Roy Keane would ‘scream into a pillow’ after Ireland training sessions in admission in bust-up with Irish centurion
Roy Keane is a Republic of Ireland legend and arguably the greatest player the country has ever produced; however, he is not among the select group of seven players to make at least 100 appearances for the nation.
Yet his achievements in the game demand respect from any Irish footballer and fan, as he set the highest standards as a player.
He carried this into his coaching career, including during his time as Martin O’Neill’s assistant with Ireland, and this would ultimately lead to a bust-up with an Irish centurion, where he would reveal that watching some of their training sessions would lead to him ‘screaming in a pillow’.
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Roy Keane revealed in bust-up how he dealt with his frustrations as Ireland assistant manager
Keane spent five years in the role of Ireland assistant manager to O’Neill. The pair would guide the nation to the 2016 European Championships, where they would secure passage to the knockouts before being eliminated by France.
The pair would then attempt to guide the country to the 2018 World Cup, but an aggregate loss to Denmark in the playoffs halted this dream, and it would signal the end of their involvement on the Ireland coaching staff.
During the summer of 2017, O’Neill and Keane would lead the nation in a friendly against Mexico, a game they were soundly beaten in. However, it was a special moment for one player, James McClean, as he made his 50th cap.
McClean has now detailed in his recent autobiography ‘The Walls’ how, following the loss, he and Keane had a bust-up regarding the Derryman’s actions prior to the match, and the Manchester United legend’s reaction to the winger going off in the first half.
As reported by the Irish Independent, the Derry City star got a picture with Irish Olympic boxer Michael Conlan ahead of the match, leading to Keane accusing McClean of not being focused on the task at hand for the Ireland team.
McClean claims he attempted to talk to Keane about the situation ahead of a press conference for the assistant manager, but they did not have the time. This would ultimately lead the Sky Sports pundit to make his way to the former Sunderland star’s hotel room later that evening to straighten things out regarding their disagreement in New York.
The 37-year-old claims that Keane had done his homework ahead of the meeting, as he brought up a situation regarding McClean and a £300k Lamborghini before admitting in this bust-up that he struggled to watch Ireland train at times due to how poor it could be.
McClean said: “There’s days after training where the standard is so poor, I go home and scream into the pillow.”
The Derry City man would bite back, with his professionalism and dedication being questioned, and so after their confrontation, when McClean scored in the next Irish fixture, he poked fun at Keane with a selfie celebration against Uruguay. This came after they disagreed about McClean’s decision to take a photo with a boxer pre-game.
Ireland’s seven centurions
McClean is one of the seven centurions to have represented Ireland; he made 103 appearances for the nation, placing him fifth on the country’s appearance list.
Steve Staunton and Damian Duff would be the only two players to be in this prestigious club with fewer appearances than McClean, with 102 and 100, respectively.
Robbie Keane is the record cap holder for the country with 146, and the striker also netted on the most occasions for Ireland with 68.
Meanwhile, Shay Given is next on the list with 134 appearances in the Irish goalkeeping jersey, with current Ireland assistant manager John O’Shea earning 118.
Finally, the fourth name on the list is Kevin Kilbane with 110 caps, a name familiar to many Premier League fans for his exploits at Everton, Wigan Athletic, and Sunderland.
Topics: Roy Keane, Ireland, Football News, Football
Brendan McGilligan