Roy’s not injured he’s fine and he’ll be fit to play against Nigeria McCarthy said but that explanation only arrived after

“Roy’s not injured, he’s fine and he’ll be fit to play against Nigeria,” McCarthy said; but that explanation only arrived after the match on Tuesday, causing speculation in the meantime about everything from another breakdown in communications to a “snub” for Quinn.There have been occasions in the past when not even McCarthy has known where his captain was. “To play even a minute in the World Cup would be a dream come true,” he said.McCarthy has insisted that there are no problems with the fitness of his captain, Roy Keane, who chose to miss Tuesday’s match for what the manager called “preventative procedures”. Selection is a huge boost for him after missing the possibility of promotion with Millwall in a last-minute play-off defeat by Birmingham City. “It was a big decision for him.”Reid, a quick, clever footballer, came through the ranks at Millwall and was qualified to play for England, Jamaica or Ireland (through his mother) choosing the latter after being encouraged by Millwall’s youth coach, Kevin O’Callaghan. “To his eternal credit, he was honest with me,” McCarthy said. He scored with his first touch after three minutes and stayed on for almost 85 minutes, but felt a reaction overnight and withdrew yesterday morning.

Ireland’s manager, Mick McCarthy, had decided to stick by those who had played a part in coming through a difficult qualifying group.That included Kennedy, though he had been sent home for disciplinary reasons before the away game with the Netherlands, and was only third-choice as a wide player behind Jason McAteer and Kevin Kilbane.The Wolves man has also struggled with injuries recently and effectively used Niall Quinn’s testimonial match between Sunderland and Ireland on Tuesday as an extended fitness test for a troublesome groin. Reid, with only four caps to his name, was contacted just in time as he headed for Gatwick airport yesterday en route for a holiday in Barbados to be told that he will be flying to Dublin instead for this evening’s friendly against Nigeria, and onto Japan the next day.
Like another young midfielder, Celtic’s Colin Healy, the 21-year-old had failed to make the list of 23 players named last week despite some encouraging performances in this year’s three friendly internationals at Lansdowne Road. An injury to Mark Kennedy of Wolves and a consequent summons to the World Cup for Millwall’s young midfielder Steven Reid overshadowed the latest public relations gaffe surrounding the Republic of Ireland’s captain Roy Keane last night. All 14 clubs agreed and are determined to assume their responsibilities through self-regulation rather than have controls imposed by a third party.”.

“It is important to avoid the auction of a player because it has the effect of raising the prices of even mediocre players.”I am very optimistic the system can work. Some reports have suggested that G-14 would arbitrate in transfer disputes involving two or more of its members and engage the accountants, Deloitte and Touche, to audit balance sheets.”The aim is to reduce competition between G-14 clubs in the transfer market,” said Kurth. Gordon Taylor, general secretary of the Professional Footballers’ Association and its European counterpart, Fifpro, dismissed the idea out of hand “I will believe it when I see it,” he said. Manchester United are far underneath that limit.”Nevertheless, any moves to drive down salaries will be fiercely opposed by the players’ unions. “It is a maximum percentage of money available which should be spent on players’ costs. However, Manchester United, who recently negotiated a £5m-a-year contract with David Beckham, are unlikely to be affected since G-14’s general manager, Thomas Kurth, argued that only clubs in debt would be governed by the new regulations, which will have no legal force.”Those who are in the black do not need us to regulate them,” he said.