We ask for honesty from those we respect, then complain when the honesty is too real.
ITV knew what they were up to when they got Roy Keane in for England’s World Cup semi-final against Croatia.
The former Manchester United and Ireland captain had praised England’s earlier performances in the tournament but had already delivered one classic put-down on Messrs. Neville, Wright and Dixon after the Panama game. Not long after England’s 6-1 win, Keane hooked a thumb at the former internationals and declared:
“England have already won the tournament, according to these lads down here.”
It brought the house down. Curmudgeon Keane getting riled up by the laughing yacks down the back.
That was Keane all over. Refusing to get carried away and scolding those around him that did so.
For the most part, as a player, Keane did his job and got off the pitch. 18 years ago, when Ireland drew 2-2 with The Netherlands in Amsterdam, after leading 2-0, Keane was straight off and up the tunnel as many of his teammates exchanged hugs and celebrated the result.
11 months later and Keane did the same after Ireland beat the Dutch at Lansdowne Road. He stopped briefly to shake hands with boss Mick McCarthy and applaud the fans before disappearing down the steps to the ‘Home’ dressing room.
It was just his way. Ireland had not qualified yet. Portugal were yet to visit Dublin. There was work to be done.
So Keane’s reaction to his fellow ITV pundits getting very excited about the dismissals of Tunisia and Panama should have taken no-one by surprise. He urged England to focus on the next game and see off Belgium. Gareth Southgate made eight changes, instead, and was not too upset when Belgium won 1-0.
England were now on the easier side of the draw, argued Gary Neville. He highlighted the internecine Argentina squad as a dangerous opponent best avoided and paid little heed to a Croatian team that had beaten them 3-0 on their way to topping their group.
Southgate’s men got to the semi-final so Neville can feel justified about that, although Belgium didn’t do too bad on their side of the draw. Both side’s meet in Saturday’s third place playoff game.
Keane was always going to bring the reality check to England, their fans and giddy pundits, when he took his place on that Wednesday evening panel. He would be the antidote to the soft-shoe interviews, slow-mos of smiling English players in training, It’s Coming Home delirium and ‘didn’t they do well’ analysis.
Keane, one suspects, knew his role too. He would be fulsome in his praise when it was merited – he spoke well of Jordan Henderson ahead of the match – but cutting and demanding if standards dropped.
Take a look at what Keane said before, during and after England’s 2-1 loss to Croatia in the semi.
BEFORE
Roy Keane just said "Jordan Henderson is a good player".
Good lord. Light the beacons of Gondor.
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) July 11, 2018
HALF-TIME (England leading 1-0)
“If England don’t finish this off they will never forgive themselves.”
AHEAD OF EXTRA TIME (Game level at 1-1)
“We were talking before the game about England’s composure but that’s gone out the window in the second half. It’s back to the old England.”
AFTER THE GAME
“Gareth Southgate took defeat like the man we know he is; he’s a good man. But he’ll also know that this was a huge, huge opportunity for England to get to a World Cup final, and they might never get a better opportunity.
Can anyone justifiably argue with Keane’s comments here, even the Henderson one? Henderson is a good player but that’s about it. England started time-wasting from as early as the 53rd minute and went into their shell. Henderson, rather than back himself with the ball at his feet, squandered possession by pumping up aimless long balls.
The realisation that they were within touching distance of the final gripped the English players and they reverted to lumping the ball away. Where, the jubilant, mocking Croatians wondered post-match, was this daring, ball-playing England they had heard trumpeted in the press?
Keane did exactly as one would have wanted a neutral observer to do whilst surrounded by England pundits/fans, he spoke honestly and spared few feelings.
The only time he betrayed any real emotion was when he got animated in response to Neville and Wright ‘planning the final’. You got the impression that he had to put up with such talk in the cafés, hotel lobbies and bars in Moscow in the days and weeks leading up to the semi. He cracked and, once again, it was compelling:
“Before the game, and yesterday and today, they [Neville and Wright] were talking about England, the whole talk about the final, the final, France. You have to focus just on one game and everyone was talking about the final and football’s coming home. I don’t mind you being happy, but you’re getting carried away.”
“I was right. You were planning the final, where the parades were. You need a reality check. Get excited when they get to the final, this was the semi-final! You’re talking about the final, you’re a grown man, you played the game.”
No problem with the fans getting excited but Keane made the mistake of thinking Ian Wright was going to play it straight, professional and true.
Keane and Wright have since made up but Ed Miliband and thousand of other sensitive, bruised souls got the hump:
Roy Keane is just awful I am sorry
— Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) July 11, 2018
‘I am sorry’.
We all are Ed.
We’re sorry ITV had to put one voice of reason in as a buffer between host Mark Pougatch and three lads that might as well have draped themselves in the St George’s flag.
Keane played his role perfectly and did not say anything too shocking or offensive, and yet thousands professed to be shocked and also offended.
Rather than the pathetic cribbing and moaning about Keane, England could do well with asking the broadcaster for a tape of their match coverage and paying heed to the words of a serial winner (in his playing days, at least).
What needs to be improved upon for England to go to the next level? What players need to look at themselves and ask could they have done more? Could the manager have made any changes – subs or tactics – that could have prevented the loss?
We can talk about it honestly, as Keane did, or we can play a slow-motion montage like the BBC chose to after their highlights of England vs. Croatia.
James Goldman had it sussed when, in 1966, he wrote in ‘The Lion in Winter’:
Geoffery: “You fool! As if it matters how a man falls.”
Richard: “When the fall is all there is, it matters.”
The fall has happened. It’s all that’s left. It matters.
