Newstalk: Off The Ball

In France, maybe. No one calls Bayern Munich ‘München’ or Cologne ‘Köln’. It’s not a big deal, just sounds a bit off, is all.

I remember one year during the world cup George Hamilton (or some other high profile commentator) started pronouncing Johan Mjallby's name correctly all of a sudden and it was just weird, it was hard to work out who he was talking about for a while.

Did I hear a years subscription down to €69 the moment.Still wouldn't get it.

Great listening to ger and the lads discuss robbie keane this morning. Top class. Lovely guys. So kind, and professional.

Ger trying to stay on the fence, but also implying that robbie deserved the abuse on social media from Palestine supporters.

Ger spoke very slowly, with pauses between words at times. He didn't wanna say robbie is a disgrace and shouldnt be working in Israel, but it was implicit in everything he said about the issue.

"He did make his decision to go there, I'm sure there are other places he could have taken a job" what's wrong with taking a job in Israel ger, spit it out.

Robbie came "from tallaght to superstardom", as if anyone from tallaght can do anything with themselves, gets jobs or become an international footballer. People from tallaght are definitely not as articulated as you Ger.

"The decision to go to Israel will haunt his legacy"... "I think it's complicated"... "At his first press conference, he gave wishy washy answers, I'm a football manager, I'm not here to talk about politics, I'm not going to talk about politics again" Then without a pause, ger comes out with a beaut "That's not how life works". How does it work ger? How does life work? Explain to us simpletons how life works. Does every sports player and manager need to discuss politics?

Ger is such a pro. Wonderful section by him and his minions pi$$ing over robbie. Worth the premium fee for this. Sign up everybody. Please. We must learn from ger. He is better than all of us.

He should have came out and said exactly what Keane is, a massive c*nt

That’s it, P. They were contractually obliged to pay him. Same with Ryan Tubridy.

The reason it's wrong to work in Israel now is self-evident. To give Robbie Keane an element of a fair shout here - when he took the job, Israel was an objectionable place but wasn't engaging in mass slaughter to the level they are now. But he stayed with them until the end of their season in May 2024. Which was an awful long time after the attrocities that the Israeli state had been committing were well known. He's not a poor man, he didn't need the job to maintain a visa status or a monetary income or anything like that, he should have walked.

Regarding the FAI, yes he had a contract. But again, he didn't need the money and if he had any sort of awareness he should have known that the FAI are in severe financial trouble (as well as the obvious mismanagement issues of the association). He wouldn't have noticed one way or the other the money, so why not - in good faith - stop accepting the payments?

Claudine Keane has gone on a serious rant on X a section of which calls out a certain "sports radio station" I'm presuming she's referring to OTB.

As others have touched upon. He took a job at a time when Israel was building diplomatic relations World wide. Assessed the chaotic situation post October 7th and then resigned when Israels response was deemed by most considerably disproportionate.

Get off your high horse Ger for once in your life.

I would say it was a considered exit. He could have easily stayed.

The abuse he's getting is frankly ridiculous but then don't expect any objectivity in Irish discourse on the significantly complex and nuanced conflict.

Just out of interest. If you or a family member worked in the UK during the Iraq war would you expect them to resign on principle? A war that Blair literally went to on premeditated lies.

Where do you draw the line?

I think people are being very unfair on Robbie Keane, when he was playing banging in goals you still had people whining. And yet he ended up with one of best records internationally worldwide.

I must say I commend Robbie Keane he always turned up for Ireland never whined, unlike like the whiners who were always out get him.

If you look at his career choices he never took the obvious move he could have went to Liverpool as a youngster but chose, Wolves as they offered a better chance of early first team football. He has not been afraid to go further afield than England. Going to America as a player even willing to go on loan to Celtic and Italy before that as a young lad for the experience of it. He also coached in India and lastly Israel.

I think it comes down to begrudgery it is a uniquely Irish phenomenon -

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/irish-roots-home-of-begrudgery-1.2474870

One thing to can not accuse Robbie Keane of is sincerity and hard work, he never bitched as a player and just got one with it taking the kicks. Dropping back into midfield time and again to help his team mates. The fella always had drive and work ethic.

Personally if I was Robbie Keane I would not pay heed to the latest begrudgers. "The Oirish" Keffiyeh wearing, cafe latte hipster brigade, like Gilroy et al.

The problem is other people, not Robbie Keane in this scenario Robbie Keane is a football man in the truest sense of the word. That is his focus, not geopolitics. I wouldn't expect Keane to know that this war was sparked by two terrorist groups backed by rogue states, as they did not like how Saudi Arabia and Israel were starting to get friendly, for instance.

Maybe if people focused on sport, for the love of it like Robbie Keane the world would be a better place and there would be less war/violence etc?

@fire_man

On the poster who said that Quinn is more popular than Robbie Keane in Ireland. I think that narrative is only true if the person's focus was not on the actual footbal field.

Quinn was arguably better off the field than on it, and was great at diplomacy and giving the politicians answer. There is also the fact that Quinn looks awkward and bit of an eejit, and Ireland loves an awkward eejit Where as Robbie Keane was the best and confident with it. That is not in many of the Irish psyche.

—

Anyway I am glad I don't listen to that clown Gilroy et al, sounds like they have become even more of parody of themselves than usual. The updates on this thread are good to be aware of.

There's a class element to all this too undoubtedly. Robbie being a working class lad from Tallaght makes him a very easy target for the pearl clutching cosmopolitan elites like Gilroy.

Would he have given the same energy to Ireland rugby touring apartheid South Africa back in the day for example. No chance.