It'll be all shite on the night with that attitude

JJ here. Alright, I know this is one of the first posts and I shouldn’t mention that word, but here goes… Saipan. Wait, wait, come back!!!
Something struck me as I watched David Gillick being interviewed after winning the European Championships gold medal in the indoor 400m. It was the same thought I had when I read various interviews with Bernard Dunne, Brian O’Driscoll and several GAA players over the past few years.
Every one of them talked about not being satisfied with the old Irish attitude of ‘ah sure that’ll be okay’; and actually being confident enough to stand on a world stage (GAA excluded obviously) and be counted amongst the best. Every one of them name-checked Roy Keane as well.
Keane’s stance on Saipan may well have divided the nation, but it seems the sportsmen who believed the Irish were just as good as anyone else were wholly on his side. Gillick, Dunne and O’Driscoll have gone on to great things. I for one think that Keane’s attitude – when he thought that we could actually win the World Cup in 2002 – had an effect on each of them.
It’s a bit sad then, that the only people that Keane’s walk-out hasn’t made an impact with, are the FAI.
John Delaney is still there. People are talking nonsense about four-year plans. Noises from within are saying the squad isn’t strong enough. And the manager?? I’d pick McCarthy every time over Stan.
Even the players seem to have a persecution complex. The only reason the press has been at them is that they haven’t put in a decent performance since Paris in 2004. No prizes for guessing who was in the centre of midfield that night. In short, we have a squad comparable with many teams who will make it to Switzerland/Austria 2008. If Delaney hadn’t of offered the job to his mate from Drogheda we could be in the middle of a revolutionary and exciting time in Irish football. We’ve plenty of quality players and most of them are under 25! Instead Delaney bottled it and we’re all paying for his arrogant running of the FAI. In short, Delaney out. Unfortunately, and while I hope it doesn’t happen over the coming week, it looks as if Stan will take care of his own demise himself.