is. Why exactly does he think that the press have been giving them stick? Not for no good reason that is for sure. It is the fans that suffer, not you Stan. You can go back to the golf course after the international break while we the fans earn our money to see big piles of ****e like Wednesday night... Do us a favour Stan and **** back off to Walsall and don't come back.

Why don't we see more of that? Because we realise Stan has been given a dream job and wasn't going to turn it down. We realise Stan has tried his best and failed. That's no different to Robbie Keane. He does nothing else but try his utmost.

sharkman

PORNAPSTER wrote: »

Can I just say... What an arsehole. Why exactly does he think that the press have been giving them stick? Not for no good reason that is for sure. It is the fans that suffer, not the players Robbie. They can go back to their club after the international break and "earn" tens of thousands a week while we the fans earn our money to see big piles of ****e like Wednesday night... Do us a favour Robbie and **** back off to Tottenham and don't come back.

I Love it . Totally agree !

Unearthly

eirebhoy wrote: »

Can I just say... What an arsehole Stan is. Why exactly does he think that the press have been giving them stick? Not for no good reason that is for sure. It is the fans that suffer, not you Stan. You can go back to the golf course after the international break while we the fans earn our money to see big piles of ****e like Wednesday night... Do us a favour Stan and **** back off to Walsall and don't come back.

Why don't we see more of that? Because we realise Stan has been given a dream job and wasn't going to turn it down. We realise Stan has tried his best and failed. That's no different to Robbie Keane. He does nothing else but try his utmost.

To be honest I agree

One thing about Keane is that he is clearly very proud to be playing for Ireland and trys his best. People wonder why he is better for Spurs, maybe because he has better players playing beside him? just a thought

BaZmO*

ciaran76 wrote: »

He said young player lol !

Whooooosh!!!!

Dave!

I can't help but think that the FAI's best hope of getting Ireland behind the team is to start alluding back to Jack Charlton and the likes. I'm pretty sure everyone in the country wants to see a Renaissance of Irish football. Get in a good manager, get rid of John Delaney, and then get the country excited about the World Cup. That momentum would do wonders for the team I think.

aidan24326

irishpartyboy wrote: »

If the players wanted to show some sort of unity behind Stan and the FAI, the obvious choice is the captain, but in fairness someone with more than one brain cell would've at least carried himself better and be able to make a point. Robbie isn't the sharpest tool lets be fair.

This is more or less what I was thinking while watching it. Keane is very inarticulate and not a good choice for an interview like that. Don't want to just slag the lad's intelligence but even if he had good points to make he would struggle to communicate them effectively.

And in this case he had nothing useful to say anyway. They're all out to get us it's a media conspiracy blah blah. Sorry Robbie but you're a very highly paid professional footballer who is representing his country, you and your teammates have to be prepared to take criticism when you produce incompetent performances like we've seen over the last year or so.

And if any player doesn't want to play for Ireland or sees it as some sort of chore then take a hike back across the water and leave it to the lads who actually want it. I'd sooner see 11 hungry and genuinely committed players from the Eircom League than a bunch of whingers that earn 20K per week and can't take a bit of criticism when they play like donkeys.

redspider

Well, I think Robbie Keane made a couple of valid points, but I'd like to re-state what I think were the points he was trying to get across, and they are:

1. that the players are affected by the negative aspects, booing, etc, excessive criticisms, which have crept in during Staunton's reign, which in turn is leading to poorer results, poorer performances, such as on Wednesday night, putting on extra pressure, etc. Think of it as a negative 'vicious' circle. We have spiralled into that.

2. that this has not been the 'Irish way' over the years - even when things were going bad in the past over the years, this 'ferocity' did not happen. It may have happened in England, "Turnip-head Taylor", etc. Sure, we can be dissapointed with losses and draws when they happen but the "You'll never beat the Irish" mentality was all about sticking behind your team through thick and thin.

Robbie is not the best of communicators, he hasnt been trained in public speaking etc, he is certainly intelligent as his football intelligence cearly shows and is probably a better footballer than probably everyone here, I would estimate.

I think he did a very brave thing by going on the Late Late, he wasnt asked to do it, he did it under his own bat. It wasnt orchestrated, he wasnt 'coached', it in fact could have put in some jeopardy his own relationship with his full-day job at Spurs as this was unnecessary travel, etc. So, for those that think he is just 'in it' for the money, this interview alone should prove that he and other players are playing for the shirt, as best they can. Likewise, Staunton is managing as best he can. And Staunton has clearly not lost the dressing-room, as it is put. Robbie was hinting that it was the players who blame themselves when things dont go right, and nobody else.

I realise that I was critical of the players after the last match, but I wanted to get that across as a very important point, that what hapens is not ALL down to the manager, and of course also NOT all down to the FAI CEO. Nor were the other poorer results in this group.

Robbie is right. We as a nation of football followers shouldnt be jumping on the backs of the players, the team, the manager etc, in such a negative way. He also saw it as a bit of a shock that Staunton with over 100 caps, a great servant of the past, should get treated so badly by the fans, and the media. Its tabloid stuff. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth, and it doesnt help the team.

He also qualified his criticisms as he did say it was not all of the media nor all of the fan base, and he is right. Its also not all criticisms that affect the team, hence the broad-shouldered remark, some is of course valid, even a lot of the critique, its just the nature of it. Where I was sitting on Wed night, NO-ONE booed. Why boo a team that you want to do well? Even if your boo's are an attempt at changing the manager, it affects the players. It doesnt help and it just doesnt make sense.

I think that's what Robbie was trying to say.

By the way, Stephen Ireland might be the "player I won't mention", although I have a feeling it could have been several of them if not himself as well. He is right, lads that do show up wont be busting their gut if they and the manager get too much abuse. Alas, we as a nation may not be above that. And recently, we have shown that we are not.

Redspider

d22ontour

redspider wrote: »

Likewise, Staunton is managing as best he can.



We as a nation of football followers shouldnt be jumping on the backs of the players, the team, the manager etc, in such a negative way.


Redspider

Staunton managing as best he can doesn't cut it i am afraid to say.He is useless and has absolutely no clue on how to manage a football team as our worst showing in a qualifying group in my time bars testimony to.

Why shouldn't we form an opinion on our national team if it's not a positive one ?The players are not performing because of the management team.The team is not performing because of the management team.The manager has not done anything to even equate to non-performing as a result of FAI appointing him.If you really think we should get behind the joke that is Ireland in this current climate then please keep deluding yourself by all means whilst the rest of us cringe at the joke we have become.

KdjaCL

d22ontour wrote: »

Staunton managing as best he can doesn't cut it i am afraid to say.He is useless and has absolutely no clue on how to manage a football team as our worst showing in a qualifying group in my time bars testimony to.

Why shouldn't we form an opinion on our national team if it's not a positive one ?The players are not performing because of the management team.The team is not performing because of the management team.The manager has not done anything to even equate to non-performing as a result of FAI appointing him.If you really think we should get behind the joke that is Ireland in this current climate then please keep deluding yourself by all means whilst the rest of us cringe at the joke we have become.

Rovers fans applauded their team off the pitch last night in a show of support.

I guess its the old "people who go to football games thing", what do they know they only fans.


kdjac

d22ontour

Maybe the rovers fans seen some effort from their players/manager in the drubbing ? All fans admire effort but if none is seen then booing can ensue.If booing Ireland off against Cyprus is what it took Delaney to review his non-appointment of Stan then maybe it should have happened before he was allowed near our qualification prospects ? I would rather an overhaul of the FAI but have little chance of seeing that happen, the next best thing is getting rid of a so called manager who because of his inability has put us on a par with San Marino.

KdjaCL

d22ontour wrote: »

Maybe the rovers fans seen some effort from their players/manager in the drubbing ? All fans admire effort but if none is seen then booing can ensue.If booing Ireland off against Cyprus is what it took Delaney to review his non-appointment of Stan then maybe it should have happened before he was allowed near our qualification prospects ? I would rather an overhaul of the FAI but have little chance of seeing that happen, the next best thing is getting rid of a so called manager who because of his inability has put us on a par with San Marino.

awww not used to your teams being ****?

Reality is ****eness.

kdjac

Guy:Incognito

redspider wrote: »

1. that the players are affected by the negative aspects, booing, etc, excessive criticisms, which have crept in during Staunton's reign, which in turn is leading to poorer results, poorer performances, such as on Wednesday night, putting on extra pressure, etc. Think of it as a negative 'vicious' circle. We have spiralled into that.
er

I dont buy the "booing makes us worse" at all. I'd bet Spurs are getting booed a bit lately. Wheres the stories in England about them being relegated if the fans dont stop booing? Liverpool booed off last week, turn up this week and put in a fighting performance. The booing at Ireland games is being used as an excuse. How come opposition players that get booed at games for various reasons can have good games? Players getting booed should make them come out for the next game fired up to do well and prove everyone wrong. The Irland team sees it as a straw to clutch at and gets progressivly worse.

redspider wrote: »

Robbie is right. We as a nation of football followers shouldnt be jumping on the backs of the players, the team, the manager etc, in such a negative way. He also saw it as a bit of a shock that Staunton with over 100 caps, a great servant of the past, should get treated so badly by the fans, and the media. Its tabloid stuff. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth, and it doesnt help the team.

Thats bull. If he's doing a bad job , he's doing a bad job. I dont care if he cured cancer and aids before, he's doing a bad job now and needs to go. If he's being affected by the criticism he's too sensitive.

PHB

Look, nobody boo'd after the 5-2 Cyrpus defeat, people still got behind the team. Nobody boo'd at the Wales or Slovakia home games, everybody was behind the team. People boo'd when we were no longer in with a shot of qualifying! The only effect the boo'ing might have had was on the last two results, it doesn't excuse the team for the rest of the ****.

purple'n'gold

irishpartyboy wrote: »

If the players wanted to show some sort of unity behind Stan and the FAI, the obvious choice is the captain, but in fairness someone with more than one brain cell would've at least carried himself better and be able to make a point. Robbie isn't the sharpest tool lets be fair.

To be fair to Robbie Keane, he’s a professional footballer not a professional commentator. It’s not a lack of intelligence on his part just a lack of education and language skills. So its not fair to criticize him for something he is genuinely not good at.

Xavi6

purplengold wrote: »

To be fair to Robbie Keane, he’s a professional footballer not a professional commentator. It’s not a lack of intelligence on his part just a lack of education and language skills. So its not fair to criticize him for something he is genuinely not good at.

So does that mean we can't criticise his football either?!

RuggieBear

Brian Capture post deleted and banned for inappropriate comments.

Dave!

Was fairly obscene alright

Mr Alan

awwww i wanna know wat was said

shane86

PHB wrote: »

Look, nobody boo'd after the 5-2 Cyrpus defeat, people still got behind the team. Nobody boo'd at the Wales or Slovakia home games, everybody was behind the team. People boo'd when we were no longer in with a shot of qualifying! The only effect the boo'ing might have had was on the last two results, it doesn't excuse the team for the rest of the ****.

Im fairly sure they booed after Cyprus. I certainly did. And we were still well in contention when we beat SM 2-1, but there was booing because European football has a 4 goal minimum with none conceded when it comes to SM away trips. It could be argued of course that we had the misfortune to be the first to discover that the Cypriots were no longer a few percent better than San Marino, the Germans and Czechs suffered some hairy matches with them and all. The Cypriots probably have even an 8 year plan, constantly improve, climb the seedings and get to a tournament by 2016. Fact was the Slovak match was probably the best we had played against a determined opposition. The Wales match was awful, Wales were poor enough to be taken 3-0 yet they nearly equalised once or twice. The final blow was the draw in Slovakia, primarily because most of us knew the introduction of Hunt and Long could well have given us a comfortable 3-1.

As for the interview, it was all pretty general.

cournioni

KdjaCL wrote: »

awww not used to your teams being ****?

Reality is ****eness.

kdjac

No one is saying that we are world beaters, but when you see the likes of Scotland putting huge heart into their campaign and being successful because of it then I think that we have a right to ask questions. They are the ones paying the €50+ into the games after all!

The complete lack of heart in the Irish team at the moment makes Ireland games almost cringeworthy to watch. What are the fans supposed to do? Applaud the team for such gutless performances?! I would be the first person to applaud them if they lost going hell for leather to win a match, but they don't!

This is the reality kdjac.

gandalf

Mr Alan wrote: »

awwww i wanna know wat was said

Oh believe me you don't!!!

If I could buy a wire brush for my mind I'd be ok but alas I can't!!

Will never be able to view an Iceland ad the same way ever again!!!

BaZmO*

redspider wrote: »

Well, I think Robbie Keane made a couple of valid points, but I'd like to re-state what I think were the points he was trying to get across, and they are:

1. that the players are affected by the negative aspects, booing, etc, excessive criticisms, which have crept in during Staunton's reign, which in turn is leading to poorer results, poorer performances, such as on Wednesday night, putting on extra pressure, etc. Think of it as a negative 'vicious' circle. We have spiralled into that.

2. that this has not been the 'Irish way' over the years - even when things were going bad in the past over the years, this 'ferocity' did not happen. It may have happened in England, "Turnip-head Taylor", etc. Sure, we can be dissapointed with losses and draws when they happen but the "You'll never beat the Irish" mentality was all about sticking behind your team through thick and thin.

Robbie is not the best of communicators, he hasnt been trained in public speaking etc, he is certainly intelligent as his football intelligence cearly shows and is probably a better footballer than probably everyone here, I would estimate.

I think he did a very brave thing by going on the Late Late, he wasnt asked to do it, he did it under his own bat. It wasnt orchestrated, he wasnt 'coached', it in fact could have put in some jeopardy his own relationship with his full-day job at Spurs as this was unnecessary travel, etc. So, for those that think he is just 'in it' for the money, this interview alone should prove that he and other players are playing for the shirt, as best they can. Likewise, Staunton is managing as best he can. And Staunton has clearly not lost the dressing-room, as it is put. Robbie was hinting that it was the players who blame themselves when things dont go right, and nobody else.

I realise that I was critical of the players after the last match, but I wanted to get that across as a very important point, that what hapens is not ALL down to the manager, and of course also NOT all down to the FAI CEO. Nor were the other poorer results in this group.

Robbie is right. We as a nation of football followers shouldnt be jumping on the backs of the players, the team, the manager etc, in such a negative way. He also saw it as a bit of a shock that Staunton with over 100 caps, a great servant of the past, should get treated so badly by the fans, and the media. Its tabloid stuff. It leaves a bad taste in the mouth, and it doesnt help the team.

He also qualified his criticisms as he did say it was not all of the media nor all of the fan base, and he is right. Its also not all criticisms that affect the team, hence the broad-shouldered remark, some is of course valid, even a lot of the critique, its just the nature of it. Where I was sitting on Wed night, NO-ONE booed. Why boo a team that you want to do well? Even if your boo's are an attempt at changing the manager, it affects the players. It doesnt help and it just doesnt make sense.

I think that's what Robbie was trying to say.

By the way, Stephen Ireland might be the "player I won't mention", although I have a feeling it could have been several of them if not himself as well. He is right, lads that do show up wont be busting their gut if they and the manager get too much abuse. Alas, we as a nation may not be above that. And recently, we have shown that we are not.

Redspider

I'm hoping that your account has been hijacked by someone in the FAI. If not, you're even more deluded that I thought you were.

The reason why there was booing on Wednesday was simple, it was to get the point across to the FAI. They are renowned for their absolute contempt for Irish fans by spinning situations to their own advantage. Delaney saying that the fans stayed back to cheer Stan after the San Marino for example.

I was there on Wednesday and felt that the only way the FAI would listen and take notice was to boo at the end. I wasn't booing the players, I was booing the ineptness of Stan while he has been in charge and Delaney for choosing him. And as the tickets had been paid for already staying at home wasn't an option, and I'm sure the FAI would have put the spin of us being out of the running and it being a Wednesday as an excuse for fans not turning up.
Also, not buying tickets for future games is not an option as I would lose my place on the blockbooking scheme.

So therefore booing was the only option and by the looks of it it has worked.

cournioni

BaZmO* wrote: »

I'm hoping that your account has been hijacked by someone in the FAI. If not, you're even more deluded that I thought you were.

The reason why there was booing on Wednesday was simple, it was to get the point across to the FAI. They are renowned for their absolute contempt for Irish fans by spinning situations to their own advantage. Delaney saying that the fans stayed back to cheer Stan after the San Marino for example.

I was there on Wednesday and felt that the only way the FAI would listen and take notice was to boo at the end. I wasn't booing the players, I was booing the ineptness of Stan while he has been in charge and Delaney for choosing him. And as the tickets had been paid for already staying at home wasn't an option, and I'm sure the FAI would have put the spin of us being out of the running and it being a Wednesday as an excuse for fans not turning up.
Also, not buying tickets for future games is not an option as I would lose my place on the blockbooking scheme.

So therefore booing was the only option and by the looks of it it has worked.

I agree 100% with you on that one Baz. I for one was not booing the players, because some of them were giving it a right go. It was Stan and Delaney I was booing at also.

CountryWise

Whats all this about the booing not helping?

The booing occurred after the results......so its a big excuse from Keane.

The Irish fans are widely regarded as one of the best in the world, so much so that the English press were reporting the words "shocking and startling" that Ireland got booed off the field, which doesnt happen in Irish international football, where as in their country its the norm it aint here so a sign of how bad things are!

smemon

Pity Dumphy wasn't there beside keane.

Keane would probably have broke down in tears

And who's this 'young lad' he was talking about, not enjoying coming over from england... that's an issue, and a huge one.

If Robbie knows about it, so does Stan. And if you have a player not wanting to play, then he shouldn't be selected

ntlbell

DesF wrote: »

I've changed my mind.

It was Keogh.

No, I mean Shane Long.

Lads, we could type names all night.

Still doesn't mean we know the answer.

There's a much bigger issue going on here and I'm surprised it was let go all weekend.

You sir, apparently have a very understanding gf that lets you away with murder.


WTF ARE YE DOING IN WATCHING PAT BLEEDIN KENNY MAN??

_blank_

ntlbell wrote: »

You sir, apparently have a very understanding gf that lets you away with murder.

Well, she's away in New Zealand at the moment.

Anyway, I was only watching PK because

i) Someone asked for updates on the interview
ii) I was interested in the interview
iii) Payday this week, and I was a bit short of cash, so had to stay in on Friday
iv) Katy French was on it.

dubmick

for those who missed it:

Part 1 - http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=MNPTbrzEx5w

Part 2 - http://ie.youtube.com/watch?v=ogja7_7MKcM

Pal

Tom Humphries Locker Room :

Robbie Keane. Robbie Keane. You crazy, mixed-up kid. What were you thinking jetting across to lecture the confused peasantry on the insidious evils lurking within the media?

Lawdee. We can accept that the media's embarrassing failure to qualify the country for next summer's European Championship finals is something you might well take personally, Robbie. Still. That doesn't make you Marshall McLuhan.

And we can only imagine how deeply you must resent the fourth estate's tendency in recent years to score goals only against very poor teams. But your deconstruction of the media-celebrity-football matrix lacks clarity, Robbie.

Listen. We hacks may be the lowest form of life you can imagine, but we are at least a couple of evolutionary stages beyond being your publicists. If you ever give us a second glance you might notice how few of us actually wear cheerleaders' skirts and tassels while we work.

Jimmy Cannon, a crusty old sportswriter who didn't know how to pull a punch, used to say that sportswriting survives because of the guys who don't cheer. Sportswriting just about survives in this country and a lot of the time we do actually cheer. But, Robbie, we have nothing to be cheering about.

The cheering thing was a theme Jimmy Cannon felt strongly about.
"I don't want sportswriters being fans," he wrote about the baseball beat. "I want them to be the guys who neither love nor hate the sport and whose life is not wrapped up in the sport and who remember they are working newspapermen and not baseball people."

We've all done plenty of cheering for you, Robbie. In the good times maybe you mistook us for fans. That's the cheering that got you boot deals and endorsement contracts and made you a very wealthy young man.

There's been so much cheering done for you that it's just about possible to understand how you would mistake journalists for publicists and come to resent the sudden withdrawal of fondling and fawning when times go bad.

You know well how it worked. You once - amusingly, I thought - refused to attend a press conference because your agent hadn't been given final approval on an Evening Herald article. The article in question made you out to be a cross between Mother Teresa and Pele and was actually a puff piece arranged by your boot sponsors, whose name and logo figured prominently across the two pages.

Still, great and fearful was your sulky wrath.
You know how these things are. The same agent once responded to an interview request with you by inviting me to fly to England, where he would arrange a five-minute slot with you.

I genuinely thought he was joking, Robbie, but he said that, no, you were very busy being a footballer and all that. I could take it or leave it. So I left it.

We've done longer interviews since and they have been grand and whatever they provided for the newspaper those interviews gave you a chance to transmit some of your personality to the Irish soccer public; they gave the people who buy the boots and the tickets and the jerseys some idea of what kind of a fellow Robbie Keane is.

That is good for everyone when it comes to creating a bond between players and public. That sort of exposure has meant that in good times you are feted and in bad times generally, Robbie, you are forgiven. People feel they know Robbie Keane.

It's not so long ago, for instance - just two years, in fact - that in the run-up to a huge game against France your own preparations for that match involved a night of karaoke till the small hours in the local and then a prolonged occupation of Lillies Bordello till the early hours the following night.

Good luck to you, but before you lecture us about how we are all in the same boat and all want the same thing you might stop to think about how short-changed the paying punter felt. Same boat? Some of us seem to be rowing harder than some other people in the boat, Robbie.

One of the many failures of the regime presided over by your old friend "Stan" has been the whole media-relations thing. Back in the Mansion House when "Stan" was launched by John Delaney (who, we now realise, was doing so only because his wife and children were being held at gunpoint somewhere else) there was much brave talk from "Stan" and his Uncle Bobby about how the media were going to be co-opted into the deal and we'd all be just a part of Stevo's Army.

That was kind of off-putting right from the start - being patronised and told how we'd soon be all on the payroll working as shills in the brave new world. But we have seen regimes come and go and we shrugged and got on with it.

Of course it took one bad result for the shutters to come down and for the team and management to adopt a policy of speaking only through gritted teeth.

It's not really of any interest to the general peasantry how the media are treated by the Irish team, but it should be. The media are merely the instrument through which players communicate with the people who pay their wages and puff their egos.

It doesn't really matter if the team find us all to be a lowdown bunch of scurvy curs; the bigger picture is that if you want to communicate with the general public it is much easier to do it through expressing yourself reasonably in interviews than indulging in epic sulks or performing in a string of karaoke nights.

That's why when you wanted to get your pouty message across you decided to get your face onto the Late Late Show on Friday night.

Ah, Robbie. When you ban the media from setting foot in the team hotel, when your manager gets everybody to drive to Malahide and then gives 20-second press conferences the bulk of which are composed of silences, when players are pulled from one-on-one interviews at the last minute, when the team and officials sit at the front of the plane eating hot food while the common hackery look on starving - when all these things happen it's best that the team perform with a passion and an excellence that bowls us all over because there isn't going to be much goodwill left in the media.

And funny enough, there is going to be less goodwill left among a general public who feel not only that they don't know the current team but also that the side offer very little that can be identified with.

In that regard it was nothing short of hilarious to hear Steve Staunton respond to a question about the team's isolation from the public by stating that ye go for walks on the beach, and sometimes go to Malahide. Brilliant!

The media are not perfect. Sometimes criticisms are excessive. On the other hand, the rewards at your end are always excessive so it balances out.

All the media ask and the general public ask is that the team prepares as well as is humanly possible and gives the green jersey as much as is humanly possible.

Not speaking to the media is petulant and childish. Not because we are so charming that you are missing out on the chance to become better people just by mixing with us, but because you leave a vacuum to be filled.

On the day before the Germany match, for instance, the FAI nixed an interview this paper had arranged with Stephen Hunt, who was ineligible to play against Germany but was perfectly happy to be interviewed. So the space had to be filled with a critical piece about the current regime.

That's not ideal for anyone, but the space unfilled by the meagre harvest from sulky press conferences and nixed interviews always gets filled by analysis pieces and critiques, and without the need on the part of the media to maintain the lifeline of access the pieces get more and more robust.

Robbie, it wasn't actually the media who were booing you in Croke Park last week. It was the people who pay your wages. They felt they had been short-changed. And they were right.

And seeing you on the Late Late asserting that people booed because of what they read in the paper overestimates the power of the media and underestimates the intelligence of the fan.

We, fans and hacks, all have jobs to do, real worries and mortgages and pressures. You are our distraction. You live the life, you score the goals, you wear the green. We're sorry if you think that we have all let you down, but now you know how we've been feeling.

Mr Alan

excellent piece

Nunu

Pay no attention to the hypocritical Humphries. The article is a pitiful attempt to assassinate Robbie Keanes character and fails in my book - but always was going to coming from his pen.

Two lines stick out and show Humphries up:

On the day before the Germany match, for instance, the FAI nixed an interview this paper had arranged with Stephen Hunt, who was ineligible to play against Germany but was perfectly happy to be interviewed. So the space had to be filled with a critical piece about the current regime.

Really? Why did it have to be replaced with a critical piece Tom?

when the team and officials sit at the front of the plane eating hot food while the common hackery look on starving

Imagine including that line and expecting to be taken seriously! I get the feeling this is his main gripe - the media are full of their own self importance.

BaZmO*

That line about the plane seats really got me too, unless it was in some way supposed to be an ironic comment based on years gone by when players had to sit at the back of the plane in economy while the Blazers lorded it up in 1st class. I somehow doubt it though.