In the wake of Ireland’s disastrous showing at Euro 2012, which culminated with a 2-0 defeat to Italy on Monday, the question that is set to divide supporters prior to the World Cup qualifiers is if Giovanni Trapattoni should step down from the helm. One man throwing his unequivocal supporter behind Trapattoni is Robbie Keane who dismissed suggestions that the manger should go.

Keane said that Ireland’s tournament woes were down to the quality of the opposition they faced in their group rather than A refusal to make changes to the system of football played by Ireland or by a lack of personnel changes. Keane conceded that the Irish results were disappointing but feels that Ireland were beaten by ”better teams”. Ireland’s next competitive fixture will be against Serbia in August.