Updated 18.27
ROBBIE KEANE WAS the only player to sit out Ireland’s final training session in Malahide ahead of the squad’s departure for Germany.
Keane got “a kick” on the ankle yesterday and is now being monitored by the medical team to see if he will be fit for Friday’s World Cup qualifier in Cologne.
“The medical people are looking at that to get him right and sort him out,” goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly said this morning.
“As per usual we always take precaution, you saw that the last couple of days with Anthony [Stokes] and Joey [O'Brien] sitting out and looking after the respective parts of their bodies. There’s no difference in terms of that with Robbie as well.
We’ll see how it goes. We’ve got to fly out there now and it’s being monitored and we’ll make that assessment come Thursday and Friday.
That’s the precaution that we would take.
Meanwhile the FAI revealed this evening that Noel King has turned down a request from Keane’s club LA Galaxy who asked that the striker be released after Friday night’s game.
Galaxy, who are currently involved in a tight playoff battle, have league games next Wednesday and Sunday while Ireland play Kazakhstan in their final World Cup qualifier on Tuesday evening.
Noel King today informed Bruce Arena “that he has decided not to release Robbie Keane and trusts that he understands the position, having been an international manager himself,” the FAI said in a statement this evening.
– Originally posted 13.24
It’s obvious enough only one man will play up front Friday night and a lot of talk going on that Shane Long should be given a chance (which i disagree with) what does everyone else think?
red thumb for Shane Long to start up front or green thumb for Keane to start!
I’d like to see stokes get a bit of game time in at least 1 game
Agreed. He’s playing very well but not going to get ahead of the lads after just getting back into squad. Kazak game is perfect for him!
Long is more suited to plowing a lone furrow. He is faster, better able to hold the ball up and link up with other players. Same with Doyle. Same with Stokes. And the way we’ll be playing against Germany, we won’t get the best of Robbie Keane, who thrives on service and on the heels of defenders but provides nothing else.
Fair point… How many competitive goals has Long scored for Ireland again?
1. 1 competitve goal.
How many goals from open play has Keane scored against good teams in recent years? I can think of Sweden and Paris before that and a goal that 50/50 could have been Noel Hunt’s in Bari.
How many competitive games has Long started?
Look at the Sweden game in Dublin. Keane scored but didn’t do f**k all for the rest of the game. He should be coming off the bench against teams like Sweden and starting against teams like Kazakhstan (his bread and butter).
It’s the system or Keane. Can’t be both, unfortunately; and we are going to be in thrall to 4-4-2 as long as Keane politicks for a start in every game.
Yeh he did f**k all against Sweden. Except score a goal.
You know, the objective of football. But yeh apart from that nothing.
And the rest of the team on the other hand….
Keane = Legend.
The most likely to score against Germany.
Stokes and Keane are our only 2 forwards to speak off. Long cant even get in the match day squad when everyone is fit at west brom. Hes not got a great scoring revird in any case. Doyle is playing in Div 2. Personally I’d like to see stokes play. He’s the only one with champions league experience over the last few years.
Bad form by King and the FAI.
Love Robbie and all, but he’s injured, they’re in the middle of a season, they pay his wages, and we have nothing to play for.
I’d understand if we were still in it. I’d take a half fit Keano then. But lashing him in for a game where we have nothing to play for.
robbie cant play up front on his own he drops too deep to do it. long or stokes has to start they have the pace and the strength to play as the lone striker
I’ll drive him back to LA myself if it means he doesn’t feature!
When he stops scoring and we find another striker to replace him then we can get rid but for now he’s the only goal scorer we have
With all due respect, good, brilliant player for rep of Ireland but unfortunately , time is over, time to move on
I’m sure Robbie was asked (by the Irish setup) if he wanted to join up with Galaxy so he must have said he’d prefer to stay with Ireland. No need to risk a rift/row between him and Noel King and keep him here if he desperately wanted to join up with his club, given that our games are dead rubbers. #GreenLegend