There is a storm brewing over the Irish national team at the moment, with Roy Keane in the middle of it after reports emerged of the Ireland assistant's row with midfielder Harry Arter.
Speaking on his podcast the Stand, Eamon Dunphy stated that the reported row should never have happened 'even at the best of times' and that although Keane was entitled to shout at players when he himself was a player, his role as an assistant means that footballers need sympathy and help if they are injured:
Martin was in the paper yesterday, he was going back on Roy's career where he was shouting at (Paul) Scholes and drove on Manchester United and this is a bit of apples and oranges to be quite honest. That's when Keane was a player on the pitch, he was entitled to do that. He's assistant manager now, he's not a player.
Players who are really injured, unless they are kidding on, need a lot of sympathy and a lot of help. We've all been injured as footballers and there is nothing worse.
In Arter's case, if Martin O'Neill felt Arter was kidding on then he shouldn't be picked. If he's not he needs sympathy and support.
Dunphy went on to say that Keane's altercation with Arter was nonsense and very serious stuff, arguing that it doesn't help the spirit of the Ireland squad and that Keane is being destructive in his role as Martin O'Neill's right hand man:
As assistant manager he should be helping Martin and in the Arter case he hasn't helped him at all. In fact, Arter has said he doesn't want to play, That's being destructive.
Is he equipped to be an assistant manager? Definitely not.
Brady feels that O'Neill and the FAI need to step in.
Liam Brady who was a guest on the podcast was equally as grim as Dunphy in his assessment of Keane's influence on the Ireland team, pointing out that he doesn't feel that Keane likes football or indeed football players:
You worked with him (to Dunphy) when you did his book a good few years ago and I read that book. What came across for me when I read it was 'I don't have any friends in the game', 'I don't associate myself with other players', which is difficult for someone like me to understand because most of the best memories about my career are about lads I met and the lads I enjoyed along the way. I still have really strong friendships with a lot of the players.
When you hear him speak about football in his punditry role. It comes across that he doesn't like modern day footballers.
Brady went on to condemn Keane's reported behaviour and stated that he's damaging a squad that can't afford to lose any players, before pleading with the 'powers at be' to let the former United captain go:
Every time there is an international match there was a story about Roy Keane, whether he was having a go at somebody or whether he was launching another book of his.
I can't understand how Martin O'Neill could put up with that. He's got an international match and Roy Keane decides to launch his book on the week of an international game. It's crazy... mind boggling and it's really taking the piss, isn't it?
Martin O'Neill, or the powers that be... John Delaney has to say enough of this. This has got to stop.
You can listen to full podcast here:
Ep 224: Eamon, John Giles and Liam Brady discuss Ireland's beating in Wales & Roy Keane's future with the Irish soccer team. https://t.co/R5I0BeF26K
The Stand is proudly produced in partnership with Tesco Finest @TescoIrl
— The Stand (@Dunphy_Official) September 10, 2018
