ROY KEANE ADMITS he was surprised not to be reappointed Ireland captain after his return to the squad in 2004.
The Corkman famously left the international set-up in Saipan two years earlier before Brian Kerr managed his comeback to the Ireland squad.
“I like Brian,” Keane writes in The Second Half, which is released today, “and the only thing I found a little bit strange was that I wasn’t captain. I’d been the captain before, and we’d had success; we’d got to the World Cup finals in Japan and Korea — and of course, I was captain at United.
“But Kenny Cunningham was the captain. I’d played with Kenny over the years. He was popular with the players. He’d always be organising card schools and quizzes and whip arounds for the bus driver and for the woman who’d served us tea in 19-fucking’-52. But most of the lads liked him.”
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And Keane says, though he initially played down the role of the skipper, he ultimately realised it was a ‘vital’ role in a successful team.
“I’d always been a bit blase about the captain’s role. I’d often said that it was only about going up for the toss. I think I didn’t want to talk the job — or myself — up. ‘Oh, the captain’s role is vital, look at me.’ But as I got older I realised there was more to it than that. The captain’s role isn’t just important; it is vital.”
Keane: I was surprised Kerr picked Kenny Cunningham as skipper ahead of me
ROY KEANE ADMITS he was surprised not to be reappointed Ireland captain after his return to the squad in 2004.
The Corkman famously left the international set-up in Saipan two years earlier before Brian Kerr managed his comeback to the Ireland squad.
“I like Brian,” Keane writes in The Second Half, which is released today, “and the only thing I found a little bit strange was that I wasn’t captain. I’d been the captain before, and we’d had success; we’d got to the World Cup finals in Japan and Korea — and of course, I was captain at United.
“But Kenny Cunningham was the captain. I’d played with Kenny over the years. He was popular with the players. He’d always be organising card schools and quizzes and whip arounds for the bus driver and for the woman who’d served us tea in 19-fucking’-52. But most of the lads liked him.”
And Keane says, though he initially played down the role of the skipper, he ultimately realised it was a ‘vital’ role in a successful team.
“I’d always been a bit blase about the captain’s role. I’d often said that it was only about going up for the toss. I think I didn’t want to talk the job — or myself — up. ‘Oh, the captain’s role is vital, look at me.’ But as I got older I realised there was more to it than that. The captain’s role isn’t just important; it is vital.”
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