Saipan - 20 Years On

[seanfhear]

Basically, Keane shouldn’t have vented his frustration to a journalist. That was never going to end wellRoy Keane isn't a varsity athlete of the brain.

[texidub]

Very true about he could have just got on with it. I can even hear it in Keane's voice: "Where's de courage? Dis is de World Cup and de only ting dat matters is what happens on de pitch. No. No. It's true. De World Cup is a big deal, especially for a small country like IIIiiireland. You just get on wid it, like."

[EalingGreen]

Basically, Keane shouldn’t have vented his frustration to a journalist. That was never going to end wellYeah, he was probably doing the journalist a favour, seeing as how he's always loved journalists.

And he won't have taken money for it either. Oh no, Keane is known for not being interested in money.

[Trequartista20]

Keane simply didn't want to be there. Let's be honest; he was never the most commited to the Irish cause.

When he played (bizarrely at sweeper) against Iceland at in October of 1996, it was only his fourth appearance since 1994, and he was consequently at the receiving end of boos from the Irish support.

After his appointment as captain, he went AWOL having been called up to the US tour in the summer of '96, so he could watch the cricket, refusing all calls from the management.

What happened in Saipan was never McCarthy's fault.

[EalingGreen]

Keane simply didn't want to be there. Let's be honest; he was never the most commited to the Irish cause.And then there's the Iran play-off - I know who I believe:
https://www.soccer-ireland.com/saipan/iran-match.htm

[TonyD]

Basically, Keane shouldn’t have vented his frustration to a journalist. That was never going to end well

I agree. I also think McCarthy handled it spectacularly badly. His decision to confront Keane in front of the whole squad, and then to bring up past grievances, was only ever going to end one way. What did he expect to happen when he put Keene’s back up against the wall ? Very bad management in my view. He wanted to show who was in charge and put Keane in his place publicly. Was never going to work.

[Fixer82]

And then there's the Iran play-off - I know who I believe:
https://www.soccer-ireland.com/saipan/iran-match.htm

He played great in he first leg and had a knee injury that a long flight and game would not have helped. I'm with Keane on this one. In the games he played (which was most of the qualifying games), he was immense. He got himself right and played the last couple of friendlies in Lansdowne before heading to Saipan. He also blamed himself for Nigeria's winning goal against us in the last friendly. He was committed. Unfortunately, he just couldn't keep his mouth shut and suck it up for a month

[geysir]

He played great in he first leg and had a knee injury that a long flight and game would not have helped. I'm with Keane on this one. In the games he played (which was most of the qualifying games), he was immense. He got himself right and played the last couple of friendlies in Lansdowne before heading to Saipan. He also blamed himself for Nigeria's winning goal against us in the last friendly. He was committed. Unfortunately, he just couldn't keep his mouth shut and suck it up for a month
He was just okay in the first leg. Any ordinary decent committed player would have endured the so called long flight, not only to play but if such and such a player was to captain his team and country to a World Cup Final??. It's expected of a great captain to be a captain to the death. Puyol was a captain, not only of club but 110% of a country of which he only had a peripheral identity to. That Mick did not handle the the situation in Saipan very well, especially with confronting Keane is no big secret but Ireland's captain should not have put the manager in any such bizarre situation to manage.
When it comes to ranking captains of teams, Keane, regardless of club achievements, would rank at the bottom rungs of national team captains, saved from total ignominy by his superb performances against Netherlands, Portugal home and especially away in the qualifiers.

[Fixer82]

I think there was an agreement that he wasn't in great shape so if we got a positive result, he would stay home and get treatment. 2-0 at home was certainly a positive result.