MARTIN O’NEILL STILL hasn’t read Roy Keane’s new autobiography which hits the shelves later this week.
And he insisted that the media circus will not be a distraction ahead of Ireland’s Euro 2016 qualifiers.
Copies of ‘The Second Half’ were accidentally put on sale in England yesterday with the biggest revelations dominating the sports news. Keane is due to meet the media when the book is published on Thursday.
That’s just over 48 hours before Ireland host Gibraltar in the first part of a qualification double-header, followed by a trip to world champions Germany next Tuesday.
O’Neill faced questions in Malahide this morning and said that the closest he has come to the book was in a quick briefing from FAI communications director Peter Sherrard.
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O’Neill said: “It’s not a problem to me. Why should it be?”
He added: “I genuinely do not know what the headlines are about the book.
“It obviously was going to cause some sort of furore at some stage or another. The very fact that he put his name to this book would suggest that’s exactly what would happen.
“It’s there, it doesn’t matter. The games are the most important thing.”
O’Neill did not have any input ahead of publication of the book, which Keane penned with Booker Prize-winning author Roddy Doyle.
“I thought about it at one stage or another but why? He’s over 21, I think, and he should be capable of dealing with his own stuff.”
It is not the first time that one of O’Neill’s media briefings has focused on his assistant. Book or no book, he said, Keane dominates the build-up to Ireland’s games.
“Let’s just say there hadn’t been a book – there’d have been something else. He would have slipped down there on the field and we’d have been talking about that, maybe he would have broken his leg.
“There would have been something, it doesn’t matter. There will always be something here in the lead up to games.”
But O’Neill said he doesn’t find talk of the Corkman tiresome.
“Not necessarily, not at all. He’s an iconic figure. We’ve known this for a long time. He was an absolutely fantastic footballer and now he’s making his way in management.
Martin O'Neill: Keane book is no distraction ahead of crucial qualifiers
MARTIN O’NEILL STILL hasn’t read Roy Keane’s new autobiography which hits the shelves later this week.
And he insisted that the media circus will not be a distraction ahead of Ireland’s Euro 2016 qualifiers.
Copies of ‘The Second Half’ were accidentally put on sale in England yesterday with the biggest revelations dominating the sports news. Keane is due to meet the media when the book is published on Thursday.
That’s just over 48 hours before Ireland host Gibraltar in the first part of a qualification double-header, followed by a trip to world champions Germany next Tuesday.
O’Neill faced questions in Malahide this morning and said that the closest he has come to the book was in a quick briefing from FAI communications director Peter Sherrard.
O’Neill said: “It’s not a problem to me. Why should it be?”
He added: “I genuinely do not know what the headlines are about the book.
“It obviously was going to cause some sort of furore at some stage or another. The very fact that he put his name to this book would suggest that’s exactly what would happen.
“It’s there, it doesn’t matter. The games are the most important thing.”
O’Neill did not have any input ahead of publication of the book, which Keane penned with Booker Prize-winning author Roddy Doyle.
“I thought about it at one stage or another but why? He’s over 21, I think, and he should be capable of dealing with his own stuff.”
It is not the first time that one of O’Neill’s media briefings has focused on his assistant. Book or no book, he said, Keane dominates the build-up to Ireland’s games.
“There would have been something, it doesn’t matter. There will always be something here in the lead up to games.”
But O’Neill said he doesn’t find talk of the Corkman tiresome.
“Not necessarily, not at all. He’s an iconic figure. We’ve known this for a long time. He was an absolutely fantastic footballer and now he’s making his way in management.
“I’ve not a problem with that.”
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