Kerr finds few reasons to miss his past master
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Your support makes all the difference.The chant – short and not so sweet – came up after just 18 minutes and must have been balm to the bruised soul of the Republic of Ireland's new manager, Brian Kerr.
"Are you watching, Roy Keane?'' sang the 6,000 Irish fans inside Hampden Park. By then their team were two goals up and Kerr was enjoying the kind of start to his tenure that is usually reserved for dreams.
The new man was able to start with a central midfield player from Manchester as his captain. But it was not the one who would have taken the armband this time last year. Instead Kerr put his faith in Ipswich Town's Matt Holland, born in Bury, Greater Manchester, and qualified to wear the green through his grandparents. As if to invite comparison, Holland also wore the No 6 shirt vacated by Keane.
Alongside him was Mark Kinsella, currently of Aston Villa's reserves, as the two renewed the partnership which was hastily assembled following Keane's departure from the World Cup last summer.
This was the eighth game for the Irish since Keane absented himself but it was the first real post-Roy encounter now that his decision has become a permanent one. The contest in the centre of midfield was always going to be a crucial one, especially as the only potential danger from the Scots lay in the Old Firm pairing of Barry Ferguson and Paul Lambert. They were eclipsed.
Whether it was the spur of Keane's untimely announcement, the desire to work for the popular new manager or simply the paucity of the opposition, Ireland were dominant.
John O'Shea, winning only his third cap, excelled in defence. Interestingly he played for 81 minutes – which probably did not go unnoticed at Old Trafford – and embraced Kerr when he finally came off. The two have known each other since O'Shea was just 15.
At the end Kerr went to the Irish fans. He allowed himself a modest smile. A first step. He said: "I am very happy obviously. We set out to win the match and boost morale – if it needed to be boosted."
Kerr, clearly emotional, explained that he had gone into the dressing room after being told of Keane's decision on Tuesday night and said to the players: "That's the end of that. Maybe they were relieved that there was closure and we were going to move on together." Beside him, Holland nodded. Closure, maybe, but also a new beginning.
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