Eamon Dunphy chimes in on Roy Keane’s recent antics

Eamon Dunphy has weighed in with his opinion on Roy Keane's recent confrontation with the media.

Unsurprisingly, RTE broadcasting stalwart Eamon Dunphy has been harshly critical of how Keane has been conducting himself in with the press of late. Dunphy thinks that Keane's recent behaviour has, despite his own protestations, served as a distraction from the Irish team's performances:

The Keane situation now is out of control. It's gotta stop, the Roy Keane stuff. Bill Kenwright, the Everton chairman, is on television tonight talking about Keane's madness, he had a go at Everton. This is the Roy Keane show now, it's a circus. If Martin O'Neill doesn't get a grip on it, it's going to get worse. There's a lot of players out there we'd like to sign [up]. We have to have a reputation as an international soccer team for professionalism, discipline and behaving properly, which means keeping your mouth shut on occasion - which is not something Roy Keane is able to do.

He also thinks the former Irish captain's comments could have a disastrous affect on our ability to attract players who qualify through their parents or grandparents. He cited Jack Grealish as one of the players Ireland may lose out on because of Keane's comments, and suggested the Villa midfielder might be the first of many that would opt not to play for Ireland because of Keane.

(There were) very serious remarks he made about Jack Grealish. There's a young player we're trying to get, he's at Aston Villa and Keane had a go at his father. But diplomacy is the way you deal with that and it's also the way you persuade Jack Grealish to play for Ireland. Having a go at his father is not. There's a lot of players out there we'd like to sign [up]. We have to have a reputation as an international soccer team for professionalism, discipline and behaving properly, which means keeping your mouth shut on occasion - which is not something Roy Keane is able to do.

Dunphy added that if Keane was allowed to continue to have free rein in his media obligations it could start to hinder Ireland's Euro 2016 qualifying campaign.

If that goes on then the Irish soccer team is going to become a circus and a joke and it's going to damage our results. I would question why he's out with the media, attacking journalists, having provided the fodder in the first place for the questions they were asking. This has to stop, and it has to stop now.

Hat-tip to RTE