THE IRISH NATIONAL SOCCER team is presently in a state of transition. The glory days of "jack's Army" under former coach Jack Charlton are only a memory. Meanwhile present coach Mick McCarthy is building a team of young but undoubtedly talented players to compete against the best teams in the world. During this transition the one constant has been the skillful play of midfielder, Roy Keane.

Born August 10, 1971, Keane has always stayed true to his roots-maintaining he is from Cork first and Ireland second.Those who know him best remark on the one characteristic, his determination, that has made him one of the top players in the world.A former amateur boxer, Keane plays a very aggressive and hard-nosed style of soccer. Keane was small for his size as a youngster, so therefore he had to work twice as hard to compete against other kids. His hard work has paid off as others have noticed his stellar play.

Argentina superstar Diego Maradona, while watching Keane play, uttered, "Buy him, together we play good." Unfortunately Maradona's Sevilla team in the Spanish league could not get Keane as he was purchased by Manchester United of the English Premiership who paid what was then a British domestic record f3.75 million for Keane's services in 1993.

Although Keane has reached the summit of his game, his beginnings in the sport were not as spectacular. He began his career with Rockmount AFC, a breeding ground for talent in Cork City. Keane wrote unsuccessfully to English clubs, including Nottingham Forest, before being picked up by Cobh Ramblers, one of two League of Ireland clubs playing in Cork at that time.While at Cobh, Keane was put through a football scholarship where he grew in size and matured as a player.

Eventually Noaingham Forest coach Brian Clough had the vision to see the type of player Keane would become.

Keane would only play three years at Nottingham before moving on to Manchester United. Nonetheless Keane is still regarded as one of the all time greats to play at Nottingham Forest. Even Keane has gone on record to say, he would not be the player he is today if not for his experience under Brian Clough at Nottingham Forest.

Since moving to Manchester United, Keane has shown tremendous versatility, playing right-back, central defense and each midfield position. His favored position is in the center of midfield where he can control the ball as well as the flow of the game. Steffen Effenberg, midfielder for Bayern Munich and the German National team said of Keane,"He is one of the best midfielders around today. He defends well and also gets forward to scorel' Keane has the ability to move the ball from penalty area to penalty area with his non-stop play. His tireless effort also creates a burden--especially in the later stages of the game when the defense is feeling tired and can't keep up with Keane's effort.

Keane has faced some criticism for occasional bad decisions, including a serious cruciate ligament injury following a tackle of a Leeds player in 1998. Keane has noted,"l'm sure a lot of people, the so called begrudgers, were happy to see me injured, and thinking of that has kept me going. For people to say I deserved what happened to me was ridiculous. I nearly lost my career for just trying to trip a fellow up.

The sometimes shaven-pated lean workhorse also makes no excuses for his tough style of play. "I'll never change my game. It isn't possible. If I did, I wouldn't be half the player I am." He adds,"lf someone's going to have a go at me, I'II have a go back. It's a fault, but that's the way it goes:' Although he has a combative, all-action style, his maturity has been obvious. Coach Mick McCarthy has recently named Keane the captain of the Irish National Team. Will Keane ber able to lead the young Irish team to the next level and regularly compete against the top countries of the world?

Only time will tell but Roy Keane is set to make his mark along with the other young Irish National players.

By Gary Murphy and Kevin Smith