Ireland ask FIFA to be 33rd team in WC

[Bluebeard]

Wolves - 29 goals in 87 appearances
Coventry - 12 goals in 34 appearances
Inter Milan - 3 goals in 14 appearances
Leeds - 19 goals in 56 appearances
Spurs (I) - 107 goals in 254 appearances
Liverpool - 7 goals in 28 appearances
Spurs - 14 goals in 33 appearances
Ireland - 41 goals in 96 appearances

a goal every 3 games and all time 10th top goalscorer in the premiership. yeah its a crying shame that Robbie never fulfilled his potential. :rolleyes:

what more do people want from an Irish player?! :o

Is a Christmas card every once in a while too much to ask for?

[yapster]

Is a Christmas card every once in a while too much to ask for?



Or put away a sitter that would send his country to the World Cup....

[SkStu]

Or put away a sitter that would send his country to the World Cup....

didnt he do that already against Iran in 2001? :confused:

[superfrank]

He failed at Inter,Leeds & Liverpool and now it seems he will be sold by Spurs before the season is out.
I think that's a very unfair summary of his time at Inter.

He was bought by Marcello Lippi, but Lippi was sacked a few games into the season. The new manager, Marco Tardelli, didn't think he was that good and he was frozen out of the side. That's why he left. He could've just sat on the bench and picked up his wages every week but instead he left cos he wanted to play football, same as what happened at Liverpool.

I think at Leeds it could be argued that he failed but then again he didn't get to stay around for too long as the club imploded and had to off-load a lot of players quickly.

The whole Liverpool mess is bizarre. AFAIK, there's been claims that Benitez didn't want him, etc. The whole squad rotation thing up there didn't help him but he did score a few goals. I remember he scored a good goal against Arsenal which got them a point but then Benitez dropped him for the next game. It's hardly his fault Benitez is so intent on rotation. Again, like at Inter, he has more ambition then to sit on the bench and get paid.

This time around at Spurs, Defoe is banging them in. While Darren Bent is gone and Pavlyuchenko is off-form, Crouch has been doing well when he gets in the side and he offers a lot more than Keane as a target man. AFAIK, he's scored more goals than Crouch in fewer games this season, as well.

Pavlyuchenko will be the first to be sold by Spurs. I don't see him leaving them this year, tbh. He'll get his chance.


Or put away a sitter that would send his country to the World Cup....
It was hardly a sitter. He had a lot to do and the ball was moving quickly. He tried to be smart, maybe it was the wrong option but I'd trust the judgement of someone with his goalscoring record.

Besides that, he did very well with his finish earlier in the game and he has a great record for Ireland with 41 goals in 96 caps. He's got crucial goals against big sides like Germany, Italy, France, Spain and Netherlands as well as numerous other important goals against lesser sides. He does the job for Ireland and that's what most people on here would be worried about.

Also, anyone who scores 100 goals in what is considered to be the best league in the world must be doing something right.

[back of the net]

good article.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/8418549.stm

Cheers SkStu,
thats a very good article and has a put a smile on my face

Roll on the Euro's lads...bring em on

[yapster]

didnt he do that already against Iran in 2001? :confused:


yes against ****e opposition, that was 8 years ago anyway,


Franks point about Keane making the wrong decision with his chance sums it up really.Keane had time to lift it over the keeper but hesitated and lost his head.For a player of his so called guile & experience in International football to lose his head is criminal to say the least. Keane has scored goals yeah but it's his giddiness and missing howlers that puts managers off. Alex Ferguson was asked about Keane in 1998,he said he would put him in the reserves for at least 2 years so he could learn how to play.

[SkStu]

i think Robbie Keane went on to emphatically prove Ferguson wrong (after the move to Coventry) by scoring 12 league goals that season and going on to become the 10th highest goalscorer in PL history.

My point on Iran is that Keane has already scored the goals that got us to the WC and the goals that got us to the second round in the WC. Why does it not count now?

Any other country of our population would kill to have Robbie Keane and i guarantee that we'll all will miss his goals when he is gone. Enjoy him while you can lad, he's not the first great striker to miss a sitter and he wont be the last.

Im so proud hes an Irishman and that we produced such a talented player who is so dedicated to his country.

[yapster]

[QUOTE=SkStu;1299502]i think Robbie Keane went on to emphatically prove Ferguson wrong (after the move to Coventry) by scoring 12 league goals that season and going on to become the 10th highest goalscorer in PL history.

My point on Iran is that Keane has already scored the goals that got us to the WC and the goals that got us to the second round in the WC. Why does it not count now?

Any other country of our population would kill to have Robbie Keane and i guarantee that we'll all will miss his goals when he is gone. Enjoy him while you can lad, he's not the first great striker to miss a sitter and he wont be the last.

Im so proud hes an Irishman and that we produced such a talented player who is so dedicated to his country.[/QUOT


The 10th highest scorer in the EPL :D

Ferguson was right about him as Keane has failed at the top clubs, O'Leary even dropped him ffs.

He wasted his talent son by being thick-headed and not improving on his game and as I said he wasted a glorious chance to put his country into the World Cup when he was needed most.

[NeilMcD]

He wasted a chance, wow string him up and kill hilm, but he also scored against Italy away, France away, Cyprus away, all vital goals too and he scored against Cyprus at home and Georgia at home both winners. So without his goals we would have been in serious ****.

Keane is a huge player for us and along with Dunne and Given our most important players, we just lack a player of equal talent and experience in midfield to compete a pretty impressive spine Any player can be knocked, there is no player out there who is perfect and knocking a player is not analysis if you do not take into account all the positives and say that they outweight any little negatives that may exist.

[NeilMcD]

yes against ****e opposition, that was 8 years ago anyway,


Franks point about Keane making the wrong decision with his chance sums it up really.Keane had time to lift it over the keeper but hesitated and lost his head.For a player of his so called guile & experience in International football to lose his head is criminal to say the least. Keane has scored goals yeah but it's his giddiness and missing howlers that puts managers off. Alex Ferguson was asked about Keane in 1998,he said he would put him in the reserves for at least 2 years so he could learn how to play.

When someone proves that you are talkilng rubbish you will just change the goalposts of your argument until your the definition of doing it for ireland is so narrow that it only means that a player scores against france in the stade de france in november to send his team to the world fup finals in south africa in 2010

[SkStu]

The 10th highest scorer in the EPL
:D
Ferguson was right about him as Keane has failed at the top clubs, O'Leary even dropped him ffs.

He wasted his talent son by being thick-headed and not improving on his game and as I said he wasted a glorious chance to put his country into the World Cup when he was needed most.

youre right, you've convinced me. He's been an abject failure and has brutalised the talent that he was blessed with. He should retire now to avoid further embarrassment to himself.

I cant believe i ignored the upward trajectory in O'Learys career and the corresponding downward curve in Keanes career directly after. Schoolboy error.

You're absolutely right.

[yapster]

When someone proves that you are talkilng rubbish you will just change the goalposts of your argument until your the definition of doing it for ireland is so narrow that it only means that a player scores against france in the stade de france in november to send his team to the world fup finals in south africa in 2010


I don't doubt the contribution Keane made in the campaign but as I say 'It means nothing if you get nothing' we are still not going to SA regardless of how many goals Keane has scored, the fact of the matter is he failed miserably when needed most.

[yapster]

youre right, you've convinced me. He's been an abject failure and has brutalised the talent that he was blessed with. He should retire now to avoid further embarrassment to himself.

I cant believe i ignored the upward trajectory in O'Learys career and the corresponding downward curve in Keanes career directly after. Schoolboy error.

You're absolutely right.


Listen son, read my posts again without the green-tinted glasses this time. You and McD are using pitiful excuses for Keanes miss,it's this kind of losers attitude that has held Ireland back in sport and in general life sadly. No killer instinct to take it to the next level.

[SkStu]

Ill use his equaliser in the last minute against Germany in WC2002 as his defining moment in an Irish shirt. That you use his "miss" against France as your defining moment of his career says a lot more about you than mine does about me. Robbie has been at the heart of any success we've had in the last 12 years, going back to the U18 European Championship win in 98.

To write off a truly great Irish player, record goalscorer and record goals in world cups, as you do it pretty incredible. As i said before, you'll appreciate what he did for us after he is gone which is a pity for you.

[yapster]

Ill use his equaliser in the last minute against Germany in WC2002 as his defining moment in an Irish shirt. That you use his "miss" against France as your defining moment of his career says a lot more about you than mine does about me. Robbie has been at the heart of any success we've had in the last 12 years, going back to the U18 European Championship win in 98.

To write off a truly great Irish player, record goalscorer and record goals in world cups, as you do it pretty incredible. As i said before, you'll appreciate what he did for us after he is gone which is a pity for you.


I was delighted for him after the 2002 WC as I felt he had matured somewhat as a player and I had some hope for him to capatilize on it but sadly he never improved his game since. A very good player for Ireland I agree and arguably our best stiker to date not that there were any greats before him now were there? Ireland don't top class strikers for some reason:confused:

[tetsujin1979]

What do you mean "never improved his game since"? It's not like he stopped scoring after that game.

[yapster]

What do you mean "never improved his game since"? It's not like he stopped scoring after that game..?


His campaigns under Kerr & Stan weren't exactly goalfests were they?

A failure at Liverpool, a sub now at Spurs and probably on his way out there as well?

[elroy]

.?

A failure at Liverpool, a sub now at Spurs and probably on his way out there as well?

Robbie played a mere 28 times for Liverpool, scoring 7 times, Im not sure how many of those appearances he actually started but it was certainly less than 75%. So if that constitutes a failure, then the vast majority of premiership strikers would also be failures.

Robbie was treated disgracely at Liverpool, was not allowed to settle in and was used as a pawn by RB in his boardroom battle. He was never going to fit into the system Benitez adopts but is that Keanes fault?
For example, Keane scored twice against WBA and was not even in the squad in the next game. He scored a vital goal for pool away to Arsenal, followed up by a brace at home to Bolton, then what happened in the next game, an unused sub?!?! He was never given a decent run of starts to settle in or form a partnership with Torres.

Keane scored 4 goals in 8 games in the 2006 campaign under Kerr. Not bad eh?
Show me any Irish player that did well under Stan, in any case Keane also scored 4 goals in that campaign, again hardly a failure?!

Irelands top goalscorer by a huge margin and still only 29! For some reason certain people always try to put him down, "he never scores against big teams" was an old favourite.....Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Holland....all minnows of course!

Im not saying Keane is a WC finisher but he is our best striker ever by some distance. Perhaps its only when hes gone that he will truly be appreciated by some.

[jbyrne]

Listen son, read my posts again without the green-tinted glasses this time. You and McD are using pitiful excuses for Keanes miss,it's this kind of losers attitude that has held Ireland back in sport and in general life sadly. No killer instinct to take it to the next level.

i think some people would be better off doing a bit of pre-post research before writing such condesending rubbish

[osarusan]

You and McD are using pitiful excuses for Keanes miss,it's this kind of losers attitude that has held Ireland back in sport and in general life sadly. No killer instinct to take it to the next level.
Nobody is excusing his miss, he himself has said it was a bad miss, and it was a bad miss.

What you are doing is taking that miss, and in a spectacularly revisionist exercise, claiming it is somehow symbolic of a whole failed career.

It is amazing that, while attempting to argue that Ireland's top goal-scorer has had a failed career, you suggest that others have a loser's attitude, when you are the one displaying such an attitude.

Regarding his lack of killer innstinct - where was he in injury time against Germany in 2002 and with 2 minutes to go against Italy in Bari last year? Scoring poacher's goals to take us to the next level, that's where he was.

[Leeside Swagger]

Listen son, read my posts again without the green-tinted glasses this time. You and McD are using pitiful excuses for Keanes miss,it's this kind of losers attitude that has held Ireland back in sport and in general life sadly. No killer instinct to take it to the next level.

Hi Roy :)

[Leeside Swagger]

You could quite easily argue that Robbie is the greatest Irish player of all time, personally I wouldnt say that but he is up there with the greats, given his goals per games ratio.

[yapster]

Benitiz got rid of Keane because he saw it wasn't going to work,plus Keane was missing important sitters and his moaning and attitude on the pitch was not professional. Spurs are now seeing what Benitiz saw in Keane last season. I don't doubt and I appreciate Keanes record for Ireland but his tendancy to miss gilt-edged chances proved fatal in Paris. He never mastered the most essential thing in football and that is 'doing the simple things well'

[EalingGreen]

Benitiz got rid of Keane because he saw it wasn't going to work,plus Keane was missing important sitters and his moaning and attitude on the pitch was not professional. Spurs are now seeing what Benitiz saw in Keane last season. I don't doubt and I appreciate Keanes record for Ireland but his tendancy to miss gilt-edged chances proved fatal in Paris. He never mastered the most essential thing in football and that is 'doing the simple things well'Nonsense.

After six years, 250 games and 100 goals in his first spell at the Lane, Spurs hardly needed a five month spell at Anfield to figure out what Keane was really like.

Otherwise, why would they have approached L'pool to buy him back when they realised he wasn't wanted by Benitez?

Quite simply, from the Director's point of view, Robbie's sale to L'pool was too good a deal to turn down. That is, after signing him from Leeds in a "firesale" for £7million in 2002, they were happy enough with the five years service they had got from to offer him a further 5 year contract in 2007, which he signed. But when L'pool were offering £19m a year later, and the player himself a 50% salary increase, there was only ever going to be one outcome.

Anyhow, the point is that when they heard he hadn't settled at Anfield, it was Spurs who approached L'pool to buy him back a mere five months later, not the other way round, re-signing him for a highly profitable £12 million + add-ons!

Meanwhile, if he's not currently first choice at WHL these days, that is explained by two reasons. First, Defoe (esp) and Crouch are playing out of their skins this season; second, Redknapp has favoured Defoe ever since their days together at WHU.

Then again, these things work both ways. For a period when he was manager, Martin Jol favoured Jermaine Defoe over Robbie, picking JD alongside Berbatov as his first choice strike duo. Then Defoe got injured and RK got his chance. The point is, when Defoe became fit again, he remained on the bench, since Robbie had established himself as Jol's new first choice partner for Berba.

And it's notable, too, with Redknapp needing to sell before he can buy in the present window, he's touting Pavyluchenko all around Europe, but wants to keep Robbie.

Now I would accept that Robbie is more a "scorer of great goals" than a "great goalscorer" (i.e. he is not so prolific as eg a Defoe or a Torres).

Nonetheless, he gets his share, whilst making a greater all-round contribution than other (mere) 'poachers'. Otherwise if it were not so, why do you think so many respected managers at so many top clubs would have paid £75m+ in transfer fees for Robbie down the years?

As for his contribution to ROI, I've not seen enough to express an opinion. Nonetheless, I can't help wondering who would have been leading the line for you over the last 10 years had Robbie never existed. David Connolly? Clinton Morrison? Leon Best? Gary Doherty?

As I said on an NI website recently when some fans were grousing about David Healy, we should all get down on our knees each evening and thank God for having him.

If I were an ROI fan (:eek:), I suspect I'd be doing the same for Robbie Keane.

[yapster]

Nonsense.

After six years, 250 games and 100 goals in his first spell at the Lane, Spurs hardly needed a five month spell at Anfield to figure out what Keane was really like.

Otherwise, why would they have approached L'pool to buy him back when they realised he wasn't wanted by Benitez?

Quite simply, from the Director's point of view, Robbie's sale to L'pool was too good a deal to turn down. That is, after signing him from Leeds in a "firesale" for £7million in 2002, they were happy enough with the five years service they had got from to offer him a further 5 year contract in 2007, which he signed. But when L'pool were offering £19m a year later, and the player himself a 50% salary increase, there was only ever going to be one outcome.

Anyhow, the point is that when they heard he hadn't settled at Anfield, it was Spurs who approached L'pool to buy him back a mere five months later, not the other way round, re-signing him for a highly profitable £12 million + add-ons!

Meanwhile, if he's not currently first choice at WHL these days, that is explained by two reasons. First, Defoe (esp) and Crouch are playing out of their skins this season; second, Redknapp has favoured Defoe ever since their days together at WHU.

Then again, these things work both ways. For a period when he was manager, Martin Jol favoured Jermaine Defoe over Robbie, picking JD alongside Berbatov as his first choice strike duo. Then Defoe got injured and RK got his chance. The point is, when Defoe became fit again, he remained on the bench, since Robbie had established himself as Jol's new first choice partner for Berba.

And it's notable, too, with Redknapp needing to sell before he can buy in the present window, he's touting Pavyluchenko all around Europe, but wants to keep Robbie.

Now I would accept that Robbie is more a "scorer of great goals" than a "great goalscorer" (i.e. he is not so prolific as eg a Defoe or a Torres).

Nonetheless, he gets his share, whilst making a greater all-round contribution than other (mere) 'poachers'. Otherwise if it were not so, why do you think so many respected managers at so many top clubs would have paid £75m+ in transfer fees for Robbie down the years?

As for his contribution to ROI, I've not seen enough to express an opinion. Nonetheless, I can't help wondering who would have been leading the line for you over the last 10 years had Robbie never existed. David Connolly? Clinton Morrison? Leon Best? Gary Doherty?

As I said on an NI website recently when some fans were grousing about David Healy, we should all get down on our knees each evening and thank God for having him.

If I were an ROI fan (:eek:), I suspect I'd be doing the same for Robbie Keane.

Some good points but I don't think Spurs paid 12 mil to have him on the bench did they plus knowing Harry's thrift & mil profit is a nice earner for his club. You say a lot of top managers paid top money for him down the years but it was only Spurs where he was any value of his overpriced transfers. Didn't last long at Inter, was soon on the bench at Leeds,offloaded by liverpool at a loss of 7 mil and now on the bench at Spurs with Crouch of all players ahead of him?

Yes I agree Ireland were lucky to have him and he has done a good job but when needed most he faltered and that is why he was offloaded by those clubs because he can't be trusted to do the simple thing and scored the crucial goals.

[osarusan]

when needed most he faltered and that is why he was offloaded by those clubs because he can't be trusted to do the simple thing and scored the crucial goals.

5 June 2002 20:30

Germany 1 – 1 Republic of Ireland
(Klose 19) (Keane 90+ 2)




16 June 2002 20:30

Spain 1 – 1 (a.e.t.) Republic of Ireland
(Morientes 8) (Keane 90 (pen))


In your opinion, are these not crucial goals?

[yapster]

5 June 2002 20:30

Germany 1 – 1 Republic of Ireland
(Klose 19) (Keane 90+ 2)




16 June 2002 20:30

Spain 1 – 1 (a.e.t.) Republic of Ireland
(Morientes 8) (Keane 90 (pen))


In your opinion, are these not crucial goals?


yes of course they were and as I said I was delighted at that time cos I thought he had matured as a player but after 2002 he has flip-flopped but when it came to putting away a sitter against France he didn't have the mental strength and thats what a lot of managers found out about him. Watch Traps reaction to that miss and it will tell you.

[tiktok]

........but when it came to putting away a sitter against France he didn't have the mental strength.....

He should have used his foot, telekenesis is a difficult skill.

[yapster]

He should have used his foot, telekenesis is a difficult skill.


He had all the time in the world to bend down and nod it in when you think about it :D

[elroy]

yes of course they were and as I said I was delighted at that time cos I thought he had matured as a player but after 2002 he has flip-flopped but when it came to putting away a sitter against France he didn't have the mental strength and thats what a lot of managers found out about him. Watch Traps reaction to that miss and it will tell you.

Jesus your like a broken record, you do remember that Keane did score that night as well with his only other good chance?!?! Surely that took a damn lot of mental strength and skill as well.

Yes we all agree with you that he missed a very good opportunity in Paris you dont need to repeat it a zillion times in many threads. But show me any top class striker that hasnt missed a big chance, can you name any other very good chance that Keane has missed for us in recent times?????

[yapster]

Jesus your like a broken record, you do remember that Keane did score that night as well with his only other good chance?!?! Surely that took a damn lot of mental strength and skill as well.

Yes we all agree with you that he missed a very good opportunity in Paris you dont need to repeat it a zillion times in many threads. But show me any top class striker that hasnt missed a big chance, can you name any other very good chance that Keane has missed for us in recent times?????



I just mentioned his appalling miss once but the replies it's got has fueled it son.
This is a discussion as you know and sometimes people have strong opinions on topics. I shall say this only once and I hope you will get it, ys Keane scored one that night and missed the most crucial chance and that sums up Keanes career 'one step forward two steps back'

[Junior]

I just mentioned his appalling miss once but the replies it's got has fueled it son.
This is a discussion as you know and sometimes people have strong opinions on topics. I shall say this only once and I hope you will get it, ys Keane scored one that night and missed the most crucial chance and that sums up Keanes career 'one step forward two steps back'

If Keane had missed the chance he scored and scored the chance he missed. Would he have scored or missed the most crucial chance that night?

Answers on a postcard please, son.

[yapster]

If Keane had missed the chance he scored and scored the chance he missed. Would he have scored or missed the most crucial chance that night?

Answers on a postcard please, son.



you get the drift alright

[elroy]

http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/henry-set-for-fifa-hearing-442328.html

Thierry to face FIFA disciplinary hearing tomorrow, unlikely that anything of note will emerge from this however.

[Boo_Boy]

http://www.rte.ie/sport/rugby/2010/0117/henryt.html

Filed under Rugby :p.

[endabob1]

5 June 2002 20:30

Germany 1 – 1 Republic of Ireland
(Klose 19) (Keane 90+ 2)




16 June 2002 20:30

Spain 1 – 1 (a.e.t.) Republic of Ireland
(Morientes 8) (Keane 90 (pen))


In your opinion, are these not crucial goals?


yes of course they were and as I said I was delighted at that time cos I thought he had matured as a player but after 2002 he has flip-flopped but when it came to putting away a sitter against France he didn't have the mental strength and thats what a lot of managers found out about him. Watch Traps reaction to that miss and it will tell you.


Ireland Republic 1 Cyprus 0
(Robbie Keane 5)
Oct 15, 2008 In Dublin (Croke Park)


Republic of Ireland 2 - 1 Georgia
Robbie Keane 72 pen, 78 Iashvili 1
Thursday, 12 February 2009


Italy 1 Republic of Ireland 1
Iaquinta 10 Keane 87
Wednesday, 01 April 2009
Bari, Italy

Cyprus 1 - 2 Republic of Ireland
Ilia 30 Kevin Doyle 6
Robbie Keane 83

Oh how we love to bash Robbie, late goals in 3 games especially the game in Cyprus when Bulgaria were still very much in the hunt for 2nd
Without his goals we'd have been watch France v Bulgaria in the play-offs

It comes to something when EalingGreen is the voice of reason ;)

[tetsujin1979]

No disciplinary action against Henry: http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/federation/administration/news/newsid=1158783.html#statement+thierry+henry

[Emmet7]

Quelle Suprise?

The wording is a bit condescending to the Irish...

"The disciplinary committee reached the conclusion that there was no legal foundation for the committee to consider the case because handling the ball cannot be regarded as a serious infringement as stipulated in article 77a of the FIFA disciplinary code."

So handling the ball is not a serious infringement of the rules now? I wonder what is a serious infringement?

FIFA make a big noise about punishing Henry but quietly brush it under the carpet. Nothing can be allowed get in the way of the big corporate show that the World Cup has become.

[Razors left peg]

Cant wait for the start of the World Cup now and see Henry walking out behind the Fair Play flag!

[twoenz]

I'm glad they haven't done anything. If they slapped a ban on him who's the real losers? It's still us. They'd be recognising that he cheated, but he'd still have the chance to play in the World Cup. It was be hypocritical of them to do that.

It's done now. We really need to move on. We've another qualifying campaign to lose out on starting soon, we need to focus on that.

[carloz]

FIFA would prefer to ban players like Materazzi whos crime was to whisper a few naughties in Zidanes ear and get a headbutt in the chest for his trouble. FIFA would prefer to ban a player who did that, and broke no rule whatsoever. Henry getting a ban would not change anything for us, and would not really make us feel any better. Still on the big issue it looks like FIFA do nothing to blatent cheats

[Metrostars]

FIFA could have and should have done something more about Henry but they would never do that because he is one of football's "stars".

And no, it's not enough to simply say we should get over it and forget about it. I'm not feeling sorry for us, but what has become of all of this? Basically nothing. FIFA won't ban him, nor will they consider changing the rules or punishment or even think about an extra goal line official or video technology.

[Docboy]

FIFA would prefer to ban players like Materazzi whos crime was to whisper a few naughties in Zidanes ear and get a headbutt in the chest for his trouble. FIFA would prefer to ban a player who did that, and broke no rule whatsoever. Henry getting a ban would not change anything for us, and would not really make us feel any better. Still on the big issue it looks like FIFA do nothing to blatent cheats

Yea, that was quite the farce wasn't it. Despite the fact Zidane was well-known throughout his career for losing the plot FIFA couldn't let the "greasy Italian" away with a few words. A joke of an organisation and the funny bit is that none of us are the least bit surprised that the chirade of doing something about Henry's deceit has resulted in no action whatsoever.

[old git]

If Keane had missed the chance he scored and scored the chance he missed. Would he have scored or missed the most crucial chance that night?

Answers on a postcard please, son.

but if he scored the chance he missed we would be in the world cup finals :D:D

[The Fly]

Is it not time to close this thread?

[Bluebeard]

Is it not time to close this thread?

No, that time passed a long way back...

[MeathDrog]

Ireland Republic 1 Cyprus 0
(Robbie Keane 5)
Oct 15, 2008 In Dublin (Croke Park)


Republic of Ireland 2 - 1 Georgia
Robbie Keane 72 pen, 78 Iashvili 1
Thursday, 12 February 2009


Italy 1 Republic of Ireland 1
Iaquinta 10 Keane 87
Wednesday, 01 April 2009
Bari, Italy

Cyprus 1 - 2 Republic of Ireland
Ilia 30 Kevin Doyle 6
Robbie Keane 83

Oh how we love to bash Robbie, late goals in 3 games especially the game in Cyprus when Bulgaria were still very much in the hunt for 2nd
Without his goals we'd have been watch France v Bulgaria in the play-offs

It comes to something when EalingGreen is the voice of reason ;)
Not trying to take away from Keane, but both of the Cyprus goals and the French goal were laid on a plate for him by Damien Duff. Just thought he deserves a mention..

[Jicked]

You could not possibly try to talk down Robbie's contribution in the last campaign. The guy was immense, if the media and some fans didn't have it in for him so much it was Captain Marvel stuff. Of course he had goals laid on for him, he's a fecking striker. And he's the best one this country has ever, and probably will ever see. Time after time when we looked like we were beaten he popped up with a killer goal. He's a guy I'll be bragging about seeing in his heyday for years.

[Jicked]

Also, as for this whole sordid business, here's a rather interesting quote from Materazzi comparing how he was treated to how a French superstar like Henry was.



“I was treated like a delinquent: After Berlin they wouldn’t even let me go on vacation for two days so they could question me,” he was quoted as saying.

Materazzi stressed that he idolized Henry and that the hand ball in November was an instinctive mistake. But he added: “If you’re talking fair play, there’s a precedent—mine—and so they should have taken measures against Henry. But instead, I see they didn’t even bring him in to question him.”

[mypost]

It's done now. We really need to move on.

We'll never allow that to happen.

The cheat will be at the World Cup, we won't. Never forgive, never forget.