Robbie Keane on Late Late Show Tonight

**kingdom hoop** · 20/10/2007, 2:58 AM

Watched the cringe-fest live, unfortunately. I've never exhaled and and guffawed as much in twenty minutes before. Simply awful. Robbie was justifiied in questioning fans for booing (as anyone would appreciate, it's demoralising) however neither Pat (

, first time I've used that emoticon I think

) nor the participatory audience had the minimal common sense to point out that the boos (should there be an apostrophe there?) boo's (no, Idon't think so, boooooooooooooooooo) were not directed at the players, but at the managemnet/John Delaney.

As a result I think Robbie has left with the impression that the fans were angry at the players more so than the management. How wrong could he be?! I'm ashamed to say I was in at 9.40 tonight, why didn't I go out ten minutes earlier and I would've saved myself the bitter agony of wathcing Pat Kenny on TV??? Keh ,whe, khe, I say! Not once were the inadequacies of the team selection and tactics mooted........Argh, I'm now gonna cocoon myself from intl football until Rinus Michels is reincarnated and becomes Ireland boss with Ruud Krol discovering his granny was from Buttevant and he gloriously leads our team to international glory from left back.

**kingdom hoop** · 20/10/2007, 3:13 AM

Just to add to that, as often as I feel I could do better than the incumbent on TV, I've rarely felt my presence was conspicuously absent from a debate as tonight. So frustrating that Robbie forthrightly proclaimed his discontent with the fans and no one had the cop-on to tell him the truth. I can understand the players felt we were getting on their back with the booing, but they (the players) need to be told they were merely a, largely, innocent conduit through wihich we tried to portray our anger at the FAI. It's unfortunate it had to happen while the game was on and the players were hit with the shrapnel - collateral damage is all Robbie, not a direct hit. Keh, whe, khe.

**Noelys Guitar** · 20/10/2007, 3:44 AM

Thats was not good stuff from Robbie. OOOh. Please stop digging now. Nobody has any respect for what you are whinging about. Just awful interview.

**kingdom hoop** · 20/10/2007, 4:05 AM

Originally Posted by Noelys Guitar

Thats was not good stuff from Robbie. OOOh. Please stop digging now. Nobody has any respect for what you are whinging about. Just awful interview.

I wouldn't lay much fault at Robbie's door, he's captain and must carry his duties as such. To be fair though, he's more like a flat-head screwdriver than the sharp tool in the box. He was clearly emotional, and openly willing to front up to questions, it's just that Liz Bonnin (remember her!!

) was effectively asking the questions. Kenny (won't someone kill him in this episode?) seemed fixated by the, largely irrelevant for these purposes, media glare on Stan. I can hardly imagine (and I'm very imaginative!) a worse interview. I thought Robbie was quite tender, ie open to manipulation, I'm just aghast no one could tell him that, by and large, the ire was directed at Delaney et al more so than him and and his team-mates ,which was Robbie's main bone of contention - we're not angry at the player's playing badly as such, we're angry at mngt for faciliating it to happen. Is there any chance I could win a popular vote and usurp faggot-head from the Late Late? I'm ****ing better looking and all!

**SkStu** · 20/10/2007, 4:07 AM

does anyone think that Delaney might have had a lot to do with organising this interview and the direction it took?

**kingdom hoop** · 20/10/2007, 4:23 AM

Originally Posted by SkStu

does anyone think that Delaney might have had a lot to do with organising this interview and the direction it took?

Maybe, I wouldn't put anything (except for my trademark stinging 25-yard freekicks

) past that conniving w*****. Though, serious for a moment, it seemed Robbie had requested the interview to clear the air with us fans by the tone the interview took - having a pre-planned spiel to deliver. Of course, such manipulative media tactics could also have been planned but Delaney was 'smart' enough to put Stan in as coach I doubt he'd hav the wherewithal to impliment such cunning sneakiness. Anyway, back to the point, how long will it before I take over the Late Late and have strangeirish as my first guest as the latest in a long line of Floridian comedians?

(Sorry for denigrating the thread, I'm just in that kinda mood, for a change. )

**blobbyblob** · 20/10/2007, 8:03 AM

Thought the best part of the interview was where Kenny says "Yeo, Im playing for Ireland"

Haven't heard "Yeo" in the sentence since Euro 88 .

**GuisaSaigon** · 20/10/2007, 8:22 AM

Go out and hammer the Welsh if you want to regain some respect Robbie. Dont go crying to Pat Fcuking Kenny

**EastTerracer** · 20/10/2007, 10:28 AM

Originally Posted by kingdom hoop

So frustrating that Robbie forthrightly proclaimed his discontent with the fans and no one had the cop-on to tell him the truth. I can understand the players felt we were getting on their back with the booing, but they (the players) need to be told they were merely a, largely, innocent conduit through wihich we tried to portray our anger at the FAI. It's unfortunate it had to happen while the game was on and the players were hit with the shrapnel - collateral damage is all Robbie, not a direct hit. Keh, whe, khe.

I think the interview might be worth a second look. I thought Robbie was very clear at the start that hew was not having a go at the fans - the media is where his issue lies. He said that the booing doesn't help the nerves of some of the younger players but that is pretty self-evident - of course, they are going to be under pressure going into that atmosphere.

Robbie clearly stated that he thought the nature of the media attention was more negative now. Robbie, McGeady, Douglas, O'Shea, Duffer, Carsley and others have all been abused through the papers at different stages over the last year. It's one thing to say they had a bad game but quite another to say that they are useless and shouldn't be in the squad.

His first comments in the interview were that he understood the fans' frustration and he didn't claim that the performances were any good. I heard several people on Wednesday night screaming at Robbie to f**k off and not come back - from where I was sitting he ran the length and breadth of the pitch but nothing came off for him. If anything, he is trying too hard and he needs to concentrate on just playing centre-forward. Take the captaincy off him - but for christ's sake he is still one of our best five players (Shay, Finnan, Dunne and a fit Duffer being the others).

**viagogo** · 20/10/2007, 10:48 AM

Jesus what a terrible interview. Does Robbie Keane think we are stupid or something and the media control our opinions.

Remember in the first half against Cyprus when Ireland had a free kick and Hunt lost the ball and all of a sudden it was four Cyprus against one Irish defender at the back. You wouldnt see a bunch of ten year olds making a mistake like this and this is supposed to be our national team. It was like watching a horror movie.

He moans about young players getting stick. They should get used to it. This is sport. I watch a lot of GAA and the abuse these players get is ten times worse as these guys have to go to work in there areas the next day and listen to people give out to them in pubs, restaurants and on the streets. The Irish players can go back to England and forget about it and fake an injury for the Welsh game.

I dont need the media to tell me this is ****, I know it is.

**CollegeTillIDie** · 20/10/2007, 11:17 AM

Robbie Keane has not scored a goal against decent opposition since the World Cup in 2002. You could say his failure, and other senior players to perform adequately in competitive international games, has contributed to not 1 but 2 international managers losing their jobs ( McCarthy and Kerr so far) and may well contribute to a 3rd one ( Staunton). The fact remains we have not qualified for EURO 2004, World Cup 2006 and now EURO 2008. Keane's career is disappearing with the sands of time, and he faces the real prospect of not making the World Cup 2010 into the bargain. What ****es people off is the highly paid players like him, do not seem to be bothered about that. Something that the generation of players which included Moran, McCarthy, McGrath and the previous R.Keane could never have been accused of .... lacking passion and the desire to play at EURO championships, World Cups etc.

All the Irish fans want is for the team to be organised and competitive and be in with a shout. Mick McCarthy was unlucky losing in 2 qualification play-offs for major tournaments. It was only in the EURO 2004 qualifiers where the team were abject in two consecutive away games that people were losing patience with McCarthy, because for the first time we seemed incapable of defending properly ( take a bow John O'Shea).
Kerr's team came 4th in the group for the World Cup and Stan's team may do even worse than that.

**kingdom hoop** · 20/10/2007, 1:25 PM

Sorry for last nights posts there lads, clearly the three Smirnoff Ices really went to my head. (Unless ye thought they were brilliant, in which case I'll take a bow, and then ring the asylum to take ye away.)

Originally Posted by kingdom hoop

I wouldn't lay much fault at Robbie's door, he's captain and must carry his duties as such.

What I was thinking of there was his defence of Staunton rather than his poke at the media. What I'm thinking now is that the interview glaringly showed up Keane's unsuitability as captain. But I suppose we knew that for a while, but last night was the final damning indictment.

It's pretty pointless being annoyed at Pat Kenny (it's just so hard not to be though), instead it would be better to analyse the interview as a means of revealing the mindsets of our players. Sh!t, I have to leave right now though.

**Beavis** · 20/10/2007, 5:23 PM

Originally Posted by EastTerracer

I do agree with him that the media has deteriorated in this country over the last few years (see today's Indo or Herald for example). The criticism has become personalised and abusive rather than analytical. It is reminiscent of the Sun or the Mirror hounding Robson, Taylor, Hoddle et al. I always thought we were better than that.

Staunton isn't doing the job, Robbie isn't playing as well as he can but they are not setting out to underachieve. They don't deserve the level of abuse they have received in recent weeks..... nobody does (other than serial killers, sex offenders and politicians)

Exact sentiments I expressed on another thread. I remember thinking when Beckham was personally dismembered after his WC 98 sending off and booed all over England for the following season, how can he ever have empathy with the fickle fans again I why should he even bother.

It's dissapointing to see irish footballing society has reached the same level, I feel we could go from being relative over-achievers int he past(country of only 4m and only the 3rd largest sport) to perenniel under-achievers like England, as the pressure to succeed and castigation if you fail will become too much for players and management.

**pete** · 20/10/2007, 6:20 PM

Hilarious interview, hard to know where to start.

The media have been on the back of Delaney, Staunton & captain Robbie Keane. I don't remember much criticism directed at the new players. Staunton is being treated well considering the performances. Kerrs treatment was much nastier.

**NeilMcD** · 20/10/2007, 6:23 PM

Terrible interview for all concerned in my view. Silly idea going on, and he then got off lightly and Kenny should have asked him much more questions. He should have mentioned Brian Kerrs articles.

**soccerc** · 21/10/2007, 9:49 PM

An open letter to Robbie

http://www.chatsoccer.eu/blog/?p=43

**NeilMcD** · 21/10/2007, 9:57 PM

http://www.tribune.ie/article.tvt?_s...BCATNAME=Sport

**onceahoop** · 21/10/2007, 10:01 PM

Originally Posted by pete

Kerrs treatment was much nastier.

Instigated by Delaney.

**Billsthoughts** · 21/10/2007, 10:14 PM

Originally Posted by EastTerracer

I think the interview might be worth a second look. I thought Robbie was very clear at the start that hew was not having a go at the fans - the media is where his issue lies. He said that the booing doesn't help the nerves of some of the younger players but that is pretty self-evident - of course, they are going to be under pressure going into that atmosphere.

Robbie clearly stated that he thought the nature of the media attention was more negative now. Robbie, McGeady, Douglas, O'Shea, Duffer, Carsley and others have all been abused through the papers at different stages over the last year. It's one thing to say they had a bad game but quite another to say that they are useless and shouldn't be in the squad.

His first comments in the interview were that he understood the fans' frustration and he didn't claim that the performances were any good. I heard several people on Wednesday night screaming at Robbie to f**k off and not come back - from where I was sitting he ran the length and breadth of the pitch but nothing came off for him. If anything, he is trying too hard and he needs to concentrate on just playing centre-forward. Take the captaincy off him - but for christ's sake he is still one of our best five players (Shay, Finnan, Dunne and a fit Duffer being the others).

have to say i agree totally with this....