Roy Keane and Saipan row - The Movie!

The Black Oil · 17-10-2025 05:15PM

Trailer's in…I had no expectations. Wouldn't go to the cinema for it, but solid enough trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwVSe3ATfns

ancapailldorcha · 17-10-2025 06:16PM

Fair is fair, that's a decent trailer.

silliussoddius · 17-10-2025 07:06PM

I’m hoping they’re deliberately hiding Triggs until the film.

JKerova1 · 26-12-2025 04:22PM

Some interesting early reviews of this. Mostly positive, but Ken Early had a negative response.

hynesie08 · 27-12-2025 10:35PM

It's 100% bias towards Keane, and I question some of the artistic choices. (Nothing says 2002 like Fontaines DC) But it's very very enjoyable.

LambshankRedemption · 27-12-2025 10:46PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124098895#Comment_124098895

I'm not a fan of Keane, but the ~~IFA's~~ IFA position was somewhat indefensible to be honest.

Edit:typo fixed.

RoryMac · 27-12-2025 10:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124098947#Comment_124098947

Don't think we can blame Saipan on the farmers

LambshankRedemption · 27-12-2025 11:00PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124098960#Comment_124098960

Sorry about that. Im' ~~disklick,~~ ~~dicklask..~~I sometimes have problems with worms.

George White · 27-12-2025 11:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124098895#Comment_124098895

I really enjoyed it. Loved the usage of Winning Streak footage, and nice to see and hear everyone from Gerry Ryan to Stephen Watson from BBC NI to Tommie Gorman to Peter Sissons to dear old Bertie and Dobbo.

mikeybhoy · 28-12-2025 01:06PM

Went to it yesterday. I have to say I enjoyed it. It was a good story and made for good entertainment. I know some were staying it was done on a bit of a low budget but I don't think that really took away from it.

One thing I will say about it is you probably don't need to go to the cinema to see it. Could easily have been done as a Netflix exclusive and I say that as someone who is a big fan of the cinema.

George White · 28-12-2025 01:35PM

Yeah, it was clear that they didn't go to Saipan (I believe they shot in Tenerife).

sporina · 31-12-2025 02:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124098895#Comment_124098895

how so? i thought it made Roy look v bad - like he was totally irrational and disrespectful

i enjoyed it - left me with a lot of Qs though.. like what did other teams do in terms of prep? where did they stay? and did they party in the weeks b4 the games? etc

George White · 31-12-2025 03:10PM

I felt that both McCarthy and Keane within the film are portrayed as equally flawed.

I note they had to change John Delaney's name to 'Dickie Moloney'. A pity. Delaney deserves his own film. It'd break records in Kerry. (They love him down there).

Pauliedragon · 31-12-2025 04:55PM

Saw it last night and thought it was good. It's not ground breaking stuff nothing we didn't know already. I was hoping there would be more scenes about how the other players were dealing with the situation.

santana75 · 31-12-2025 10:58PM

This is actually quite good. Better than the trailer makes it out to be anyway. Well worth a watch

ancapailldorcha · 01-01-2026 10:08AM

Well, this isn't on anywhere in London. Great.

George White · 01-01-2026 12:04PM

It's getting a UK release in late January.

Wanderer78 · 01-01-2026 12:09PM

is it going to streaming at all?

Pauliedragon · 01-01-2026 12:45PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124107893#Comment_124107893

It's not too far from London get your popcorn ready 😀

https://addlestone.thelight.co.uk/saipan

frankled · 09-01-2026 06:10PM

Saw it on Wednesday – thought it was pretty good. Hardwicke did a great job depicting Keane. I thought they showed McCarthy to be a little deferential to Keane and everyone else– he's a little spikier than that!

Some of the stuff was cartoonish, for example how they depicted the FAI which I loved as that's what they deserved, the entry of "Dickie Moloney" was perfect. The antics of the players was overdone– the partying etc. The lads of 2002 deserve more credit than that, they were a credit to us during the tournament and didn't go on like the likes of the Spice Boys etc.

Tiger20 · 09-01-2026 06:24PM

I watched it last night and was really getting into it, thought it depicted the whole pre World Cup excitement well……but then the actor playing Keane went home half way through and ruined the film

Cluedo Monopoly · 09-01-2026 06:28PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124133493#Comment_124133493

Thanks for the spoiler.

weadick · 09-01-2026 07:53PM

I read a book by Tom Humphries book years ago and he depicts the drinking that went on on the island was insane, although it was mainly the press who were the piss heads along with some of the players. I think Roy was trying to stay away from drink at the time. One of the first things they did in Saipan was a Hawaiian shirt themed party with the players and the press. Could you imagine Roy Keane at that? Eating chicken wings with Cathal Dervan? I still agree the 2002 team performed admirably at the world cup and the sad thing about Saipan is that their achievements will never be recognised.

Cork29 · 09-01-2026 08:06PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124133703#Comment_124133703

They underachieved, Spain were there to be beaten. Ireland had proper players back then.

Better management would have helped a lot

George White · 09-01-2026 08:17PM

Note in the film fat nonce Tom Humphries has been replaced by a female journalist (Aoife Hinds)

weadick · 09-01-2026 09:15PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124133734#Comment_124133734

I'd hardly call getting to the last sixteen of the world cup and underachievement for an Irish team. I remember prior to that world cup some commentators were predicting we would struggle to get out of our group and that was with Roy Keane in the team. How many world cups have Scotland qualified for and they never made it past the first round? Failure to qualify for 04 or 06 under Brian Kerr were proper underachievements and Kerr had a better pool of players than McCarthy did.

noodler · 11-01-2026 10:28AM

Saw it too.

Couple of things struck me

There were only in Saipan for 4 or 5 days so the speed at which Keane lost his head is crazy. In addition, it seems clear enough the first two days were always planned as a piss up but you'd be forgiven watching the movie for thinking it was a week long bender

In the movie, Keane said his interview with the Times was meant to be published after the tournament and that he was "let down". Guardian article today says that's wrong but id be curious. Thought i read elsewhere that Times decidd6to publish before one of Keane other interviews was published by a rival paper.

McCarthy is shown calling Keane one more time the day before the Cameroon game but Keane still says no. Never knew about this before if it is true.

sporina · 11-01-2026 11:27AM

in the movie Keane said he was going home - then Mick said "i'm sending you home".. is that what happened in reality?

brianregan09 · 11-01-2026 06:12PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124133922#Comment_124133922

Spain were not the power they are now back then , Korea coasted almost to the finals on bad decisions.

FullBack Jam · 11-01-2026 06:38PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/124137300#Comment_124137300

It's probably not the ideal movie to take liberties in terms of straying from the truth. It was the subject of almost an entire nation taking sides with one or the other back in the day. If falsities are added to the film, it will reopen old wounds and cause more debate on who was right or wrong, based on these new "facts" (or falsities as the case may be).

Roy Keane and Saipan row - The Movie!

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