Roy Keane in tense stand-off with media over hotel incident

Roy Keane addressed a wide range of topics well when he spoke to the press yesterday with the 43 year-old dealing in a considered manner with, in particular, the disappointment of Ireland's defeat by Scotland in Glagow, the nature of it and the increased pressure that exists now as a result for the team to win its home games in the new year.

Later, he suggested that he felt there would be significant changes to the team Martin O’Neill selects for the game against the USA at the Aviva tomorrow with, as he put it, “a lot of lads who’ve been in the squad for the last few matches . . . entitled to get a game and to show the manager what they’re about.”

Training had been cancelled so that the players could be given the day off and his press conference, somewhat unusually these days, was held in the team hotel.

For the most part, the atmosphere was fine with Keane answering the questions asked, as he tends to, politely and professionally; or declining to, as he did when a television reporter asked about the incident which in the same hotel had resulted in him calling the gardaí last Wednesday night.

When the general issue of the potential for trouble with outsiders was subsequently raised again, he dismissed the idea, replying somewhat light-heartedly.

“No. I go into Malahide, we have a coffee, it’s fine. We went out last night for a meal, it was fine.

“We’re not One Direction.”

Warm smile

As the broadcast media left, Simon Baker of the Irish Amputee Football Association stole the floor for a few minutes and, having apologised to Keane in a way that left the Ireland assistant manager little leeway to object, made an appeal to the remaining print media for a mention for his team's participation in the forthcoming Amputee World Cup in Mexico.

Keane looked taken aback at the interruption at first but then actually seemed quite taken by the cheek of it and broke into a warm smile as he realised what it was about.

Subsequently, though, after another spell of questions and answers that passed without incident, he reacted rather less well when a newspaper reporter returned to the events of Wednesday evening.

The exchange became tense from Keane’s first reply, which started before the initial question was completed, with the assistant manager clearly increasingly angry as it went on.

Journalist #1: Sorry, Roy, I want to ask this because it was touched upon earlier. I expect to get 'the stare' but I'm going to ask anyway. Martin was asked before the game about the incident; he said it was a distraction and he moved on. I'm just thinking, in the last six months, I'd like your thoughts on this, between the Celtic link, the Villa link, the book situation and the incident last week.

Roy Keane: I'm not going to give you any comment on that . . . why would you think I have to give you an opinion on everything? Do you think you've a right to sit there and ask me anything you want and get an answer? I think I've been more than fair with yiz.

Journalist #1: You have. My point is that Martin is being asked about distractions. Has he had enough of those distractions?

Keane: What are you asking me for? What are you talking about? What distractions? Can I do anything about the Celtic stuff?

Journalist #1: Yeah, the Celtic and Villa...

Keane: Can I do anything about them things that come up? If I get approached about a job and I'm upfront with the manager and the media, do you want me to . . . how is that a distraction? What can I do about that? You're making out I'm bringing all these distractions on.

Journalist #1: So it just happens; it's just coincidence these things happen.

Keane: Well, if a club approaches me, these things just happen, yeah. The book? How is the book connected . . . do you think the book is a distraction to a group of professional people? Do me a favour. And then people all writing about the incident the other night. Lies. And people with their pals, talking to them. So I've got to justify all that to you? And you all sit there and think I've got to answer to everything? Who the hell do you think you are? I've got to answer to you? No, I don't.

Journalist #1: Not to everything, no. It's a press conference.

Keane: I answer to the FAI and Martin and if we don't get the results, I'll be gone and you won't lose a minute's sleep, so don't worry about distractions. You're the ones who write about the distractions.

Journalist #1: We write about them because it seemed to be an obvious thing to write about. There was an incident, so we had to write about it.

Keane: Exactly, yeah. But you're on about Celtic and Aston Villa, what do you want me to do about them? If Celtic approached me, what did you want me to say? You couldn't get enough of it.

Journalist #1: I'm not denying that.

Keane: Of course. So what could I do about the Celtic situation?

Journalist #1: I don't know. Martin brought it . . .

Keane: Incidents. What other incidents? The book? Do you think that was a distraction? The book. Did you think the book was a distraction? An agreement was made six months before . . .

Journalist #1: Would you have liked your assistant manager to be bringing out a book before a match?

FAI Director of Communications Peter Sherrard: We'll leave it there, thanks.

Keane: You've asked Martin. What's he said? You're asking me what Martin O'Neill might think? I don't know.

Journalist #1: I'm thinking has he had enough of these . . .

Keane: Ask him. What are you asking me for? Go and see him in the lobby. You're not brave enough. Why don't you ask him? You're not brave enough to ask him . . .

Journalist #1: I am brave enough. We'll ask him. I don't have access.

Sherrard: You'll see him tomorrow. You can ask him tomorrow if you want. Keane: What are you asking me about what Martin O'Neill might be thinking? Why don't you ask Martin? What if we qualify? Do you think it'll be a distraction? Do you think it was all a distraction from the result the other night?

Journalist #1: I don't know. It was the build-up for the 24 hours before the game. Everyone was talking about it.

Keane: What was the problem with that? What was the problem with that? What was the problem with the build-up to this game?

Journalist #1: We were all talking about it

. Keane: Talking about what? Talking about something you don't have a clue about. And everyone writing lies again. The usual nonsense. This happening, that happening. I'm turning down to . . .

Journalist #2: Roy, can I just ask about one final thing? You said you wouldn't talk about what happened with Frank the other night . . .

Keane: Frank. Do you know him?

Journalist #2: I do know him.

Keane: Of course, you do. You know him well, yeah, you know him well? You know Mick McCarthy well, don't you?

FAI press officer: Right, listen, Roy has given you his time, we'll leave it there.

Journalist 2: I don't know him very well.

Keane: You know Frank well don't you? Oh, you know Frank well. Exactly." As he gets up to leave several journalists, including the two involved in the exchange, thank him at which point he stops and says to one of them: For what?

Journalist #1: For your time.