Hello John, got a new motor?

It’s make or break over the next few days for Ireland. Anything less than six points from the Georgia and Albania games and we can forget about the European Championships. Of the two, I think the trip to Tirana is the potential banana skin. Albania were very unlucky in their last World Cup qualifying group not to take points off Germany and England, and they drew last year with Switzerland who we know are a handy side. It’s important that we don’t let them settle and get into their passing game.

John O’Shea’s fitness is a huge factor. I’ve seen him a lot this season and he keeps getting better. Six months ago I wasn’t sure, but now I’m convinced that he’s good enough to assume the Roy Keane roll in the team. His reading of the game is superb and he has Roy’s ability to open up defences, both with a pass and by taking players on himself.

Talking of Mr. Keane, he seems a lot more relaxed now that a full-stop’s been put on his international career. Mentally tough or not, the “will he/won’t he?” speculation effected him at a time when he should have been concentrating on his fitness and doing the business for Manchester United. I’m as disappointed as everyone else that we won’t be seeing Roy in a green shirt again, but if it prolongs his club career a la Alan Shearer the sacrifice will be worth it.

I think Brian Kerr has his team pretty much selected, although he might be wondering about giving a start to Mark Kennedy. He had a starring role in Wolves’ 6-0 demolition of Gillingham and seems to have calmed down in his private life. He doesn’t have the best of reputations, but I was in a couple of Ireland squads with him and thought he was a lovely lad. I like him as a player as well – on song, he can change a game which is what we need right now. Brian will eventually give him a chance and it’s up to Mark then whether or not he takes it.

I’m still trying to get my head round Celtic’s week, especially the Super Cally Go Ballistic Part 2 bit! After all, it’s not the under-achieving, lacking-in-confidence team that John Barnes took there a few seasons back. Having so comprehensively outplayed Liverpool at Anfield, you’d have fancied them to hammer Inverness but we ended up with a classic cup upset… again! Going back to that UEFA Cup game, I couldn’t believe how lackadaisical Liverpool were. You’d never have guessed that there was a semi-final place up for grabs. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – Emile Heskey is not an international class player. In my own experience, I found him really easy to play against, unlike John Hartson who was a complete handful.

I think Gerard Houlier’s done a good job there, but if they don’t qualify for the Champions’ League I fear he’ll be replaced during the summer. It’d be a complete change from the football they’re playing at the moment, but if I were the Liverpool board I’d try and steal Kevin Keegan from Manchester City. He’s an absolute hero on that side of Stanley Park, and he’d certainly put pay to the “boring, boring Liverpool” chants!

Sticking with matters managerial, and I imagine Mick McCarthy is kicking himself this week that he didn’t give Peter Risdale a call before taking the Sunderland job. Not only are Sunderland one of the worst teams I’ve seen in the Premiership, I think they’d struggle in the First Division as well. I know Leeds have been sucked into the relegation battle, but they’ve enough quality to pull away from Sunderland, West Bromwich Albion and Bolton who are the teams I expect to go down. Mick will say, “Sunderland’s a big club with loads of potential”, but I think they could go the same way as Sheffield Wednesday and one of my old clubs, Derby County, who are in absolute crisis at the moment. I saw them on TV a few weeks back and they were shockingly bad.

You couldn’t get any further away from Real Madrid who’ve been installed as Champions League favourites. I don’t think any other club in the world can match their depth of squad, but get it right tactically, and Manchester United can beat them. Especially with the form old Ruud’s been in. As wonderful as they are going forward, the Real defence can go a bit wobbly at times and I’d be surprised if United don’t come back from Madrid with an away goal.

They’re not as free-flowing as they’ve been in past seasons, but Man U have the steely resolve to go all the way again – not just in Europe but the Premiership. In other words, the double’s on!