Eamon Dunphy hammers ‘little men’ Roy Keane and Martin O’Neill over ‘bulls**t’ punditry

Dunphy collaborated with Roy Keane for his autobiography in 2002 but there is no love lost between the pair now

Legendary Irish football pundit Eamon Dunphy has blasted Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane over their treatment of Brentford manager Keith Andrews. Former Ireland midfielder Andrews started his Premier League managerial tenure with a 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest last weekend.

Andrews is a former pundit himself and worked for Sky Sports as Keane and O’Neill joint managed Ireland during a failed World Cup qualifying campaign in 2017. After defeat to Denmark, Andrews called out the management team for their decisions.

In an interview with the Sunday Independent, Keane later said: “I’ve heard a lot of bullshitters over the last 10 years, and Keith Andrews is up there with the best of them.”

His old pal, Martin O’Neill, recently joined in when asked about Andrews’ suitability for the Brentford job. “It is not as easy as sitting in a pundit’s chair and criticising someone, who, in all honesty, had a much better career than he had,” said O’Neill of Andrews, referencing the fact Keith played ‘at the bottom end’ of the league when O’Neill was ‘winning the European Cup’.

Keane made another snide remark last weekend ahead of Brentford’s opening game against Nottingham Forest, saying Andrews was someone ‘who talks a good game’.

“Well, that’s where Keith differs from Roy Keane. Because it is Keane who is a bullshitter. What’s more, he is a bully,” Dunphy wrote in his Irish Daily Mirror column.

“Now, behaving that way didn’t do him any harm when he was a player. Both his team-mates and his opponents danced to his tune.

“Yet while that led to his greatness as a player, the continuation of that behaviour in his post-playing days has seriously diminished his credibility as a person.,” continued Dunphy, who helped Roy Keane with his autobiography way back in 2002.

“Look at what he has become, a caricature of himself, doing television ads which play on his intimidating nature, one where he frightens a window cleaner, another where he is rude to a barista.

“Let’s call this out for what it is. He is glorifying bullying in these ads. He is doing them for monetary gain, making a few quid out of his persona. There’s no class in that.

“Nor is there any class in going after a young Irish coach who is starting out in his managerial career. Given his status as a serial Premier League winner, someone who was a superb player, Keane should be bigger than this. And so should O’Neill.

“Neither man forgot the criticism they received without ever accepting the fact they did a bad job when they were with Ireland.”

Dunphy added: “For two men who had outstanding playing careers, each winning the European Cup, they should be big enough to wish Keith well. I certainly hope he succeeds, especially as the circumstances are so difficult, Brentford having sold their three best players across the summer.

“As for O’Neill and Keane, I wish they’d just go away. Both are behaving like little men.”

Tell us what you really think, Eamon.