Talk about telling it like it is.

This is one entertaining interview.  Very blunt.  Roy Keane is a quote machine.  He puts all blame on the defenders for not being goal-side of the French attackers and not clearing the bouncing ball, and blame on the goalie too:  “I’d be saying where the hell was my goalkeeper“.   Also blame the whole Irish squad for not finishing their chances against France earlier:  “France were there for the taking and Ireland never grabbed it . . .   France are going to the World Cup;  get over it“.

What I find almost even more entertaining is his reaction to the cel phone ringing.  And can you believe the cel phone guy:  “I’ll turn it off in a minute“.  What!?.. “oh right, that’s good manners“.

On this topic, here’s a fun little Henry goal-scoring game:

http://www.jeu-de-main.com/

Ireland did very well to be in the position where cheating was the only way France could advance. I sincerely feel for fans of the Republic. Not only was the Irish team very likable, they were workmanlike and a team in every sense. The Irish were on the verge of upsetting the underperforming star laden onze from la Republique. But it wasn’t to be. Henry stuck his hand out and handily assisted on the clinching goal in extra time. An awful way to be denied entry into the World Cup. The Irish were robbed.

As for the French, in my opinion Henry should be ashamed. It was not right. It was unsportsmanlike. To say the referee didn’t catch it is to justify breaking any rule, law or regulation and for that Henry’s legacy will have been tarnished. Maybe people will forget, though I’m sure they won’t in Ireland and I wonder if they will forget in England and/or other parts the English speaking football community. But Henry is right, the referee didn’t catch it and after it occurred, if in fact it was a spontaneous reaction, what could he do? Perhaps Paolo di Canio may have said something given his FIFA fair play award earned at West Ham but I suspect most players wouldn’t have.

Some people now demand a replay of the match but I don’t think that’s a good idea. The floodgates would be wide open and really that’s a backhanded way of getting video replay. Really, if anything this event highlights the need for some sort of video replay or, at a very minimum , a well positioned goal line judge.

As for Henry, he admitted he broke the rules (it was evident from the video) and that takes some guts I suppose so give him credit for that. He must also know he’ll be getting it from far and wide from reporters and fans alike. To admit he broke the rule on such an important goal in such an important game, I wonder if FIFA should punish him. Perhaps he should be watching the next World Cup, sadly, just like the Irish.

In South America, Argentina managed to squeak into the 4th direct spot in the World Cup by beating Uruguay 1-0 after scoring in the 84th minute. Watching Argentina kill the game by holding possession for the final 6 minutes plus injury time was a thing of beauty. Once up by one goal, while Uruguay did get a few chances, for the most part Argentina dominated possession stringing pass after pass together while the opposition could only chase desperately. It was nice to see a team that knew how to hold a lead though I’m not sure it was due to any strategy of the boss Maradona. TFC might want to get a video of the match and take a few pointers on 1) how to hold a lead and 2) how to string together more than 3 passes.

After the game Maradona repeatedly used profane language to lash out at his critics at the post-game news conference. Maradona credited the win to “support he received from fans”. I would put the credit with the very talented players on the pitch who won the match in spite of their incompetent head coach.

After Argentina barely avoided missing the World Cup or at least having to play off against #4 from CONCACAF you would think this would be enough of a warning shot to call for Maradonna to be fired. Only time will tell. Maybe we can pull off a swap. Maradonna can coach team Canada and Argentina can take Dale Mitchell. In my estimation, both are equally qualified and equally competent as head coaches. Though for all his failings as a head coach, at least we can say Dale Mitchell gets the check mark when it comes to personal integrity.

Though, I suppose he does have one player at his disposal with a good hand:I’m looking forward to the Costa Rica v. Uruguay playoff for the final ticket to the World Cup. CR hosts the first leg on Nov. 14 before playing in South America four days later. Given what is at stake, emotions will definitely be running high!

PS

Speaking of Maradonna, maybe he could have used a little bit of himself in this campaign:

The hand of God, can never hurt anyone; well, maybe the English:

But come to think of it, he does have at least one player with a good hand: