THE FAI should be doing everything in its power to convince Roy Keane to become Ireland manager.
That’s the view of former Minister for Sport Shane Ross.
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Writing in his Sunday Independent column, the one-time independent TD made the case that Keane is the perfect man to shake up Irish football and its embattled Association.
“What would happen if the FAI was to grasp the nettle, find the funds and offer Roy Keane the manager’s job?
“There would be blue murder. The ghosts of Saipan and Sunderland would be resurrected.
“There would be resignations at the FAI. Loudmouths and score-settlers from the past would emerge from under their rocks to recall the wrongdoings of Roy.
“Sins he committed during his Manchester United glory days would be remembered.
“His wife, his five children, his dog, his gaffes and his arrogance would come under the media microscope. The tabloids would run amok.
“Sounds good. And the numbers at Ireland’s home games would rocket.
“Roy is box office. Football is big business. Sponsorship could take off.
“Money could flow in. He would be a brooding presence at every game.”
The 74-year-old goes on to argue that ‘football needs its bad boys’ and that Keane is ‘just what Irish football needs’.
While Keane did eventually declare an interest in the vacancy in January, it wasn’t exactly a full-throated one.
And he sounded like he’d noticeably cooled on the notion of ever returning to a dugout a few weeks later as he ranted about ‘time wasters’.
Pal Gary Neville teed him up on the topic after strongly hinting: “Someone’s tried to take the p**s out of you haven’t they?”
The clear implication was that talks had taken place between Cork’s most famous son and FAI representatives but hadn’t gone well at all.
Georgia boss Willy Sagnol remains the bookies favourite to land the gig at 11/8.
Incumbent O’Shea is second at 3/1 while Keane has fallen all the way down to eight in the list at 25/1.
The most recent shout from an Ireland legend tipped a man similarly out of the FAI’s price range.
Nonetheless, Mark Lawrenson stated the Association should get on its hands and knees in the hope that David Moyes might just be convinced.