Red Mist: Roy Keane and the Irish World Cup Blues: A Fan's Story [Paperback]

Conor O'Callaghan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2005

2002 was the year of Roy Keane, if not exactly Roy Keane's year. Banished from Ireland's World Cup squad and then suspended by the English FA after comments in his best-selling autobiography, the Manchester United and Ireland captain was seldom out of the news. Red Mist is Conor O'Callaghan's memoir of the year when an Irish hero was arraigned in the court of public opinion—argued about in bars and across shop counters, debated by the media, and surrounded by a torrent of rumours. From the drawings of O'Callaghan's football-mad seven-year-old son and the mysterious disappearance of his rag doll Mr, Roy Keane that summer, to eavesdropped conversations and tirades on websites, this is a passionate exploration of celebrity, temperament, one-all victories, Saipan, the World Cup, and national aspiration.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Explores the relationship between the Irish people and their reluctant hero ... hilarious ... Witty, charming, compulsive' Four Four Two 'An engaging piece of work, lit by flashes of sharp humour and wonderful idiosyncrasies ... O'Callaghan has a deep, sure-footed and self-deprecating humour. Red Mist is a quiet joy to read and frequently a laugh-out-loud book' Dermot Bolger, Sunday Business Post 'An engaging memoir of Irish society during the 2002 World Cup ... witty and well told' Independent 'Cleverly observed and beautifully written ... O'Callaghan manages to outfeverpitch Fever Pitch with his memoir, his love of the game and his empathy, with a brilliant but flawed man, dripping from the pages' Sunday Tribune

About the Author

Conor O'Callaghan is the author of three acclaimed poetry collections, The History of Rain (shortlisted for the Forward Poetry Prize Best First Collection and winner of the Patrick Kavanagh Award), Seatown and Fiction. He lives in Co. Louth, Republic of Ireland, with his wife and fellow poet Vona Groarke and their two children, Tommy and Eve.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury UK (August 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0747570795
• ISBN-13: 978-0747570790
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,830,584 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars An interestingly enough examination of the Saipan incident of Ireland's 2002 World Cup quest., October 18, 2008

By 

Tom Plum "TC" (Roswell, NM United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Red Mist: Roy Keane and the Irish World Cup Blues: A Fan's Story (Paperback)

This book examines the dispute between Roy Keane and Coach Mick McCarthy in the preparations for Ireland's national soccer team in the 2002 World Cup. In it, the Ireland national soccer team sets up camp prior to the tournament on the pacific island of Saipan but they lacked some necessary supplies like soccer balls! The story is told through the eyes of an Ireland fan, the author living back in the Emerald island watching all of the events taking place through news stories and even visits to pubs to watch the team play their games. His family and namely son partakes in the story too.

In summarizing, we do get an in depth view of this whole controversial episode of which we ourselves might base an opinion on whom was right and whom was wrong as if the pros and cons are laid out and outlined for us, the basic conundrum being that Ireland's midfieldsman, Roy Keane, a world class player at that time, did not join the team for the tournament in Japan/Korea because of disagreement on how the team was being run.

As opposed to the popular book, Fever Pitch which is well known and of which many subsequent soccer books have probably used as a blue print in how to narrate a story (though it was not the first to do it that way), this author is definitely writing with an Irish slant to his English language, maybe better said, he writes and talks like an Irishman so it is not always as perfectly understandable as straight ahead English but that is really not a problem and probably a part of the charm of this book. It could easily be given the full 5 star rating but I don't think that properly reflects that while it is a very good book, it might not be among the very best soccer books out there. Thus, I give it only 4 stars. It is a must for any fan of the boys in green.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fail to Prepare - Prepare to Fail, January 15, 2005

By 

Craobh Rua "Craobh Rua" (N. Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Red Mist (Hardcover)

In 2002, soccer's World Cup Finals were played in Japan and South Korea. Following a two-year qualifying campaign, thirty-two countries were involved. While countries such as Brazil and France were among the pre-tournament favorites, the Republic of Ireland had qualified for only the third time in their history.

Ireland's team captain leading up to the finals was Roy Keane, considered by many to be the country's greatest ever player. While soccer is a team sport, Ireland simply wouldn't have been capable of qualifying for the Finals without him. Keane, like all the other members of Ireland's squad, has spent the bulk of his playing career in England - where he has won the Premiership and the F.A. Cup (English soccer's top competitions) several times. He also has a winners medal from the Champions League (Europe's top competition) in his collection. A very focused and determined player, he believes it is necessary to train, eat and rest properly to perform at the highest level.

The events that led up to the World Cup Finals that year, however, must have left him feeling disillusioned with the international set-up. The FAI (the organisation in charge of Irish soccer) had decided that Saipan would be used as the pre-tournament base. After all, it had a very nice hotel. Unfortunately, the team arrived to discover the FAI had brought no soccer balls or training gear - which made training a little difficult. Furthermore, Keane, as captain, wasn't too impressed with the attitude of some of his team-mates; there have been suggestions of late nights and heavy drinking (and I don't mean isotonic fluids). Furthermore, when the training equipment finally arrived, he was unhappy that some were allowed to skip the scheduled training sessions. Keane's anger at what was happening around him led to a huge argument with the squad's coach, Mick McCarthy. It seems that McCarthy found Keane's attitude unacceptable and reservations without foundation; as a result, he dismissed Keane from the squad and sent him home.

The story was huge, and Ireland was divided. A large part of the Irish population bizarrely agreed with McCarthy. Vilified by many in the media, Keane was labelled a traitor. Some made claims about what he'd said to McCarthy. He denied making the most controversial remark, a denial supported by Niall Quinn - another player who'd actually backed McCarthy's position. Keane, however, did have his supporters - among them, the population of Cork City and Conor O'Callaghan. In this book, O'Callaghan looks back to the events of Saipan, the reaction of the Irish people and its effect on him. He was involved in any number of arguments defending Keane - his barber was one of his favorite sparring partners - while the situation left his seven-year-old son thoroughly confused. Like Steve Staunton - who was appointed Ireland's captain after Keane was dismissed - O'Callaghan was brought up in Dundalk. Staunton was another player who'd backed McCarthy at a press conference. One of the funniest incidents takes place at a street party after his neighbour returned home - O'Callaghan made sure his neighbour knew not everyone was happy with his role.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, but I'd imagine it has a limited appeal. There'd need to be some interest in soccer, and it will mean more if the reader followed the 2002 World Cup. (Having said that, it probably won't be enjoyed so much by those who supported Mick McCarthy). If you're interested, other books that cover the events of Saipan include "Laptop Dancing and the Nanny Goat Mambo: A Sports Writer's Year" by Tom Humphries and the autobiographies of Niall Quinn and Roy Keane.