September 1, 2001. The Dutch are in town.
Marc Overmars thinks he has time on the ball in the middle of the field. He doesn’t.
Not on Roy Keane’s watch.
The Ireland skipper lets him have it. A nation rises to its feet. Lansdowne Road explodes.
Sixty seconds into a qualifier, Roy Keane set the tone for one of the most memorable victories in Irish history.
James McClean was only 12 years of age then but there are already shades of the country’s assistant manager in the Derry man.
“Sometimes a good tackle, a good crunching tackle, is as good as a goal in terms of getting the crowd going,” McClean said.
This is a man who sat out of training today at the Aviva. The same man who limped off yesterday with a left ankle injury that has made him a doubt for Sunday.
And, yet, when he pulls on the green of his country, James McClean is just a warrior. Given the opportunity to follow in Keane’s footsteps and get the crowd going this weekend, the Wigan player wouldn’t even give it a second thought.
“No doubt about it, if there’s a chance there to go through someone then I’m going to take it. That’s just my game.”
McClean isn’t thinking about his ankle, he’s thinking about he can help his team.
“My game’s normally a committed game anyway. Sometimes I’m too honest for my own good, it kind of disrupts getting up the pitch quicker. But, look, if I’m selected, I’m going to play my normal game, I’ll get back to help the full back as much as possible. I’m just going to do my normal job.”
Keane, unfortunately, won’t be nailing anyone against Poland. Asked if he could have the same effect he did against Holland, Roy’s musings were simple:
“No. I can’t tackle anybody, can I? It’s very difficult.
“Listen, we’ve got good players, good characters. A good tempo in the game can come from anywhere. Some days it’s a tackle and other days, please God, it will be some goals.”
But they need that Lansdowne roar behind them again in arguably the toughest qualifying group to emerge from.
“If you want to do well in any campaign, you have to have a decent home record,” Keane said. “I’m guessing a lot of teams have come here and they’ve probably enjoyed the Aviva. But it’s up to us to be on the front foot, to get the fans behind us, which I’m sure they will be.
“The atmosphere I’m sure will be brilliant but that just can’t come from the supporters, it has to come from the players. We have to get ourselves on the front foot, making tackles, creating chances, putting our bodies on the line and that will get the fans right behind us.
“The old Lansdowne was brilliant but, in terms of the atmosphere for Sunday, that’s the least of our worries. I’m sure it will be electric.”
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