Only One Football

In 2002, stubborn pride destroyed the Republic of Ireland’s greatest ever hope of the ultimate World Cup glory.  The Irish squad comported themselves well in Japan & Korea, making the quarterfinals before losing a penalty shoot-out to Spain.  But every fan of Irish soccer looks back at 2002 and asks what could have been, if the stubborn pride that caused the manager Mick McCarthy and captain Roy Keane to butt heads on the island of Saipan, had subsided.  The details will always be a point of dispute between fans who side with McCarthy and fans who side with Keane, but essentially Keane made controversial comments in an interview as he is known to do, McCarthy, filled with stubborn pride and bad managerial judgment, confronted his combustible superstar in front of the team, and the combative and passionate Keane exploded on McCarthy.  Wounded by words, McCarthy ordered the player most responsible for the national team being in the 2002 World Cup Finals away, and Keane obliged, stubbornly making his way back to Manchester to walk his dog, never to return to the Ireland squad until McCarthy was fired not long too after Japan & Korea.  In the story of Irish soccer, Mick McCarthy will always be Agamemnon and Roy Keane will be an Achilles whose fiery temper and stubborn pride was his heel.

This same issue, stubborn pride, is robbing Ireland of its best player once again.  There are similarities between Stephen Ireland and Roy Keane, and there are severe contrasts.  On the surface, the two could not appear more different.  Keane is the picture of masculinity, with a hard, square-jawed face and icy eyes.  A former boxer, he’s completely fearless and unafraid to get in people’s faces.  The force of his personality and unwillingness to accept anything less than 100% from his teammates and club is often credited as a reason why Manchester United won so many honors while he donned the armband (and was also the source of his gripes against McCarthy’s Ireland setup).  He could physically intimidate men 6 inches taller than him.  Stephen Ireland could politely be considered effeminate.    The state of his hairline was a public controversy by the time he was 21 and he has been known to own a pink car.  Yet, both men are from Cork, Ireland, and both are the most gifted Irish midfielder of their generation.

Stephen Ireland left the Irish camp during the disastrous tenure of Steve Staunton.  He was allegedly harassed by teammates, and the ever-present rift between the mercurial star and the Irish squad turned into a chasm after he lied to his manager saying his grandmother had died in order to leave the squad to deal with his girlfriend’s miscarriage.  Ireland has publicly stated his intent to return to the Irish fold and current manager Giovanni Trapatonni has publicly stated a desire to have him back.  Yet, Stephen Ireland has not worn the green shirt during Trap’s reign.  Trap recently issued a warning to Ireland through the media, stating that it is getting late for him to return for the 2010 World Cup push.  Basically, Ireland can’t hope to be the anti-Keane of 2002, playing no role in the qualifying and then showing up for the finals.  The sense of urgency to solve the resolve the issue seems to be lacking since the national team is in good position in their qualify group so far, but with turning point matches vs. Bulgaria and Italy coming up later this month, the Republic of Ireland needs to put their best XI on the pitch, and that squad surely would include Stephen Ireland.

Trapatonni himself cannot be considered free of the curse of stubborn pride, despite his lack of Irishness.  His inexplicable dispute with Andy Reid has shown that much.  Trap has a game plan, a style he wants the Republic of Ireland to pay in, and he’s going to use players that fit into that system despite talent levels.  Perhaps therein lies why Trap has not made a serious push to bring Stephen Ireland back in the fold.  Perhaps Ireland doesn’t fit into Trap’s system enough for Trap to really care. He thus far has seemed to prefer to play two strong and sturdy midfielders in the center.  He would have loved to have Roy Keane to pick, who was worth two such midfielders and more.  While Stephen Ireland is more of a playmaker, he’s better at it than Andy Reid.  If Trap couldn’t fit Ireland into his system in the center of the pitch, on the wing or up front, Ireland could be an impact player off the bench to change the look when things do not go to plan.

Ultimately, the Republic of Ireland is a better team with Stephen Ireland in the squad.  In a pool with Italy, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Montenegro, Ireland can take nothing for granted.  While Ireland is seeded third in the pool, they now outrank Bulgaria in the FIFA rankings thanks to Trap’s leadership.  Despite this, a few injuries or bad results could make things head south quickly.  It would be miracle if Ireland won this pool over Italy, the second place playoffs is what they can realistically aim for.  To have the best chance at playing in South Africa 2010, they need every weapon in their arsenal.

So far using the media has been ineffective tool.  Ireland has spoken through the media, Trap has spoken through the media.  Trap indicates they have spoken face to face, Ireland’s comments seem to suggest this has not happened.  Irish legend Liam Brady, one of Trap’s assistants, might be expected to heal this rift … but Brady isn’t the man for the job.  In the Saipan dispute, he was severely in the anti-Keane camp, and thus he simply may not be able to relate to Ireland.  Trap should first enlist his captain Robbie Keane and two senior players who are club-mates of Ireland, Shay Given and Richard Dunne.  They should tell Ireland they’ll look after him and tell the other players, who might be as motivated by getting more international minutes to help their careers, to lay off the kid from here forward.  If that approach doesn’t work, and it should, there is another wild card approach.  Whichever current or former Ireland player has the best relationship with Roy Keane should ask him to speak with Stephen Ireland about his regret around the 2002 World Cup.  Keane has publicly stated his regret, and as Stephen Ireland has recently stated that he would like to become a Roy Keane-like figure for Manchester City, he must admire his fellow Corkonian greatly.  If Robbie Keane, Richard Dunne and Shay Given can’t heal the rift management cannot, they can try to enlist the man who is admired more than any other sportsman in the rebel county.  For Roy Keane, it would be a small but important way to salve the scars of Saipan and perhaps open up a path for him to one day manage the Irish national team his way.  For Stephen Ireland, it would end an awkward chapter that has tarnished his image as one of the great young players in the English Premier League.  For the Republic of Ireland, it would mean having the best shot at making the 2010 World Cup Finals.   Everyone’s a winner, if stubborn pride can be put aside.