Trap’s four-letter frustration and Keano’s pop back

As Ireland prepare for their final Euro 2012 game tonight, Giovanni Trapattoni took time out to have a four-letter go at Roy Keane. Unsurprisingly, Keano had a go back.

Since Roy Keane’s performance on ITV after the Spain game the Corkman has been a non-stop presence in the headlines. After initially making the front and back pages for his now infamous ‘sing-song’ comments, Keane was back in critic mode yesterday, demanding that Trapattoni make 11 changes to the team to play Italy tonight.

That was always highly unlikely to happen and so it proved as Trap named the exact same team that went down 3-1 to Croatia eight days ago. Of course, at the team announcement Trap was asked about Keane’s latest comments. His reply certainly was dismissive of the former Irish captain.

“He's been a very great player," said Trap. "And he also achieved great success. But I don't know if he achieved the same results as a coach and a manager. I can ask him, why? Why? I think, for an intelligent man, I can't understand."

That would have been grand but to the assembled Italian media our man then said: "Nonha mai vintu un cazzo. Non ha fatto niente."

Depending on whose translation you read today that meant either ‘What has he won, for f*** sake’ or ‘He has won nothing, for f*** sake’. Either way the message is pretty clear; ‘show us your medals’.

Now we know Keane won a lot as a player, and picked up a Championship title with Sunderland, but he can’t compete with Trap’s 10 league titles in four countries plus numerous cups, including the European Cup with Juventus.

It won’t be a surprise to anyone that the former Manchester United had a pop back last night on ITV.

"I'm surprised. I think the reaction, as usual, is over the top," he said. "I actually never criticised the manager. I said the players need to change their mentality and the supporters, so for the manager to come out and have a dig at me...

"I understand he's going to defend his players. But to come out with all that nonsense about what have I done as a manager - listen, I think I've done okay at Sunderland, okay it didn't work out at Ipswich, I'm still quite young, hopefully there's a chance I'll get back into management.

"Just because he's had major success doesn't mean to say he shouldn't be criticised. If Brian Kerr or Steve Staunton was manager of Ireland and they put on that performance, they'd be heavily criticised.

"For some reason Trapattoni doesn't feel he needs to be criticised. And the strange thing is I never actually did criticise him. He needs to get his facts right really. The players should have done better and it's time to give some of the younger fellas a chance,'' he added.

It looks like this issue will run and run. Sadly, ITV aren’t covering Ireland’s game tonight so we won’t have any more from Keane on the team or the fans today. Still, we reckon we haven’t heard the last of this spat either.