Irish Captain

[seanog2001]

I think robbie is still going to be captain under trapp just wanted to know who agrees with this decision for me it's totally wrong as good as a player robbie is he is not a leader he is too much of a whinger to captain the team, dunne should be the captain he is a fantastic player and can be a leader from the back for us a no nonsense old school player unlike the petulant robbie.

[boovidge]

I would prefer Dunne as captain.

[EAFC_rdfl]

richard dunne
shay given

in that order

[Emmet]

richard dunne
shay given

in that order
Spot on - exactly what I was going to post. Any chance we could set up a poll - Dunne, Given and Keane as the three choices?

[boovidge]

stephen ireland?

[CJTheGull]

Dunne would be an excellent choice - know it's a bit of a generalisation but a captain should always be a defender or perhaps a midfielder but no way a forward - they're always up the other end of the field being me feiners. You need someone at the back to take charge of whats going on and Dunne has been the Irish player of the Premier League season just finished.

[gaiscíoch]

Dunne would be an excellent choice - know it's a bit of a generalisation but a captain should always be a defender or perhaps a midfielder but no way a forward - they're always up the other end of the field being me feiners. You need someone at the back to take charge of whats going on and Dunne has been the Irish player of the Premier League season just finished.

Give me some of what your taking!!! Do you honestly think that?
Robbie Keane has been the best by far.....

[centre mid]

Lee Carsley has had a smashing season for Everton if you want to go down that road. Keane hasnt made a good captain IMO, if anything it detracts from his game. He over compensates by dropping back into his own half far to much.

Dunne would be ideal.

[barney]

People are overestimating the effect being captain has had on Robbie in an Irish jersey. He's captain at Spurs when King is injured and is magnificent. Their fans think he's a real leader.

The main reason he's been crap in an Ireland jersey for 5 years is because Ireland have been crap for five years. It speaks volumes that Finnan, Given and Dunne have been our best players of late. Criticising Robbie for his Irish performances is like criticising say Rio Ferdinand for not defending enough against Derby. If we improve, Robbie will improve, that's why it's a team game.

Personally, I reckon Dunne would be a good choice as captain but I don't think it's crucial either way. Robbie's fine by me.

[Greenforever]

Id go for Dunne but only because I prefer a defenderr midfielder rather than a forward.

Robbie has done a good job so far in a team that consistently has underperformed.

He also has a goalscoring ratio of .4 goals per international which is not bad in anyones language.

[carloz]

Keane is an excellent captain for Spurs and under a manager of Traps quality im sure he will be just as good for us. A little too much emphasis is probably put on being captain. Dont think this is an issue that we should be too worried about

[Duggie]

keane sweats blood for Ireland always. i want him as captain with dunne or given captain in his absence.

[abbeyvale]

keane sweats blood for Ireland always. i want him as captain with dunne or given captain in his absence.

Dunne
Given
Keane

In that order

[livehead1]

I think robbie is still going to be captain under trapp just wanted to know who agrees with this decision for me it's totally wrong as good as a player robbie is he is not a leader he is too much of a whinger to captain the team, dunne should be the captain he is a fantastic player and can be a leader from the back for us a no nonsense old school player unlike the petulant robbie.

I am quite happy with Keane remaining as captain, even though I perhaps would have favoured done. Trappatoni has thought this through, he was asked why Keane and he responded: "He has charisma, he has charisma with the young, charisma with the old, and charisma with his colleagues." I'm looking forward to watching a well organised, well drilled, and hard to beat side. I would imagine that this is what all of us are hoping for.

[DubJohn]

Why has Robbie not travelled to Portugal?

I haven't seen a good reason reported anywhere, am I missing something?

Portugal should be a fresh start for everybody, so why is the captain not there?

[Razors left peg]

Why has Robbie not travelled to Portugal?

I haven't seen a good reason reported anywhere, am I missing something?

Portugal should be a fresh start for everybody, so why is the captain not there?


Hes going on his Stag to Las Vegas instead........ Seriously!!!

[youngirish]

Robbie Keane has been the poorest choice for Ireland captain that I can remember in my long period of following the national team (over 2 decades). He's the epitome of a whinger. He offers no motivation or direction on the pitch particularly when our backs are against the wall away from home. That interview with Pat Kenny a few months ago when he blamed the press on Ireland having poor performances would have been comical if it wasn't so tragic. Hardly the qualities you look for in a good captain. Shifting the blame when things go wrong in silly directions.

Dunne is the sane person's choice.

[seanog2001]

Robbie Keane has been the poorest choice for Ireland captain that I can remember in my long period of following the national team (over 2 decades). He's the epitome of a whinger. He offers no motivation or direction on the pitch particularly when our backs are against the wall away from home. That interview with Pat Kenny a few months ago when he blamed the press on Ireland having poor performances would have been comical if it wasn't so tragic. Hardly the qualities you look for in a good captain. Shifting the blame when things go wrong in silly directions.

Dunne is the sane person's choice.


Good man yourself finally someone who agrees with me Tapper Tony needs to hand the captaincy to a leader and sadly Robbie is not that man.

[DubJohn]

Hes going on his Stag to Las Vegas instead........ Seriously!!!

His Stag??? Is this for real??

Further confirmation of his character as captain of our country.

Indefensible.

[bellavistaman]

im quite happy with robbie too but wouldnt crib if it was dunne either.

[eirebhoy]

His Stag??? Is this for real??

Further confirmation of his character as captain of our country.

Indefensible.
If he could rearrange it I'm sure he'd be one of the first Irish players to do so.

[livehead1]

He is human you know. Its a job. All his mates have probs booked it off work, all payed for etc.

[lionelhutz]

Dunne would be the most obvious choice. Leads by example. Total honesty of effort which I don't think we get at all times from keane - who throws hissy fits on the field too often for a supposed leader.

I think Trapp is taking his time before deciding who will be captain for the qualifying campaign

[DubJohn]

He is human you know. Its a job. All his mates have probs booked it off work, all payed for etc.

What would have happened if Spurs were in action this week?

I'm not saying the man shouldn't have his stag.

But what does being captain mean?

As a fan, I believe for innumerable reasons the captain of the team and our best attacking threat should be on this trip.

Can we not have things right here from the get go?

Instead he will link up with the squad next week after being banjoed in Vegas.

Nothing new there, thinking back on the France match.

[Morbo]

I don't think its a big issue, my 1st choice would be Dunne but I don't think Dunne needs the armband to be a leader, the armband is more symbolic than anything else and I think removing the armband from Keane would do more damage than good, I don't think giving the captaincy to Dunne is going to improve his performance much but taking it any from Robbie is bound to effect his confidence, prudent decision by Trap IMO.

[Shedender81]

Whats the prob with him going on his Stag.... He turned up for Ireland after his dad died... Its a bloody training camp.. He will be in for both games... No big deal.... REALITY IS THIS GUYS HAVE LIVES AND FAMILES TOO...and are no CONTRACTED to the FAI


STOP THE MOANING... !!!!!! Get behind TRAP and the boys in green... Rememeber how we all supported Dave O'Leary who went on family holiday and Jack dropped him for two years .

[eirebhoy]

What would have happened if Spurs were in action this week?

I'm not saying the man shouldn't have his stag.
He would have arranged the stag before any matches were announced. According to the Indo:
"Keane gets married in the week after the May 29 clash with Colombia"

So it's not even a case of rearranging it.

[Emmet]

The problem with Keane as captain is that his performances in an Irish shirt do not always merit re-selection. I think there are times when he needs to be subbed or dropped to the bench - if he is captain that is much harder to do. With Dunne and Given it's far less likely the manager would consider dropping them which is partly why they would be better choices as skipper. Robbie can be a great leader but his performances aren't always consistent enough to justify his place in the team

[Greenforever]

What would have happened if Spurs were in action this week?

I'm not saying the man shouldn't have his stag.

But what does being captain mean?

As a fan, I believe for innumerable reasons the captain of the team and our best attacking threat should be on this trip.

Can we not have things right here from the get go?

Instead he will link up with the squad next week after being banjoed in Vegas.

Nothing new there, thinking back on the France match.


THere was no chance of Spurs being in action this week. They were out of all competitions.

IT'll be the 1st time he has missed a match for personal reasons.

As previously posted when he announced his wedding date Ireland had no training camp or manager.

[carloz]

His Stag??? Is this for real??

Further confirmation of his character as captain of our country.

Indefensible.

The same chartacter that meant he played an important game for us against Albania a couple of days after burying his father(while certain players make up the death f a member of their family to get out of squads). Dont use the fact that he is not going to Portugal as something to beat him with. Im sure his stag do was organised well before Trap got the job. Anyway he will be back for the Serbia game. i serioulsly think people on this site need to lay off Keane. Few people have shown the dedication to the jersey that Keane has. Not my choice for captain but i dont have any complaints about it

[Razors left peg]

He would have arranged the stag before any matches were announced. According to the Indo:
"Keane gets married in the week after the May 29 clash with Colombia"

So it's not even a case of rearranging it.

I think in that case its fair enough

[Scooby Doo]

agreement with carloz, the man is gettin married and is deserving of a stag the same as anybody else would. keane can never be accused of not being bothered to turn up for ireland and great point made above about him turning up 4 albania after his father died while that other little tool fakes family members deaths in the middle of a qualifying double-header. (personally i think that the miscarriage story was BS aswell, but maybe its unfair to speculate about that)
let the man have his stag and hopefully he will repay trap for his genorosity and for not making a big deal about it.

wonder what odds you would get for keane as top goalscorer in the qualifiers?!! :o

[barney]

My God, some people on here really have a problem with Keane.

He's going on a stag he had arranged before any training camp was arranged. Don't people think he discussed this with Trapattoni who seems happy enough with the situation? Trapattoni has already said that he is using the camp more as an exercise to familiarise himself with the players he doesn't know. He clearly knows what Keane is about.

It's obviously Sun readers who are having a pop here or at least people influenced by tabloid opinions. Roy Keane, that one man defeat repellent, missed games coz he couldn't be arsed (and I'm not talking World Cup 2002 here). Yet some people think he was commitment personified coz that's what the red tops and Tom Humphries tell us.

Robbie Keane, who played for us after burying his dad, who has turned up every time he's been asked, misses a training camp because he is going on a stag arranged beforehand and he gets abuse for it.

What a f**king country we live in. Maybe us fans had the manager we deserved 12 months ago.

[EastTerracer]

My God, some people on here really have a problem with Keane.

He's going on a stag he had arranged before any training camp was arranged. Don't people think he discussed this with Trapattoni who seems happy enough with the situation? Trapattoni has already said that he is using the camp more as an exercise to familiarise himself with the players he doesn't know. He clearly knows what Keane is about.

It's obviously Sun readers who are having a pop here or at least people influenced by tabloid opinions. Roy Keane, that one man defeat repellent, missed games coz he couldn't be arsed (and I'm not talking World Cup 2002 here). Yet some people think he was commitment personified coz that's what the red tops and Tom Humphries tell us.

Robbie Keane, who played for us after burying his dad, who has turned up every time he's been asked, misses a training camp because he is going on a stag arranged beforehand and he gets abuse for it.

What a f**king country we live in. Maybe us fans had the manager we deserved 12 months ago.


I 100% agree with this. Keane's end product for Ireland may not always be the best but anyone who doubts his commitment or effort has not been watching the games. He has run himself into the ground (often too much) for Ireland in recent years and I can't remember him ever missing a game due to a dubious injury. His biggest fault with Ireland has been trying too hard at times and running back to midfield and the wings to try and get the ball.

I think the interview he did with Pat Kenny is also unfairly painted by many people. He never claimed that the press were responsible for the bad results - he admitted that the team hadn't performed and he accepted that the fans had a right to be angry but he did say that the reaction of the press didn't help. It's very hard to disagree with that. People like Daniel McDonnell in the Indo or Dion Fanning in the Sunday Indo have really laid into Robbie in recent years and called for him to be dropped from the squad. Is there really any Irish player out there who you could pick ahead of him?

[eekers]

All this over Keane having a stag do. What about Dunne? Why's he missing the training camp? He's involved in a post season publicity tour for a former despot. A tour designed to raise the political popularity, and legitimacy, of "a human rights abuser of the worst kind".

[barney]

I 100% agree with this. Keane's end product for Ireland may not always be the best but anyone who doubts his commitment or effort has not been watching the games. He has run himself into the ground (often too much) for Ireland in recent years and I can't remember him ever missing a game due to a dubious injury. His biggest fault with Ireland has been trying too hard at times and running back to midfield and the wings to try and get the ball.

I think the interview he did with Pat Kenny is also unfairly painted by many people. He never claimed that the press were responsible for the bad results - he admitted that the team hadn't performed and he accepted that the fans had a right to be angry but he did say that the reaction of the press didn't help. It's very hard to disagree with that. People like Daniel McDonnell in the Indo or Dion Fanning in the Sunday Indo have really laid into Robbie in recent years and called for him to be dropped from the squad. Is there really any Irish player out there who you could pick ahead of him?

Spot on. I don't mean this to sound as condescending as it will but anyone who thinks Robbie Keane should be dropped from the starting eleven or squad knows absolutely nothing about football.

[dr_peepee]

He would have arranged the stag before any matches were announced. According to the Indo:
"Keane gets married in the week after the May 29 clash with Colombia"

So it's not even a case of rearranging it.

Fair play to herself.. I was made to give up playing GAA for a month before my wedding in case I got a belt or somethin.. Saying that, Robbie already has a face like Moe, so....

[livehead1]

All this over Keane having a stag do. What about Dunne? Why's he missing the training camp? He's involved in a post season publicity tour for a former despot. A tour designed to raise the political popularity, and legitimacy, of "a human rights abuser of the worst kind".

That's irrelevant and has nothing to do with Dunne's personal opinion. He's paid his wages and he does his job, simple as that.

[tetsujin1979]

Dunne is the sane person's choice.Well, Keane is the choice of the Serie A, Coppa Italia, European Cup, Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Cup , European Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup, Bundesliga, German Cup, SuperLiga, Taça de Portugal and Austrian Bundesliga winner.
Guess who I think is right?

[Billsthoughts]

Well, Keane is the choice of the Serie A, Coppa Italia, European Cup, Cup Winners' Cup, UEFA Cup , European Super Cup, Intercontinental Cup, Bundesliga, German Cup, SuperLiga, Taça de Portugal and Austrian Bundesliga winner.
Guess who I think is right?

HAHA.
I can see Trapp dropping Keane if he continues his form of the last 4 years for Ireland. Great player but been poor for a while at International level whateve rthe reasons.

[gustavo]

HAHA.
I can see Trapp dropping Keane if he continues his form of the last 4 years for Ireland. Great player but been poor for a while at International level whateve rthe reasons.

If he continues his form for us for the last 4 years he'd still be miles ahead of any potential contender that we have available to us

[Emmet]

His form has not been consistent over the last few years - certainly not consistent enough to make him an automatic selection anyway which is why he shouldn't be captain ... there are other attackers out there - maybe not as high profile as Keane - but with the potential to develop. They won't develop by sitting on the bench.