Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane

[tetsujin1979]

I just checked there and I don't think Ward was in the squad for any of the summer game Turkey/ Frnace/ USA

Is that correct?

Correct, he wasn't named in the squad for Turkey - http://www.fai.ie/ireland/news/irela...urkey-friendly -

Defenders: Seamus Coleman (Everton), Cyrus Christie (Fulham), Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Declan Rice (West Ham United), John Egan (Brentford), Shane Duffy (Brighton & Hove Albion), Ciaran Clark (Newcastle United), Kevin Long (Burnley), Alex Pearce (Derby County), Darragh Lenihan, Derrick Williams (Blackburn Rovers), Greg Cunningham (Preston North End), Enda Stevens (Sheffield United)

or the end of season friendlies http://www.fai.ie/ireland/news/irela...friendly-games

Defenders: Seamus Coleman, Matt Doherty, John Egan, Shane Duffy, Kevin Long, Darragh Lenihan, Declan Rice, John O'Shea, Enda Stevens, Derrick Williams, Greg Cunningham

[shakermaker1982]

Think of the children. We really are a laughing stock.

This should have been sorted out behind doors. Like normal adults do. Instead you’ve got a leaked audio from a player and the press rubbing their hands together because our team is so bad the only interesting thing they can talk about is Keane (again).

This is going to rumble on for months.

Why you would make an audio about something when you weren’t even present is beyond me. Good job Ward has gone home.

[shakermaker1982]

Roy Keane also needs to also get some anger management under his belt. Then again surely the FAI knew what they were getting when they appointed him? This is surely not a surprise to anybody that he loses it?

He needs to step aside now otherwise this will overshadow the whole campaign.

[OwlsFan]

On the positive side, if there can be a positive in such things, there doesn't seem to be anything about the players' nationality being questioned which was the rumour.

[Stuttgart88]

O'Neill was discussing things in a press conference earlier. Sky Sports News was showing it. I only caught 2 mins but I presume they'll show more later. Key points here
https://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2018...-whatsapp-row/

[Fixer82]

On the positive side, if there can be a positive in such things, there doesn't seem to be anything about the players' nationality being questioned which was the rumour.

And he never questioned McCarthy’s nationality in 2002. He did, however, say he didn’t rate him as a player so perhaps that’s his go-to insult.

Apparently Roy has already spoken to Ward on the matter.

[seanfhear]

Roy Keane is a Dinosaur with no tactical nous .

Martin O’Neill is ; Daddy Dinosaur .

[Cuyahoga]

On Soccer Republic tonight Dave Barry was asked about the row between Arter and Keane but he dodged it, talking about the performance in Cardiff instead. I knew he wasnt going to say anything against his fellow Cork man. Fabio was the other
guest who was critical of Keane but seemed afraid to argue with Dave Barry.

[Closed Account 2]

This is a circus and MON is the ringmaster. We have been tactically terrible since the Euros (remember the Danish manager saying "thanks very much for not marking Eriksen"). We no have players falling out with the management team, players not wanting to play for us anymore. It's beyond parody, time to get someone new.

[geysir]

Kudos to Walters, a man's man, it probably took about 7 players to hold him back while Roy slithered away.

Pity though he didn't get to actually decking Roy.

[brine3]

Monkeano have to go, this is beyond a farce.

We don't need to pay two tactical dinosaurs millions so that they can pretend to be a 1980s Brian Clough.

Just give the job to Michael O'Neill already.

[tricky_colour]

FULL TRANSCRIPT OF STEPHEN WARD'S WHATSAPP MESSAGE

'So basically lads, Roy was getting on to the lads for not training three days in a row. Johnny's got a bad knee so he can't train all the time.
'They were at the training ground and him and Harry were just sitting on the bench, just relaxing and icing themselves and stuff. Roy walked over and was like, 'Why aren't you lads training?' and he blatantly knew why they weren't training because the manager would have told him and they were like, 'We can't do three days in a row'. 'What are you guys? Professional footballers? That's a shambles that is'. The both didn't say anything and Roy walked off and came back over again, 'So when are you going to train, I'm sick of people pulling out with injuries, what the f** is wrong with ya?' and the lads were like, 'Listen, we've got problems, we do it at our clubs, we can't do it'. Roy said something under his breath about Johnny and walked off.
'Johnny lost his head, jumped off the bench and walked after him, grabbed his arm and said, 'What's the story Roy? If you've got a problem say it to my face, don't f**king walk off' and he was like, 'I do have a problem, you're not training, you're getting soft, it's no wonder Dyche doesn't play ya, you're f**king always looking for an argument like you are now' and he was like, 'No Roy, you are the one trying to start an argument', and apparently they were squaring off to each other and having it off and had to be pulled off each other. All the lads were grabbing Johnny away from him... Johnny was going to kill him.
'Roy brought up something about when they were at Ipswich together, they had like a falling out as well. 'You're threatening me again Jon, like you did at Ipswich', and Johnny was like, 'Yeah, are you going to be a s**thouse again and send me my fine in the post rather than say it to my face?'.
'It blew over for a few days and then they flew out to France and Johnny apparently just text Roy was like, 'Listen Roy, I'm in room whatever, if you wanna come up, you've obviously got something on your mind that ****es you off about me because it's causing tension in the squad, let's talk it out'. Apparently Roy just wrote back, 'Nah, I'm just here to help players. People like you... stay out of each other's way. You don't need to reply to this message', and that was that.
'They got back from France and Harry felt his quad in training again. So he wasn't training. Apparently he was getting treatment in the treatment room and Roy walked in and was like, 'When are you going to train you ****ing *****?' and Harry was like, 'What?', and he was like, 'Any chance of you training?'. He explained the situation again and Roy was going off going, 'You're a f**king pr**k, you're a c**t, you don't even care, you don't wanna train', and Harry was just going, 'Roy, I'm not speaking to you like this. I'm not listening to you. You're not the manager. You can't say anything to me'.
'Apparently Roy was going mad getting worse and worse and Harry got up off the treatment bed and was walking back to his room. As he was walking back Roy was shouting down the corridor, 'You're a f**king pr**k, you're a c**t you've been all your life' and that was really it lads.
'It didn't come to blows but basically just Roy losing his head.'

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...land-camp.html

Not the best preparation for the Wales game really was it?

[backstothewall]

This is ridiculous. We need to clear the decks. They both have to go.

[Eminence Grise]

It's pretty obvious that there's a lack of respect on both sides at this stage. Once players start briefing against the management team it's end game stuff. Whether it's a swift break or a lingering one is the only unknown.

[jbyrne]

Just give the job to Michael O'Neill already.

just a tad arrogant thinking he would leave the north for us

[backstothewall]

just a tad arrogant thinking he would leave the north for us

He was very close to taking the Scotland job. I reckon he would take it. But Big Mick is available, obviously wants it and is a C&D winner.

[tetsujin1979]

The North's results over the last 12 months have been along the same lines as our own, and they're facing similar issues with an aging squad.

[Real ale Madrid]

Artur is a bit precious isn't he - since when did an assistant football manager call the shots. Players never take heed of what the assistant thinks. Roy had a go off Walters as well - Walters told him where to go. Mountain out of a molehill. Artur should have shown up last week - ridiculous that he didn't.

[jbyrne]

He was very close to taking the Scotland job. I reckon he would take it. But Big Mick is available, obviously wants it and is a C&D winner.

he lives in Scotland so different. also, nobody really knows how close he was to taking it.... maybe used to get a better NI deal or similar.

The North's results over the last 12 months have been along the same lines as our own, and they're facing similar issues with an aging squad.

saw the norths game saturday.... very unlucky to lose

[tetsujin1979]

saw the norths game saturday.... very unlucky to lose

I saw bits of it myself, and I'd agree with that. I stand by my statement that their recent record isn't much different to ours - only one win in the last 12 months and that was a friendly against South Korea in March. Granted, they had a five game winning streak before that, but three of those were against New Zealand, Azerbaijan and San Marino. The others were a 2-0 win against Norway, and an admittedly impressive 2-0 win against the Czech Republic