Robbie Keane sauntered into the mixed zone in pretty good form last night, as you would expect. He was wearing a very nice leather coat, slightly ridiculous tight-legged black trousers with vinyl knee-padding and a glorious watch more valuable than anything I own. He seemed positive about the future and very secure with his role in the squad, and spoke to the media of campaigns past, present and future.
A few seismic shifts occurred during this campaign for the Irish team. Chief among them is that Robbie Keane's role has transformed entirely: from on-field captain to unused substitute. Here's a summation of Irish football from, I don't know, 2009-2014: a section of Irish fans called for Keane to be benched. Keane continued to score goals, goals in big games like France away in '09 and plenty of goals in lesser games. At times, Keane seemed like the only Ireland player capable of scoring goals. For reasons that probably had nothing to do with Robbie Keane, Ireland played in this time.
Martin O'Neill, freethinker that he is, seemed flummoxed by the Keane paradox. Keane started the first three of games of the campaign for Ireland, and was as frustrating as ever. O'Neill didn't start Keane for either Scotland game but it wasn't really until halftime of the Georgia game in September where O'Neill gave up on Keane as a viable attacking threat. O'Neill brought Shane Long on for Keane at halftime of one of Ireland's worst halves this decade and the match turned. Ireland have not looked back. Bar a substitute appearance in Warsaw, Keane has not factored in any of the massive results since that Georgia game.
We could argue all day about Daryl Murphy's relative ability but Ireland have discovered something like a cohesive attacking philosophy this autumn - playing high balls in over midfield to wear defenses down - and Murphy and Long, like Walters, can both use their bodies as blunt instruments. Watching Ireland in the first half against Bosnia was to see a side up to something. It's been ages since Ireland seemed up to something. This all occurs in the space left vacant by Ireland's top goalscorer.
You can make a pretty good argument that Robbie Keane is the greatest Irish international ever. Next March, he'll begin his 18th year of international football. He'll be attending his third major tournament next summer. He probably won't be spending much time on the pitch in France but he seems okay with that. That's a credit to him and his long, incredible journey in football.
