Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane

[geysir]

When interviewing O'Neill, regardless of who and where, post match, Abbotstown, anywhere, just don't mention the "luck" word.

[seanfhear]

If I remember right, the seeds for the Noel King vs TOD thing were sown post Germany match a few days before that when TOD asked him about playing Stokes (and someone else on the wing who was out of position) and King corrected him, firmly but relatively beningly.

Then Dunphy completely hatcheted King in the post-match analysis over his line-up, the shape, not playing Wes and Andy Reid and it came back around again.

It's not entirely fair to say TOD is looking to agitate managers but it's not unfair to say his questions tend to parrot whatever controversial line comes out of the panel's (or, possibly more accurately, Dunphy's) mouth...

There's a balance to be found and, god knows we could use some actual answers from MON, but TOD has leaned far too far into becoming an avuncular heckler, a seemingly innocuous dealer of toxic passive aggressiveness. Which has led to him becoming essentially worthless as an actual interviewer imo.

Regardless, O'Neill's effort during the week was really, really poor. There's better ways to deal with this.

Does Dunphy need a mouth piece ?....Dunphy has enough mouth and neck not to need any apparatchiks ...........

[The Fly]

Just get Roy to do the interviews with O'Donoghue from time to time. Problem solved.

[tetsujin1979]

interesting

[backstothewall]

It appeared to me that Tony O'Donoghue and Martin O'Neill shook hands after the pre-match interview there.

Hopefully peace has broken out!

[Kingdom]

Now that dinny o brien has stopped paying the wages the fai will need to watch the pennies. They could well do that by not renewing spoofed contracts with the national team. That way they could invest even further underage.

I cannot see where or why they should pay 2m a year to that management set up.

[OwlsFan]

I see MON has a regular column in the Daily Telegraph for the duration of the WC. In today's column he says we were "pipped at the post" by Denmark. Think there was more than a head in it there Martin. He also says it is so infrequent and special that the players have to make a sacrifice or will regret it for the rest of their career. I wonder does his Assistant regret 2002 "on mature reflection", as the late Brian Lenihan might have put it. Probably not but as a pundit I don't actually mind him.

[nigel-harps1954]

I see MON has a regular column in the Daily Telegraph for the duration of the WC. In today's column he says we were "pipped at the post" by Denmark. Think there was more than a head in it there Martin. He also says it is so infrequent and special that the players have to make a sacrifice or will regret it for the rest of their career. I wonder does his Assistant regret 2002 "on mature reflection", as the late Brian Lenihan might have put it. Probably not but as a pundit I don't actually mind him.

There was a Roy Keane/Patrick Viera show on Sky Sports recently where Keane was asked about this and he said he did have regrets, he'd loved to have played in the World Cup, but that the decision was made and no turning back on it, or something to that effect.

[DeLorean]

That's pretty much bang on Nigel - https://youtu.be/FGAQhCAMV1k?t=29m25s

Interviewer: "If you could do one thing again, what would it be?"

RK: "Play in the World Cup".

[OwlsFan]

Such a shame. When you think how close we came to the quarter-finals in Korea/Japan. At work we all tip toe around difficult people and if I was Mick that's probably what I would have done for the greater good. Easier said than done I know. Ah well, 16 years on we're still left with what might have been as indeed are the two protagonists.

Nothing from MON in the Daily T today but Jamie Carragher has a column. Imagine the DT employing England's best known expectorator.

[backstothewall]

I see MON has a regular column in the Daily Telegraph for the duration of the WC. In today's column he says we were "pipped at the post" by Denmark. Think there was more than a head in it there Martin. He also says it is so infrequent and special that the players have to make a sacrifice or will regret it for the rest of their career. I wonder does his Assistant regret 2002 "on mature reflection", as the late Brian Lenihan might have put it. Probably not but as a pundit I don't actually mind him.

Is he that badly wrong? The record books show we took a sound beating from Denmark but it might have been different. Obviously we'll never know but the biggest 'what if' of the O'Neill era must be what if McClean had put us 2-0 up in that game.

I can only imagine that question will be with James as long as he lives.

[jbyrne]

Is he that badly wrong? The record books show we took a sound beating from Denmark but it might have been different. Obviously we'll never know but the biggest 'what if' of the O'Neill era must be what if McClean had put us 2-0 up in that game.

I can only imagine that question will be with James as long as he lives.

and murphy grazed the post at 1-0

[backstothewall]

My thoughts in the stand watching Mcclean bear down on goal were that if he scores Denmark are dead and buried.

It's hard to draw a direct line from there to Peru v Ireland in Saransk at the weekend, but it would have been a very long way back for Denmark against an Ireland team that would have put 10 men behind the ball and repeated the dose from Copenhagen.

[tetsujin1979]

'I've won top club prizes but disappointment stays with you for much longer' - Martin O'Neill on World Cup regrets

Martin O’Neill has had success with Nottingham Forest, Celtic and Ireland but the pain of defeat never leaves him, writes Daniel McDonnell

[DeLorean]

MON has some harsh words for McGeady & Gibson, as well as offering updates on Callum Robinson, Robbie Brady & James McCarthy - https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...-37224744.html