RICHARD KEOGH IS ready to shepherd Derby County back to the Premier League — and then put himself at the centre of Martin O’Neill’s Ireland plans.
The Rams skipper will fly in next week to join the Boys in Green for their end-of-season summer friendlies.
But first, he is focused on Wembley and tomorrow’s Championship play-off final against QPR.
The win-or-bust showdown has to share the bill with both the Heineken Cup final and the Champions League final on a bumper day for sports fans.
It doesn’t carry the same prestige as those European honours but valued at an estimated £120 million to the winners, it’s easy to see why it’s touted as the richest game in club football.
This year it is laced with Irish interest, pitting Keogh, Jeff Hendrick and Conor Sammon against QPR trio Richard Dunne, Kevin Doyle and sub goalkeeper Brian Murphy.
After a clinical win against Brighton in the semis, Derby fans are daring to dream about top-flight football for the first time since their ill-fated 2007/2008 season.
That year they won just one game, matching the lowest-ever league tally when they finished with 11 points.
This season couldn’t have been more of a contrast. Their 85 points set a new club record and their 84 goals — led by top scorer Chris Martin — was the highest in the Championship.
It seemed a distant possibility in mid-September when the man who brought Keogh to Pride Park, Nigel Clough, was sacked and Steve McClaren took charge.
“After the change in manager, we just seemed to click,” Keogh told TheScore.ie this week.
“The manager tweaked a few things on the training pitch. We’ve got a great group of guys that are hungry and want to learn and want to get better. That’s a good recipe.
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Derby scored more than any other Championship side this season -- but also conceded more than anyone else in the top six. Barrington Coombs
Barrington Coombs
“I think the manager realised that he had a good group. Usually when there’s a change of manager there’s a bit of turmoil – maybe you’ve got to shift a few players out or results are going really terribly.
He’s probably learned from his previous experiences in management. He gave us a challenge and the lads have really embraced it.
Under McClaren, Derby leaped from 14th to third and as the fans spilled onto the pitch in celebration last week, the prospect of Premier League football came into sharp focus.
“This club is all set up to be in the Premier League,” Keogh, 27, adds.
“Obviously they had a taste of it and it didn’t go so well the last time but I think this club has always been striving to get back there.
“I don’t think there’s been a lot of expectation. This season we’ve just rode the wave.
“We played some really good football but we just tried to embrace everything and not get too carried away. We kept our feet on the ground and just tried to concentrate on what we can do.”
If Derby do go up, McClaren will inevitably look to strengthen his squad to give them the best chance of survival.
Keogh, Hendrick and Sammon are all contracted until the end of next season at least (Sammon’s contract runs until 2016) but the big defender knows that everyone in the squad is effectively playing for their place.
Dunne and QPR needed extra-time before beating Wigan in the semi-finals. Nigel French
Nigel French
“Every day you step out onto the training pitch you want to show the manager what you’re capable of.
The most important thing for us is hopefully to finish the job off. We’ve got to focus on ourselves. Whatever the manager decides, the manager decides – we can’t control that.
Tomorrow won’t be Keogh’s first time to play at Wembley. Four years ago he started at the back for Carlisle United in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final.
Carlisle were massive underdogs that day against a Southampton side that featured future England internationals Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana — both of whom scored in a 4-1 win for the Saints.
“It was a great experience at the time,” Keogh recalls.
“The result wasn’t great but we actually played quite well on the day, they were just too strong for us.
“Hopefully that experience of playing there will help me and help the lads.”
Keogh fends off Lallana during the 2010 Johnstone's Paint Trophy final at Wembley. EMPICS Sport
EMPICS Sport
Captaining the side will be a different prospect altogether, he expects, and “something that will live with me forever.”
Once that business is complete, his focus will return to international matters and the chance to add to his three international caps.
Although he will miss the clash with Turkey on Sunday, Keogh is expected to be involved for the games against Italy in Craven Cottage and Costa Rica and Portugal in America next month.
Giovanni Trapattoni was a frequent visitor to watch during Derby’s Irish contingent during the final months of his reign and was sufficiently impressed to hand Keogh — Essex-born, but a former Ireland U21 captain — his senior debut against Poland last year.
O’Neill kept him in his plans, starting him against Serbia, and Keogh knows that regular Premier League football can only help his chances of muscling into the competitive Irish defence.
It would help me to be playing against world class players and fantastic teams. I think it can help you, not just for that, but to improve as a player as well.
“There’s good competition in the squad but I feel like my form this season has been recognised by the manager.
Keogh scored his first international goal against Georgia last year. Donall Farmer / INPHO
Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO
“To get the start against Serbia was fantastic. I feel like I performed well – I’m still young, I’m still learning at that level but I was pleased with how I played.
“I’ll just keep my head down and hopefully I can keep playing well, keep working hard in training.
“Just to be around the squad is great for me, learning from these great players, and if the chance comes I’ll be ready.”
'It's something that will live with me forever' - Keogh ready for £120m Wembley challenge
RICHARD KEOGH IS ready to shepherd Derby County back to the Premier League — and then put himself at the centre of Martin O’Neill’s Ireland plans.
The Rams skipper will fly in next week to join the Boys in Green for their end-of-season summer friendlies.
But first, he is focused on Wembley and tomorrow’s Championship play-off final against QPR.
The win-or-bust showdown has to share the bill with both the Heineken Cup final and the Champions League final on a bumper day for sports fans.
It doesn’t carry the same prestige as those European honours but valued at an estimated £120 million to the winners, it’s easy to see why it’s touted as the richest game in club football.
This year it is laced with Irish interest, pitting Keogh, Jeff Hendrick and Conor Sammon against QPR trio Richard Dunne, Kevin Doyle and sub goalkeeper Brian Murphy.
After a clinical win against Brighton in the semis, Derby fans are daring to dream about top-flight football for the first time since their ill-fated 2007/2008 season.
That year they won just one game, matching the lowest-ever league tally when they finished with 11 points.
This season couldn’t have been more of a contrast. Their 85 points set a new club record and their 84 goals — led by top scorer Chris Martin — was the highest in the Championship.
It seemed a distant possibility in mid-September when the man who brought Keogh to Pride Park, Nigel Clough, was sacked and Steve McClaren took charge.
“After the change in manager, we just seemed to click,” Keogh told TheScore.ie this week.
“The manager tweaked a few things on the training pitch. We’ve got a great group of guys that are hungry and want to learn and want to get better. That’s a good recipe.
“I think the manager realised that he had a good group. Usually when there’s a change of manager there’s a bit of turmoil – maybe you’ve got to shift a few players out or results are going really terribly.
Under McClaren, Derby leaped from 14th to third and as the fans spilled onto the pitch in celebration last week, the prospect of Premier League football came into sharp focus.
“This club is all set up to be in the Premier League,” Keogh, 27, adds.
“Obviously they had a taste of it and it didn’t go so well the last time but I think this club has always been striving to get back there.
“I don’t think there’s been a lot of expectation. This season we’ve just rode the wave.
“We played some really good football but we just tried to embrace everything and not get too carried away. We kept our feet on the ground and just tried to concentrate on what we can do.”
If Derby do go up, McClaren will inevitably look to strengthen his squad to give them the best chance of survival.
Keogh, Hendrick and Sammon are all contracted until the end of next season at least (Sammon’s contract runs until 2016) but the big defender knows that everyone in the squad is effectively playing for their place.
“Every day you step out onto the training pitch you want to show the manager what you’re capable of.
Tomorrow won’t be Keogh’s first time to play at Wembley. Four years ago he started at the back for Carlisle United in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy final.
Carlisle were massive underdogs that day against a Southampton side that featured future England internationals Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana — both of whom scored in a 4-1 win for the Saints.
“It was a great experience at the time,” Keogh recalls.
“The result wasn’t great but we actually played quite well on the day, they were just too strong for us.
“Hopefully that experience of playing there will help me and help the lads.”
Captaining the side will be a different prospect altogether, he expects, and “something that will live with me forever.”
Once that business is complete, his focus will return to international matters and the chance to add to his three international caps.
Although he will miss the clash with Turkey on Sunday, Keogh is expected to be involved for the games against Italy in Craven Cottage and Costa Rica and Portugal in America next month.
Giovanni Trapattoni was a frequent visitor to watch during Derby’s Irish contingent during the final months of his reign and was sufficiently impressed to hand Keogh — Essex-born, but a former Ireland U21 captain — his senior debut against Poland last year.
O’Neill kept him in his plans, starting him against Serbia, and Keogh knows that regular Premier League football can only help his chances of muscling into the competitive Irish defence.
“There’s good competition in the squad but I feel like my form this season has been recognised by the manager.
“To get the start against Serbia was fantastic. I feel like I performed well – I’m still young, I’m still learning at that level but I was pleased with how I played.
“I’ll just keep my head down and hopefully I can keep playing well, keep working hard in training.
“Just to be around the squad is great for me, learning from these great players, and if the chance comes I’ll be ready.”
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