Roy Keane

Never ceases to amaze how all these players that have a love for playing for Ireland never make people aware of it at schoolboy level or before its blatantly obvious they have no hope of playing for the country of their birth.
I have an irish relative and used to spend every summer in Ballygobackwards seems to be enough to satisfy most Irish fans.
Not that it matters to most but you would have more respect if they said Im English but am eligible if you want me to do a job for you. Rather than spout the usual rubbish.
Picking some of these 'plastics' is just another way for the FAI to get away with running football in Ireland properly

I think you mean "get away with not running it properly" :)

I don't think there's a hard & fast rule over which non-Irish born players I'm comfortable with. As I've said before I use a "gut instinct" test. Most, I'd say nearly all, of those picked in the last few years have passed that test. Those who don't haven't actually been picked.

Is it not testimony to the FAI (or at least someone in Irish football anyway) that this squad will contain Doyle, Long, Fahey and Ward who have all played LOI or been nurtured by it. Mainstays like Given, Keane, Duff, O'Shea, Dunne and Whelan have all come up through the ranks, as have Foley & McCarthy. Others like Hunt and Andrews have been late developers but are Irish born and raised.

I do agree with you that certain players are just chancers, but I think there have been far more of these in the past than there has been from Mick's tenure onwards. It's only right that the FAI team be representative of the diaspora as well as home grown. I don't think we are abusing or stretching this principle right at this time. Talk of Noble, O'Hara and Pennant doesn't sit comfortably.

This thing about the Anglo(Scots) Irish bores me. Truth be told I don't believe we would have qualified for even one competition without them be they Cascarino, McAteer, Alridge, Houghton etc etc. To me my team (Ireland) is a like a club and I don't give a fiddler's flam who turns up in the green jersey provided they give 100%. It doesn't cast me a thought.

Keane in the news again putting feelers out for a job (see below). Must be tired of walking the (still alive) dog. You can see from his comments below that a lot of people have “hurt” Roy. That’s terrible and I feel sorry for him. It’s not like Roy has ever said anything hurtful about others..no way. Wonder which lucky club will get him now that he’s nearly ready to come back. Hope it’s not one of those interfering ones that muck things up on him.

Keane ready for return
By Simon Peach
Wednesday May 11 2011

Former Sunderland and Ipswich boss Roy Keane says he is ready for a return to management and wants to take a club to the "very top".

Keane has been without a job since being sacked by the Tractor Boys in January following a run of seven defeats in nine games.

The ex-Manchester United and Republic of Ireland midfielder had enjoyed a fine start to his career in the dugout by guiding the Blacks Cats to the Championship title in 2007 and keeping them in the top flight the following season, before standing down in December 2008 after a poor run of results.

And the 39-year-old believes he is capable of experiencing success again with the right club having learnt from his mistakes at Portman Road.

"I want a club to take to the very top," he told Irish radio.

"Sunderland was so close, even in my third season there, just a few poor results which every manager goes through.

"I can learn from my mistakes, particularly at Ipswich, and I think potentially I could be a good manager.

"But potential is one thing, going out and doing it is something very different."

Keane also hit out at Sunderland owner Ellis Short, claiming he felt hurt and disrespected during his time at the club leading him to become disillusioned at the Stadium of Light.

"I knew Niall [Quinn] was involved at Sunderland and, on paper, it should have been a nightmare," he said.

"Six or seven Irish fellas involved and all the politics, but it was actually perfect.

"None felt they were the boss so they just let me get on with it and the first two years were a dream, no interference, no nothing.

"That changed when the club was sold to Ellis Short (during the 2008/09 season) and when you have one owner the dynamics of the football club change.

"I was never comfortable. People might think I am a machine and don't get hurt, but I was hurt when I missed the World Cup, I was hurt when I left United.

"I could have stayed with my contract, but my pride had been hurt and I felt I had been disrespected in a big way and stuff that people will never know about.

"When accusations are made against you and you are told where to live or are accused of doing a one-day week, the time is right to go.

"In terms of supporters, Sunderland fans were brilliant, but, as usual, they don't know the whole truth and just believe the headlines and all that.

"Sometimes you feel you want the truth out there, but I have kept my mouth shut. But there was stuff going on in the background I certainly wasn't happy about."

- Simon Peach

To be honest, it's hardly unusual for people to develop an interest in their roots in their adult life having not had as much of an interest. There are the likes of Kilbane who were aware of their identity all their lives, but there are probably more who signed up with the Irish team and then began to explore their roots. Look at Chris Hughton - he named his son Cian, one of the least-travelled Irish names going.

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Originally Posted by OwlsFan

This thing about the Anglo(Scots) Irish bores me. Truth be told I don't believe we would have qualified for even one competition without them be they Cascarino, McAteer, Alridge, Houghton etc etc. I don't give a fiddler's flam who turns up in the green jersey provided they give 100%. It doesn't cast me a thought.

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I'd go along with that.

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Originally Posted by hoops1

Never ceases to amaze how all these players that have a love for playing for Ireland never make people aware of it at schoolboy level or before its blatantly obvious they have no hope of playing for the country of their birth.
I have an irish relative and used to spend every summer in Ballygobackwards seems to be enough to satisfy most Irish fans.
Not that it matters to most but you would have more respect if they said Im English but am eligible if you want me to do a job for you. Rather than spout the usual rubbish.
Picking some of these 'plastics' is just another way for the FAI to get away with running football in Ireland properly

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So you've no relations who've ever left Ireland who claimed to be 'Irish' then??

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Originally Posted by hoops1

Never ceases to amaze how all these players that have a love for playing for Ireland never make people aware of it at schoolboy level or before its blatantly obvious they have no hope of playing for the country of their birth.

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If I'm not mistaken, eligibility at schoolboy level depends on the location of one's school. It's why Ryan Giggs, for example, played at schoolboy level for England but was only eligible for Wales otherwise. You do recognise that for some dual nationals, the question of allegiance to one nation or the other may not be so simplistic or black-and-white? What would your opinion be on Barry Maguire (born to a Dutch mother and a Dublin father in the Netherlands) lining out for us, for example?

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I have an irish relative and used to spend every summer in Ballygobackwards seems to be enough to satisfy most Irish fans.

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What criteria would you deem worthy of weeding out pretenders yourself?

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Picking some of these 'plastics' is just another way for the FAI to get away with running football in Ireland properly

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I wouldn't necessarily disagree there. I do feel it enables the FAI to shirk certain responsibilities by piggy-backing off the youth development systems in place at English clubs. Still, if members of our diaspora wish to play for us, I wouldn't want to be the one to tell them they're not "Irish enough".

I spoke to the missus about this in relation to our son. He was born in the US (where we live) and she is definitely not Irish or Irish-American. However we've made a conscious decision to raise our son as Irish as possible. Lots of trips back home etc. So on the off chance he was good enough would certain commentators on this website not want Jim declaring for Ireland?

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Originally Posted by Fergie's Son

So on the off chance he was good enough would certain commentators on this website not want Jim declaring for Ireland?

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Little Jim would be more than welcome, as long as he declared nice and early as a first and sole option and didnt use his Irishness as a bargaining tool with any other associations in the lead up. I think most on here would be ok with that, am I wrong?

You're putting a lot of pressure on Little Jim. Give him a bit of space lads.

:soldier:This is a very grey area. Look at Clinton. He pretty much pi$$ed everyone off on this forum but then gave his all when playing for us and we all loved him when he was scoring goals for us...

ps @fergie's son ....I don't think Ireland has an American Football team ;)

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Originally Posted by Fixer82

According to google 93.1fm is a Christian chanell. Is Roy born again?g

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Dunno bout that but the reason he did the interview is because it was part of a 24 hour broadcast fundraiser for Cork Simon Community.

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Originally Posted by Fixer82

:soldier:This is a very grey area. Look at Clinton. He pretty much pi$$ed everyone off on this forum but then gave his all when playing for us and we all loved him when he was scoring goals for us...

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Likewise for Westwood when he made the "I'm a good Catholic boy" gag, but he drew all the plaudits after he saved our skins against Macedonia.

If Roy wants back into management the possibility of him replacing Neil Lennon, if he leaves Celtic, must appeal to him. The controversy, drama, sectarianism and the profile of such a club would suit him. Much of what happens to Celtic managers would be like water off a duck's back to him, and I doubt very much a Hearts fan would attack Keane. The opposite however could occur!


http://www.independent.ie/sport/socc...n-2644293.html

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Originally Posted by gastric

Much of what happens to Celtic managers would be like water off a duck's back to him, and I doubt very much a Hearts fan would attack Keane. The opposite however could occur!

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Lol. There is no vacancy there at the moment though and I don't see Lennon quitting.

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Originally Posted by Fergie's Son

I spoke to the missus about this in relation to our son. He was born in the US (where we live) and she is definitely not Irish or Irish-American. However we've made a conscious decision to raise our son as Irish as possible. Lots of trips back home etc. So on the off chance he was good enough would certain commentators on this website not want Jim declaring for Ireland?

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Little Seamus, surely?

One can be Irish without having been born there I think. I dont understand why people get mad at others for respecting and loving their heritage.

The Irish team is a perfect representative of the Irish nation. Our nation is not just on the island itself, the diaspora is all over and our history dictated that. I have no issue with those not born in Ireland representing Ireland. For me, it makes the Irish team even more of an Irish team in the sense it represents the diaspora as well as the island itself.

More rent a quote bull**** from his Corkness. Any validity his argument may have had is lost when he says it's worse now then ever. It was far 'worse' when he was in the squad initially.

He's turned into a caricature at this stage, sad sad man.....

It's slightly more complicated than just saying that you ha e Irish heritage and that being enough. I'm surrounded by Irish Americans who are well meaning but don't have a clue about modern Ireland. So I think an effort needs to be made to understand the true culture of Ireland to consider yourself Irish (the Kevin Kilbne test if you will) My boy already has a passport and will spend meaningful amounts of time in Ireland.