In one of the best games of the tournament, Ireland came from behind to batter Spain with Damien Duff in particular, a star of the show. Robbie Keane scored from the spot in the last minute to level and make up for Ian Harte’s earlier miss. But heartbreak came in the shoot-out.
After all the traumatic build-up to the World Cup, Ireland took to the field without their best player and influential captain. How would the team react and who would step up to the plate?
He’s back. After a decade of railing against a host of Irish football’s inadequacies; the blazers, the players, even the fans; Roy Keane has jumped the fence, baby! Diarmuid O hAinle, author of It Started with a Handshake, reacts to the Corkman’s return and says Keane owes us one.
Review: Mick McCarthy took over at Ipswich Town last week and confirmed he would have said yes to a return to the Ireland job. His arrival at Portman Road drew the inevitable links to Roy Keane’s time in charge of the Tractor Boys. For Irish people, one name usually follows the other and the word Saipan is never far from the lips. Diarmuid O hAinle’s stunning new book It Started With a Handshake takes us back to 2002 but asks what if it had all turned out differently?
With the tenth anniversary of Irish football’s civil war upon us, Póg Mo Goal brings you the final extract from John Kiberd’s astonishing body of work on the subject, detailing his conclusions of the sorry saga. This is the Saipan Incident.
With the tenth anniversary of Irish football’s civil war upon us, Póg Mo Goal brings you Part 4, the penultimate extract from John Kiberd’s astonishing body of work on the subject, focusing on the fall-out and player’s reaction from Keane’s infamous tirade. This is the Saipan Incident.
With the tenth anniversary of Irish football’s civil war upon us, Póg Mo Goal brings you Part 3 of our extracts from John Kiberd’s astonishing body of work on the subject, focusing on the timeline of events in the build-up to the confrontation. This is the Saipan Incident, the Countdown to Meltdown.
With the tenth anniversary of Irish football’s civil war upon us, Póg Mo Goal brings you Part 2 of our extracts from John Kiberd’s astonishing body of work on the subject, focusing on the history of communication issues between Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy. This is ‘The Saipan Incident’.
With the tenth anniversary of Irish football’s civil war upon us, Póg Mo Goal brings you Part 1 of our extracts from John Kiberd’s astonishing body of work on the subject. This is ‘The Saipan Incident’.
Brother against brother, father against son, mother against daughter, Mick against Roy. Ten years on, we revisit Irish football’s Civil War. Coming this week on Póg Mo Goal.