Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane

[M@ttitude]

What are your thoughts on Robbie Keanes role under the new management? Some would have suggested he would be lucky to have a part of the next campaign. The first training session was based around him, to guide the younger lads maybe?

[OwlsFan]

What are your thoughts on Robbie Keanes role under the new management? Some would have suggested he would be lucky to have a part of the next campaign.

To score goals perhaps ? Some have been suggesting that Robbie shouldn't have been part of the last 3 campaigns but he continues to score goals. And do you know what? Unless you score goals, you don't win games.

[Stuttgart88]

Roy Keane press conference will be live on SSN at 2.30pm.

[back of the net]

Roy Keane press conference will be live on SSN at 2.30pm.

For those not abroad..
http://www.rte.ie/sport/player/#!/live/41/

[Stuttgart88]

I think M@ttitude's question was a fair one and fairly put too, not deserving of such a facetious answer.

O'Neill himself has questioned whether he'll retain the captaincy, saying that he'll be captain for these games but mainly because there's no point in changing anything while the management is taking stock of their, eh, stock.

It's also fair to ask whether people here think he'll be captain and whether he'll even be starting. The next campaign is a year away, a bigger thing for a guy of Keane's age than someone else. Will Long or Stokes step up to the plate? Will MON decide that he may have to play an extra midfielder to compete, jeopardising Keane's place.

To answer the original question, I think Keane will still be a big part of our 2014/5 season but others will be given a chance between now and September to elevate their status. They'll still have some catching up to do though to push Keane out of the way altogether, but I think Keane may be starting from the bench more often. I don't think he'll be captain, but there isn't a standout candidate to be captain for the long term either.

[DeLorean]

I could be wrong but I'd say the 'facetiousness' was aimed at the idiots who consistently give Robbie a hard time, not m@ittude. I hope so anyway or I'm taking back my 'thanks'!

[Stuttgart88]

Yep, I think Owls Fan was right to criticise Keane bashers but I think there was recognition of the same in the original question, when Matt said that some would have dropped him 3 campaigns ago.

If the new campaign was starting this week, Keane would be a shoo-in, but it starts in ten months. Keane reminds me of Larsson in a sense. Both are busy, instinctive forwards with similar body types and have looked after themselves. I think Keane will still be good as a 35 year old, but I think he'll need to be used a bit more cleverly.

[geysir]

Yep, I think Owls Fan was right to criticise Keane bashers but I think there was recognition of the same in the original question, when Matt said that some would have dropped him 3 campaigns ago.

If the new campaign was starting this week, Keane would be a shoo-in, but it starts in ten months. Keane reminds me of Larsson in a sense. Both are busy, instinctive forwards with similar body types and have looked after themselves. I think Keane will still be good as a 35 year old, but I think he'll need to be used a bit more cleverly.

Matt didn't say that.

[Stuttgart88]

Sorry, you're right. I got mixed up.

But he was fair when he said some don't think he should be starting in a year's time. Some don't.

[DeLorean]

I don't think we should treat the immediate future with any assumptions regarding what Robbie will or won't be able to contribute in a years time. He's important and good enough to play now so I would play him, obviously while also giving others their chance to impress. 10 months seems like an eternity right now but time flies and I'd expect little or nothing to change between now and then with regards Keane's ability to perform, injury dependent obviously.

It was Owls Fan that said 'some would have dropped him 3 campaigns ago'.

Edit- Just see that had been cleared up.

[M@ttitude]

Thanks for all the support lads, I didn't take any offence from Owls reply at all. There are a lot of Keane bashers about, I get frustrated watching him sometimes too but there is no doubting his commitment or record. But yes, Stutts reply was the kind of conversation I was hoping to create. From watching the training session yesterday it looked like the team is being set up around Robbie, I know it was the first training session but I was just thinking, why? Looking at Shane Longs performance at the weekend and Alan Shearer raving about him, is it not time to give Long a stable position in the team and give him the confidence to develop as an international striker for next September. I feel Shane Long has lost confidence within the Ireland setup. No 'facetious' replies please

[CraftyToePoke]

What are your thoughts on Robbie Keanes role under the new management?

I think Keane may be starting from the bench more often. I don't think he'll be captain, but there isn't a standout candidate to be captain for the long term either.

Are you confident he will still make that trip from the US if he isn't starting anymore ? Not that I'm advocating him being dropped either, but will he play the bit part in time ? Or call time on it.

[ifk101]

In many ways the criticism of Trapattoni's inflexible tactics can be linked to Robbie's inclusion in the team because you are restricted in how you effectively can use him. If the goal is to be more adaptable and flexible in the future maybe there is a hard decision there to be made for the new management team.

[NeverFeltBetter]

Keane will naturally start to feature less and less as we move forward, he's no spring chicken. But he has something to offer and if he maintains fitness and competitiveness at club level, he's as good an option as many other Irish strikers currently available. And if he's playing, let him be the Captain.

[EAFC_rdfl]

I might be a wee bit biased on it, but why wouldn't Coleman be a standout option for long term captain? He's surely going to be in the setup for the next 10 or so years.