Town boss Roy Keane says Giovanni Trapattoni’s Ireland management team treated defender Darren O’Dea in an unprofessional manner by ignoring a request for him to play only 45 minutes of Wednesday’s friendly against Norway in Dublin. The on-loan Celtic man, playing his first game since undergoing a knee operation, was still on the field after 67 minutes when he was subbed suffering from a tight hamstring.

Keane said: “Darren O’Dea’s come back from Ireland with a tight hamstring. He hasn’t played for six weeks, we made a request that he has 45 minutes and he plays for 67 and comes off with a tight hamstring.

“That’s where we are at the moment, things aren’t going our way and people are taking the Mick out of us, we’re not happy on that side of it. But we’ll be OK.”

Keane had hoped that playing 45 minutes of an international friendly would benefit the 23-year-old as he returned from his surgery: “He’s been injured for us for six weeks, so we thought if he goes over and gets a half that’s brilliant and I don’t want to stop my players going away and playing for their countries.

“They’d probably have left him on for the full 90 if his hamstring hadn’t tightened up. But that’s what you have to put up with sometimes and we’re not happy with that.”

Keane says the Blues aren’t the only ones likely to be less than impressed: “It’s unprofessional to treat a player like that. We can be disappointed but I’m pretty sure Celtic will be as well.

“He picked up the previous injury when he was away with Ireland and they took him to Armenia. After getting off the plane, having been on a six or seven-hour flight, he was told they didn’t think he was 100% fit and sent him back here.”

The Blues boss says O’Dea had a decent enough game before succumbing to the injury and is in with a chance of being involved at Hull on Saturday: “Darren did OK, he was a bit rusty after being out for six weeks, the plan was that he got some minutes under his belt and made himself available for us this weekend.

“Let’s see how Darren is on Friday, you never know, he might be fit. But for a player to come off with a tight hamstring [in those circumstances], it’s ridiculous.”

Photo: ITFC

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Karlosfandangal added 08:53 - Nov 19 Agree with Keane
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BrettenhamBlue added 09:47 - Nov 19 These international Managers should listen
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bobble added 10:48 - Nov 19 mr keane continues his tirade against the country of his birth. surely the tactics he employed while playing would have to be considered highly unprofessional and bordering on plain assault on some match days.i am afraid a lot of us irish supporters of town and not irish supporters of roy keane are still disgusted at his immature antics and egotistic dummy spit at the world cup finals.roy keane eventually always lets you down

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Ipswich24 added 11:11 - Nov 19 Keane should stop signing irish players then! He is bit of hypocrite if ask me mark kennedy had been out for bout month then plays him for 90 mins against brazil sorry i meant barnsley and he does his hamstring again this is without any reserve game or a substitute apearance keane you have just got it in for the irish team!
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Big_Foot_Blue added 11:48 - Nov 19 Jesus Fu*king Christ I swear I've nearly had it with this site because of some of the comments! Seriously guys get a grip! I dont want Keane at this club any more than you do but the moaning is now doing everyones heads in and you've heard Clegg, there not going to sack him. To try and blame him for this is stupid. Against barnsley we had to play Kennedy unless you would prefer him playing brown at RB and moving Eastman into the centre but... hang on then you would moan he was playing 4 CB in defence!?!?! And, for a change, Keane would seem completely right about O'Deas injury. Its not a vendetta against Ireland its pure bloody common sense! Any player coming back from injury like Kennedy is going to be prone to hamstrings when they return. So 45 minutes would seem the perfect compromise but the Irish FA completely ignore him and now we might be without, Kennedy, O'Dea and McAuley for the derby! Now I dont know about you guys but that is what is annoying me more at the moment and not Keanes lack of managerial talent

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rolly added 12:09 - Nov 19 i dont agree..... keane is making enemys atm !!
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Daleyitfc added 12:42 - Nov 19 We should ship out all the loan players anyway, making this story an irrelevance. You can't build team spirit with players who's hearts (and salaries) lie elsewhere.
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Eireannach_gorm added 13:09 - Nov 19 While I agree with Roy that Trap. did him no favours, I dont think he is in a position to lecture on professionalism. Maybe Roy should concentrate on what he has control of and let his team do the talking. After all O'Dea is a bit player and was returning to Celtic after Christmas. Loan players get you out of a hole but do nothing for team building. Think Roy is using the magician trick of distracting the audience (I've just made promotion disappear!).

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tractorintheloft added 18:45 - Nov 19 How is this any different to the unprofessional approach that has seen Mark Kennedy strain his hamstring for a 3rd time on Saturday? It was obvious from the start he wasn't match fit, unless we have signed a player on a 2 year deal whose legs are shot.
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3_5_2 added 19:56 - Nov 19 Of course Trappy has a CV that does not compare to Keanes does it? Was does he know?
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