Misleading headline. He wasn’t criticising the fans, but was criticising the team and they way the players spent more time in the post match interviews going on about the fans instead of their own performance.

I am a loyal Keane fan, stood by him in 2002, he is my favourite United player ever, I even went to see him at Sunderland and Ipswich but tonight I find it tough to back him.

In essence what he said was correct, we have average players, Robbie Keanes a good not great player and that the fans should not accept silly goals. Tonight he’s simply echoing what he said in his book “the Irish were viewed as great to be there to get the party started but left before the main event”.

I agree with his sentiment that we should be there to really compete but how on earth does he ever expect us to compete with a team like Spain? We have an average team and have done incredibly well to get to the competition up against arguably the toughest group.

The Irish players gave their all tonight and at the weekend. They have carried themselves incredibly well and represented the country fantastically. They did their best – Keane should lay off them and grab some perspective.

Regarding the fans, I had goosebumps tonight, the fans were simply unreal. To see them trending on twitter and commended by people all over the world filled me with pride. In a week where several countries were let down by disgraceful acts of violence, racism and ultra nationalism Keane should be worshipping the Irish fans for how they represent us.

I find it Ironic also how Keane says we should be there to compete, given that the one time we probably could have seriously competed was when himself and McCarthy couldn’t behave as grown ups.

Well done to the boys in green and the fans.

Don’t like Keane but he makes a point and if you listen he’s actually not slagging off fans. We’ll never be good enough to win a major tournament but we have a national pride few other nations can match in terms of uncritical support from fans and desire to play for the jersey from players. we deserve a well organised team that’s hard to beat. We don’t have that at the moment.

Had this conversation with my mate after the match. Great fans? Obviously . Celebrating mediocrity ? Defiantly . But if I was lucky enough to be there I’d be singing with them…

While Roy is undoubtedly a miserably auld bastard, from a purely footballing point of view he has a valid point, it isnt good enough and its a bit patronising to say, ah well aren’t the fans great. However in reality, he is missing the larger point (because he’s a bit thick in fairness to him), its not just a game of football, its a huge event where the whole country comes together in order to get a bit of a lift, to find a collective sense of pride and to remind themselves why its not so fecking bad to be Irish.
We expect to get these things out of our teams performance. Tonight this didn’t happen, instead of the team lifting the spirits of the nation it was the fans, the people themselves, who lifted it, which I think was a lot more powerful and inspirational moment then any winning goal could provide. I dunno, that how I it made me feel anyways.

I would agree with him up until the point that it is clearly game over and you have nothing to lose by enjoying yourself.

You spend a few grand for a massive trip, sure you want the team to win, but when you are being outplayed on all fronts by the best team in the world there’s no point moaning.
Keane talks the talk, I used to respect keane, i took his side after the whole mick saga and i was excited to see him managing, but he has gradually proved himself as someone who cannot walk the walk.

In summary, shut up keane.

there is no shame in losing to the world and european champions with the (very) limited players at our disposal. whelan/andrews vs xavi/iniesta – ffs people, cop on. i love the humour and pride of our fans, even in defeat- long may it last

Great support as always from the Irish fans. I can see where keane is coming from with this but if we only ever celebrated and sang songs when we won things we’d be waiting a fair while. I think we got a little carried away as a nation with the overwhelming and seemingly unrealistic expectations in recent weeks. Nothing overly dramatic in what he’s said anyway, we know what to expect from him at this point and these comments are unsurprising and predictable

We’re fooked as a country Roy, it’s the little things….. The fans were AWESOME!!

A FFS all he said was that Irish fans deserve to have something to sing about not that shite they played…

Jaysus! Fans kidding themselves with a sing along?? They’re there for support and because they believed and when their dreams didn’t come true they didn’t abandon their team or country. It’s not settling for second best for the sake of a laugh, it’s flying the flag for your country in success and defeat, and supporting your team regardless of the outcome because it’s the right thing to do.

i agree what he says , Well 90% of it anyway, but the head line is very misleading , you swear he was unhappy with irish fans singing even doe we where played off the pitch

The fans were terrific but he’s partially right. I think the players should do more to give the fans something to really cheer about.

If I ever come across Roy Im not switching off my phone.

His right tho
Unfortunately we don’t have the players so we just have the best supporters

Cannot agree with Roy, this Spain team is the best team I have seen since Brazil 1970. Our fans are no fools they recognise brilliant play. But Roy this is the rub Irish fans know how to behave and reptesent thrir country. You need to let the ghost of Saipan free and move on. Stand up for the Irish fans, they did us proud.

Ya it would have been a better reflection on the country if the fans booed the team off the pitch. Give Keane and all his supporters an Aran island to set up a country and a football team. Then watch them tear each other apart the minute a mistake is made. We lost. The team werent great. But the fans were fantastic. Theres plenty of time to focus on all the negatives but today we should celebrate the great performance of our 20,000 Irish ambassadors.

Any intelligent person would agree that Ireland’s qualification to a major tournament was/is an incredible achievement. Of course we had hope, even with the group. I think the majority of fans realised we hadn’t a hope after the loss in the first game, and when going 2-0 down so early in the second half against Spain, it became obvious that it was all over. So, if you knew the world was going to end, what would you do? Stay stumm? Or sing ‘The Fields of Athenry’?

He is spot on… I wanted to put the tv through the window during and after the game… not sing or jump around.. that defeat hurt regardless of how good the opposition were. We have played two games and we have had nothing to shout about or get excited about. The fans were singing away, in one way fair play to them, in another way were they not reeling about the result ?

We are a nation that celebrates and rewards mediocrity. That is what Keane is saying,that is what Keane has always said.

All throughout Europe fans,news teams and even international footballers are commenting on how amazed they are at the conduct of the Irish, 20,000 better ambassadors for this country than an ex footballer with a chip on his shoulder. The Irish tourist board couldn’t have paid for that advertising. Well done lads!

good to see Roy fulfilled that be controversial clause in his itv contract. course he can’t compare how the Irish support night sounded in relation to the last time we were at a tournament as he turned his back on them and sodded off home.

I like Roy. He challenges the way we are as people. Don’t settle for 2nd best. Don’t accept it. Expect more. But the Irish will never be glass half empty people. When we are down we find a way to smile. We say “ah it could be worse” – we always have and alway will make the most of a bad situation. I rather be a happy looser than a bitter violent one (like many footy fans are). No other country in the world has ever had as much an impact, consistently, in sport music and the arts. And that’s the reason some day we will happily take over the world. We may be small but we pack a punch wherever we go. Katie Taylor stand up.

Poor Roy, what a bitter boll*x. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck just listening to the crowd singing, it makes me proud to be Irish.

The singing broke out to show solidarity with the team. the fans probably knew we’d be hammered so why not go down together with a bit of a song rather than despair about a result that was always gonna happen. We were playing Spain FFS.

I am no fan of Roy Keane. But I have to agree with him, it is time we expected more from the team, not there just to make up the numbers. The singing was fantastic and Irish fans have a great reputation so the deserve our praise but it would be nice to have a win now and again.

We Irish seem to have what my grandmother would have described as ” a bit of a want” in us. While other nationalities are quite happy if their fans behave well and stay out of trouble, we seem to need to court attention by attempting to be super-fans. This is not a fan thing it is an Irish thing. If we can’t be good at something, let’s be seen as the best at something else. Other examples: The Irish were the richest , the Europeanist , the spendiest , the compliantest (as a result the brokest) . We seem to have a need to be loved for something. Another example is when we go to a gig and the Artist is “gobsmacked” by the fact that we sing louder than the megawatt PA – thereby treating them to a free concert of their own songs. But hey as long as it makes us happy for a while. So long as nobody persuades us that we are the naziest or the claniest or the phsycoticest or something like that we’ll be fine. :0)

So what should we do Roy? Maybe throw bottles at the team(empty of course). Supporters were amazing. So proud of them. Roy Keane is just a bitter man

Feck off Keane, proud of the lads, they weren’t the best on the pitch but I’m damn proud off them. I’ll sing for my country no matter what the result

Spot on in my opinion.

Great player but he couldn’t manage a team to save his life. All talk Keano!

A football genius, but a man with very little pride in his country. Demonstrated time and time again. The fans reaction tonight was much more than vocal appreciation for a mediocre display by the national team. Tonight was more about national pride and it’s about time we showed the world a little bit more of that.

I don’t like the guy but he is spot on

He’s dead right …… Had to laugh when I seen it though …… we set our goals to low as a country same applies to our government .

The headline is completley misleading, theres nothing but 100% truth in his full statement, time to ditch the ‘we’re great craic’ attitude and start preforming, let the fans sing, applaud & cheer for that.

He’s right , enjoy the game and cheer on your team but be f**king pi**ed off when your beaten like that no matter who it is , the I don’t care attitude is what has the country the way it is

So should we walk away from our country when they need us like you ya feckin knob

Roy, you’re a bitter and twisted sob. True fans support their team, win, lose or draw. What exactly do you want the fans to do, pull up seats & fling them around the stadium, stab fans of other teams with knives and bottles. Shame on you Roy, but then what would you know about loyalty…….SFA You’ve more than passed your use/sell by date. A******e

Look Roy your right. But as you know we like having a good time. It’s no reflection on the team. Let’s face it we are shit. But we have the craic and what’s wrong with that?

What a total gobshit! They spent good money to go and they produced a good atmosphere when all was going wrong!

Complete knob. Just bitter, the fans should be praised.

Shut your face Roy Keane. At least they went and stayed. We were outplayed tonight by the best team in the world but the fans stood together, shoulder to shoulder and sang their hearts out. It’s called solidarity Roy. Standing by each other when you’re beaten. Not running home after throwing your toys out of the pram. Did any Irish fans leave the stadium early tonight? Did they hell! You could learn a lot from them Roy!

Ireland were only there to make up numbers, simple.

I see nobody laughing at Irish Fans, quite the opposite. Would you prefer them to riot after losing? The Irish Rugby fans sang in Auckland after losing to NZ which is much the same as losing to Spain. The team was not good enough, exception was far too high but to come out and say the Irish fans are being laughed at is just wrong. Those fans are welcomed wherever they go in the world and in a country that has very little to be proud of at the moment they have made us all proud. As for Roy I think his point was about the team not giving the fans enough and we all now he likes to come out with these “prawn sandwich” comments which he is of course entitled to.

He’s right a pub team would of played better professionals my arse !!

Wellsaid keano-the sooner this country loses its comfort with been a bunch of losers the better.Personally Im sick of this singing when we’re losing crap-grow up folks,its much better when u are winning!

The team done us proud by getting to the euros, so why cant the fans have a good time. They’ve spent thousands to get there while you get an all expense paid job to talk down on players thanking the support they recieve. Cheer up Roy

Keane wasn’t ‘spot on’ as some people said here. Many of the Irish fans went over to Poland believing that we could actually do something. Unfortunately it didn’t work out like that, but what does he want? For the Irish fans to spit the dummy out when things aren’t going their way? …like he did in Saipan.

He’s right, we are, in general and with very few exceptions, a nation of 2nd besters. Be it in sports, business or politics. Why do you think we’ve got such a rich history of emigration?

I used to have so much respect for this man….being a united fan from ireland….ive tried to take on the chin all his bitter comments about united and ireland since he retired…but this is the last straw…dire performance from ireland ill admit…but to try and take away the one bit of glory and celebration oyr counrry has had in a long time is just takin the piss…i for one am proud of #1 how well our fans behaved at the euros and #2 how amazing our fans where even at 4 nil down….considering the current economic situation and the amount of people who spent an absolute fortune going to witness the absolute joke pf a team that showed up on the pitch…why would you fault them for trying to make a bad situation into an upbeat one? If they hadnt we would have absolutely nothing to talk about right now other than defeat….f**k u roy hasbeen.

Bang out of line Keano as you said many a time the fans are the 12th man and when our team needed them they gave 110%. Sometimes you got to learn how to keep ur trap shut.

Keane who?

Says the arsehole that left us high and dry during the world cup !!! At least the fans show true sportsmanship !! Even through the dire of situations !!! To the fans in Poland we back home salute you you do us proud !!! To Roy keane shut up know body gives a hoot what you think or say !!!

Who pissed in ur cornflakes keano. Go after the manager not the fans. Even Triggs will be packing his bags shortly with that BS , I would offer him a home only the counselling for him wud cost too much.

Better being there for a sing song, than being there only to end up being a deserter…

For someone who is so opposed to fans having a sing-song, this is not what Keane said in a program about the ‘Fields of Athenry’ a year ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLG2VmfSxNA#t=0m37s

I would have been prouder to hear the fans singing ‘fire john Delaney’ than ‘fields of athenry’
We’ve embarrassed ourselves and it starts and stops with Delaney. 500k a year could be far better spent.
Perhaps Roy will step in and shake up the FAI?

Keane, Viera and the Spanish fella on ITV were spot on – we made it easy for Spain. The last team they beat 4-0 in a competitive match was Liechtenstein. Plus enough of this ‘we’re the best fans in the world’ stuff – self-praise is no praise, and when did Irish fans start booing the opposition when they had the ball – not very sporting at all.

Bitterlanger, table for one!

The team Played rubbish. They were three miles from being bad. Crapatoni has no tactics and the football is as attractive as a skid mark. Serious genesis type reviews need to be had and crap will have to blood the young up and coming players. Keane McGeady ward, dunne and given were mostly poor. Roy has a point but bad timing.

Walking hypocrite Keane. Legend of a player and agree with demanding more as a team but ffs this team was never going to get anywhere near this Spanish team, the fans were immense and so what if we support win lose or draw, that support is what encourages kids to want to play for their country not walk out and someday become a hack for the Sun

Nicely put my man.

As Vince Lombardi said ” If you can accept losing, you can’t win’

Roy was on the ball with his comments…sorry couldn’t resist. The man may have his flaws but I’m with him on this one.

The usual shite bein spouted here .he wasn given out about the fans.the team over the last 2 games were a disgrace ,cant genuinley say one name that played well thats as much their fault as traps for pickin them.PS Roy did not walk out of saipan he was sent home.

No surprised that Roy would have something hateful to say. Who was he talking about that should change attitude of the fans? I think he was mixed up. But his intent was clear, to put the travelling supporters down. Has he ever praised anyone?

He probably even hated Santa Claus when he was a child.

Keane is completely right. The problem is that, being used to failure, the Irish have developed a culture of self-indulgent masochism. They crave defeat and humiliation because it lets them bond together in self-pity and demonstrate to their betters what well behaved little boys they are, and when the fans go to these tournaments, they go eagerly anticipating the soppy, submissive response with which they will greet their final flogging. Every goal Spain scored was relished like the lash on a gimp’s back.

this coming from the man who sworn blind he would Never be a tv pundit, oh how the mighty have fallen. the Irish fans are a proud lot and show the rest of the world what it means to be a true supporter of a football team and country.

Being Irish is a proud feeling!!! That’s why we want to sing!!! Keane don’t get the pride of Ireland thing at all does he, helps explain a few things in the past eh!!

100% correct Roy, the Irish fans are only there for the piss up, the football is secondary

Bitter Man.

Really people ye are all reacting badly about Keano just by reading this…Did anyone actually watch itv and see how gutted he was with how poor we were….He is just pissed off and wishes werent there just for the craic….Yes we have fantastic supporters but he just wishes that it was so much more thats all he meant by it…he hates settling for it.

From one who didn’t hang around to hear any singing. nTosser, go walk trigger Roy.

Muppet

Langer

agree with roy yes or no vote now

Roy keane- possibly the most hated man in my house after that comment

Ba humbug Roy!

The usual few utd sheep defending him. The man is a fool

Oh Roy just shut up. At least the fans did us proud.

He is right, not sure why all the bad comments against him. The best thing about Ireland at the Euros was the Fans, thats not good enough, the team needs to be the best thing about Ireland.

First bit of sense he’s spoken in years

The knowledge of football on here is so small you’d fit it on the top of a pin. Its obvious that more than 75% of people on here read the journalists BULLSHIT headline and nothing else, the same headline that was changed from “Keane fumes at fans” to “Keane fumes” when the evidence couldnt be further from the truth, journalist you should be ashamed or go f**k off and write for the sun. Not only did he not have a go at the fans, he wasnt fuming or ranting or anything else.
Nothing but ‘go walk triggs’ (triggs is dead) and ‘you were a crap manager’ comments from utter morons who never comment on a sports story but who are all aboard the euro 2012 bandwagon and no have a misinformed ‘opinion’ of essentially a made up story. Clap clap well done.

Keane is 100% correct. FACT

Keane who ?

Was Roy Keane not sent home by mick McCarty in that world cup rather than him leaving?

The headline on this story is complete bullshit. Here is the video of what he said, its proper analysis of a game, the journo who wrote the headline “Keane fumes” is having a laugh, he wasnt “fuming” whatsoever no more than he had a go at the fans!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPN1KlDg1XM&sns=em

Well said Roy. Do you think the Germans, French or English would be singing and clapping getting beaten 3-1 and 4-0. Next thing you know we their will be an open top bus ride to celebrate.

I don’t see the correlation between singing and not rioting. Do people think that they are the only 2 options available to fans? I don’t see what there was to sing about last night, unless people want to celebrate mediocrity and failure. I want Irish teams to go to these tournaments and for their opponents to come away thinking “That was tough. I hope we never have to play Ireland again” and not “I wish we could play them every week”. And before people start saying “oh we don’t have the players blah blah blah”, bear in mind that Scotland put 3 goals past Spain in their qualifying campaign and Switzerland beat them at the last World Cup. Are these people saying that we are not as good as either of those 2 teams.

He has a point, we shouldn’t be settling for pure mediocrity.

The number of people who didn’t bother to listen to his comments or who didn’t read a correct transcription of what he said is mind boggling.

https://vimeo.com/44076059

https://vimeo.com/44074313

In no way, shape or form, did he criticise the fans for their singing or spirit. He asked them to examine their expectations and demand a better performance than what was produced last night (which was unacceptable at ANY level of football.)

He has said several times on ITV since the tournament belong that the travelling support for Ireland is fantastic.

His main point was that it’s too easy for a player to say, in defeat, “oh well, at least we have the best fans.” It’s a cop out.

Lads,every single argument on here is right…yes we should support our team to the very end and yes,if the team aren’t performing to their very best,we have EVERY right to show our dissatisfaction…the players have been very bad in this tournament and I think the fans should have at least shown this tonight..a lot of these supporters spent a lot of money to travel to Poland and for what?this team obviously aren’t good enough but just to say ‘ah sure,at least we re there’,at this point,really shouldn’t apply to us

Miserable sod! Put him in green and he could be the Grinch.

I agree. There was alot of bizarre, mindless optimism for the Anglo-Irish soccer team that I just didn’t get. And if you dared say they’re going to get hammered you were attacked.

He carried us to the world cup by destroying holland before lambasting mick over a crap pitch and no equipment arrived etc in Saipan. He lashed out tonight coz he hurt over a poor performance. True soccer fans had head in hands with despair after. Most of t lads I know gone to the tournament are good fun loving gaa playing beer merchants who are having the trip of a lifetime. It’s nice to support the team and sing mad but focusing on our great fans rather than why we have had two terrible performances is pointless. Keane doesn’t pander to the masses in search of popularity – that made him the leader he was but he s unsuited to management. Too blunt and impersonal. I agree with his point but he could have been less forthright.

That’s rich coming from the knob who walked out on his country….Low lie the fields of Athenry!

keane is saying all these things about the Irish because he’s trying to make a name for himself on ITV. he failed miserably as a manager so now he’s trying to be the big controversial pundit. he thinks he can say what he likes because everyone’s supposed to be afraid of him because he’s from cork, boi. in reality he’s a self-promoting opinionated bore.

Keane has a valid point. 30,000 fans will come back to Ireland and most will disappear off the face of soccer land. Party over and great stories. We are not a soccer nation and until these people support the game properly on a national basis – League of Ireland and not Sky Sport on a Sunday – we will never become a soccer nation and compete with the likes of Spain. I would like to know how many of these people will attend a LoI game this year or buy a Premiership jersey instead.

Calling Roy Keane a traitor!!! Seriously!!! He got us to 2002, He changed the face of Irish football for good aka genesis report! He cares more for his country than most! The title is mis-leading he was NOT criticising the fans he’s saying the fans deserve better end of the match the commentary on ITV was about the fans! Very patronising! Your team is crap your fans are great! Which they are but Keane saying the fans deserve better than that they deserve a reason to cheer! FAI needs a BIG shake up! Something got to change! We need to stop accepting 2nd best….saying ah sure didn’t we do our best didn’t we get there we have the same attitude in everything politics/sport…we deserve better in everything Keane is spot on but no one likes to hear the truth!

Keane is 100% correct. We have the players but trap did not try hard enough to bring them and left them behind. Sack Old trap now!! Hire Roy Keane ASAP but if you want to appease the goon drunk fans just re hire Steve Staunton for the craic cause it’s all a out the booze and the craic. Roy Keane is boss!

Who cares really about the fans doing us proud. Utter shite. If you all want is a sing song then go to the pub. We have a poor team being managed by a manager that’s backward thinking strategically & very conservative regarding team selection. Huge change is required to progress from here but sure as long as we have such great fans then the results on the pitch don’t really matter!!! Sad day for Irish football ( unless Delaney gets the chop! Some chance)!!

Of all the elements of that match Roy is complaining about the fans??
The fans who forked out for tickets and travel to support their team, who were still singing 4-0 down?
There are a lot of things in that squad that need changed but the fans are the only ones doing anything right in this tournament.
They haven’t travelled all that way just for a sing-song but the team haven’t given them much to cheer about so what else are they to do?
The players shouldn’t be thanking the fans – they should be apologising.

normally can’t stand Keane but there is a grain of truth in what he says here. The team were an embarrassment. No leadership, no desire, no passion, no concentration. We gifted them 4 goals from almost comical defending with players looking at the ball roll past them instead of grasping responsibility and clearing it. They couldn’t pass the ball 5 yards to another green shirt. They can do it for their premiership clubs. Im tired of this 4 year old mantra of ”we’re not good enough” or ‘we don’t have the players’. In world cup 2010, Switzerland had Frei, Yakin and Senderos, the rest were nobodies, yet with 90 minutes of concentration and actually paying abit when they had the ball, the beat Spain who ended up going on to win the tournament. We haver conceded seven goals in two games and we still have Di Natale and Balotelli to come. It’s not good enough, I have never seen an Irish team look so deflated and gripped by fear. Fair play to the fans, they did us proud bt at the same time I don’t think i could be singing, not because we lost, but the manner of the loss. We lost to Spain this month 10 years ago and it was one of the proudest moments i have had watching any team in green. They gave it all and were unlucky to loose, last night was a disgrace and the fans deserved alot better.

what a dope!!the man was a great player but thinks he knows it all, not a day goes by that he doesn’t contradict something that he’s previously said.

There are two types of people in Ireland – Keane supporters – and the rest of the country.

I agree with Roy this time. Its a bit ridiculous. Fans are great it’s a pity they weren’t on the pitch.

Traitor talking bollix once again

Why is that traitor Keane using the word “we”? He is not one of us.

Wonder Irish fans would sing along with German fans if we are heavily beaten by Germany? For what it is worth, I have to accept with a great reluctance that Roy has a point there…

Roy is right, Ireland were pathetic. Lets not kid ourselves, Trapattonis methods are obsolete and anybody suggesting otherwise is a fool. Well said Roy keane, he speaks the truth. And for the rest of you ; get into the real world. Please get rid of Trap ASAP

Yes, we have great fans and yes they gave the team great support in the toughest of times last night but let’s be honest with ourselves .both matches we played so far were abysmal, they looked like amatuers(and in fairness woe of them aren’t far off that). We’ve played against superior teams before, and even in defeat in was our performance on the pitch that was noteworthy, not the singing ability of our exceptional fans. Let’s detach ourselves from the Roy Keane histrionics (we’ll never agree when it comes to Keane) and take what he said at face value! The team and the manager need to deliver more on the pitch, they shouldnt be the whipping boys of international tournaments. And we the fans need to expect more, we put so much into supporting this team and it’s time we do change our mentality , we’re not just there for a singsong. Demand a prideful performance and demand accountability for those who do not deliver. Let’s hope we can make the Italy match a suitable send off for what are the best fans in the world!

I feel sorry for him, crippled with bitterness.

Keano dead right, celebrate failure and that’s all you’ll ever get

From an ego with such high standards and expectations that he abandoned his team at the world cup. must be worth listening to.