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The Gaffers: Mick McCarthy, Roy Keane and the Team They Built
Two men. One team. A shared ambition.
Mick McCarthy and Roy Keane didn't like each other much. There was too much history between them. But they had one thing in common: a dream to bring a young Irish team to the World Cup. So they established a working relationship - a good cop/bad cop routine in training, a mutual tolerance at all other times. It worked. Ireland made it to the World Cup.
But it couldn't last. The faultline in their relationship - apparent in that awkward handshake after the Ireland vs Holland match - finally cracked open. Ireland went into the World Cup with only one of its gaffers.
The full story of the Irish team, their World Cup campaign and soccer's greatest controversy.
Mick McCarthy and Roy Keane didn't like each other much. There was too much history between them. But they had one thing in common: a dream to bring a young Irish team to the World Cup. So they established a working relationship - a good cop/bad cop routine in training, a mutual tolerance at all other times. It worked. Ireland made it to the World Cup.
But it couldn't last. The faultline in their relationship - apparent in that awkward handshake after the Ireland vs Holland match - finally cracked open. Ireland went into the World Cup with only one of its gaffers.
The full story of the Irish team, their World Cup campaign and soccer's greatest controversy.
219 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
3 people want to read
About the author
Paul Howard
36 books80 followersPaul Howard is a journalist with The Irish Times on Saturday.
Howard is best known as the author of the paper's Ross O'Carroll-Kelly columns and has written a series of books based on the the character of Ross.
Howard is the former chief sportswriter for the Sunday Tribune, and a former Irish Sports Journalist of the Year. He has written several nonfiction books, including The Joy, an account of life in Mountjoy Prison, The Gaffers: Mick McCarthy, Roy Keane and the Team they Built, an account of the McCarthy–Keane clash during the run-up to the 2002 World Cup. He also co-authored Steve Collins' "autobiography", Celtic Warrior.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Howard is best known as the author of the paper's Ross O'Carroll-Kelly columns and has written a series of books based on the the character of Ross.
Howard is the former chief sportswriter for the Sunday Tribune, and a former Irish Sports Journalist of the Year. He has written several nonfiction books, including The Joy, an account of life in Mountjoy Prison, The Gaffers: Mick McCarthy, Roy Keane and the Team they Built, an account of the McCarthy–Keane clash during the run-up to the 2002 World Cup. He also co-authored Steve Collins' "autobiography", Celtic Warrior.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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May 3, 2022
I recently read this book to recall the story of the Saipan controversy as we approach the 20th anniversary. It's a fantastic piece of work and a timely reminder of what an exceptional writer Paul Howard is. In my opinion, this is the most objective and nuanced analysis of the relationship between Mick McCarthy and Roy Keane. Well worth a read.
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