Since Roy Keane graduated from being a young international as green as his shirt to undisputed leader of the Ireland team

Since Roy Keane graduated from being a young international as green as his shirt to undisputed leader of the Ireland team, stepping into his boots has always been an onerous task. In the well-documented circumstances of the past 10 days, even more attention than usual will be paid to his replacement as millions of televisions are switched on for the second match of the World Cup between the Republic and Cameroon tomorrow.
Step forward Mark Kinsella of Charlton Athletic, possibly flexing a troublesome knee, but otherwise thrilled to be embracing the chance. Over the past season, his friend and Essex neighbour Matt Holland of Ipswich Town has eased ahead of him for what was assumed to be the second central midfield spot beside Keane; had the captain swallowed his pride and uttered the word “sorry” to Ireland’s manager, Mick McCarthy, Kinsella would have been on the substitutes’ bench in Niigata tomorrow.Instead, in his own words: “I’m probably the one lucky one out of the whole fiasco.” The “fiasco”, he believes, may yet pull the squad even closer together. “Mick’s got the full backing of the players and I think he’s coped very well. He’s played in the World Cup and knows what it’s all about.”There is mutual admiration in the relationship, for, while admitting that even after all that has happened he would still rather have Keane in the team, the manager has great faith in the Holland-Kinsella axis.

“They’re a terrific partnership and I’ve no worries about them whatsoever,” McCarthy said. “I’d be delighted to have that partnership against anybody.” Holland is equally positive, insisting: “Sure, we’re missing our best player and there’s pressure on myself and Mark to perform, but we’ve played together many times and we know each other’s games very well.”While Kinsella will not be blamed if he fails to live up to Keane’s standards of driving midfield play and dynamic leadership – how could anyone hope to do so ? – a considerable burden still falls on the rather frail looking Charlton captain. Despite a difficult season, interrupted by a knee operation, he believes he is up to it.”I’ve stepped in for Roy before, and I’ll be ready for it I think challenges like this bring the best out of players. As far as I’m concerned I’ve never let Ireland down.” He is right that it is impossible to remember such an occasion since the Dubliner’s international career began – on the same day as those of Robbie Keane and Damien Duff – away to the Czech Republic in March 1998.Ireland had been beaten in the World Cup play-offs and McCarthy was looking for new talent. He did not have far to go, the nearest league ground to his Bromley home being Charlton’s Valley, where an industrious but skilful ball-player was leading the club’s charge on the Premiership. He had been signed – or stolen – from Colchester United for £150,000 after a long apprenticeship in lower leagues, and consequently is appreciative of his present position: “It means everything to me. I’ve come the long way round and it’s taken me 13 years to get here.

Now hopefully I can go out and show people round the world what I can do.”. Of all 32 World Cup teams, there will be few as relieved as the Republic of Ireland to start playing football over the next few days. Although Roy Keane has played in only 12 of the Republic’s last 22 matches, which have brought Mick McCarthy’s team just two defeats, he has been there for the big ones, and been immense. Only in the second leg of the play-off against Iran last November was he missing, on the understanding that he would be released if a “positive result” was achieved in the first leg.Mark Kinsella and Matt Holland held the centre on that occasion and must now do so again.

They will have the Sunderland pair Jason McAteer and Kevin Kilbane outside them, McAteer having recovered from his knee injury, while Robbie Keane and Damien Duff test Rigobert Song and a suspect Cameroon back-line.Fitness considerations apart, the only other choice to be made is whether Kenny Cunningham, Gary Breen or even Newcastle’s Andy O’Brien partner the captain Steve Staunton, who is due to win his 99th cap at the heart of the defence. Squad numbers and recent selections indicate that Cunningham will be McCarthy’s preference, though Breen’s greater height and pace would be more of an asset.Whoever is chosen will be up against a formidable attacking pair, if another Sunderland man, Patrick Mboma, passes a check on his foot injury to partner Real Mallorca’s pacy Samuel Eto’o. Cameroon will have Geremi of Real Madrid and Pierre Wom?f Bologna hitting long crossfield passes from wide midfield positions to each other and the two strikers, but McCarthy is confident about his side’s ability to deal with a 3-5-2 formation: “We’ve played against it regularly and we’re able to adapt.”On the inevitable question about whether the Keane saga has taken a toll on the players, he was equally bullish: “Despite all that’s gone on, I think they’ve done superbly. The training’s been sharp, they’ve been focused and I can’t compliment them enough. But it’s performances and results on the pitch that will count. That was the same when we set off for Japan and it’s no different now. Maybe there’s just a little bit more emphasis on it.”Unquestionably there is and the manager is under more scrutiny than anyone; if Kinsella and Holland were to be outplayed in midfield (where Cameroon will have an extra man) and defeat resulted for a Keane-less team, the knives sheathed among the Irish press and public would be sharpened.Yesterday, on a visit to the Izumo shrine – dedicated, a little ironically in the circumstances, to the goddess of good relationships – McCarthy had his fortune told.