As the Republic of Ireland aim to secure a second-round place that they so richly deserve today, somebody somewhere ought to be taking a long, hard look at himself.

That somebody is Roy Keane, and if he isn't hanging his head in shame then he's even more stupidly stubborn than we thought.

If the Republic find their way past Germany or Cameroon and qualify from Group E, theirs will be an achievement that puts England's win over Argentina in the shade.

The sum has always been greater than the parts in Ireland's case. Yet without Keane, they were written off by almost everyone.

Almost everyone, that is, bar themselves. They haven't relied on the luck of the Irish to gain creditable draws in their first two World Cup games. Their performances, the first half against Cameroon excepted, have eclipsed what they seemed capable of.

Rather than causing further dissent in the ranks, Keanegate brought Ireland's 22 remaining players closer together.

Rather than being submerged under a sea of acrimony, the likes of Mark Kinsella and Matt Holland have given displays which have belied their status as competent Premiership players.

It would of course be typically Irish if they were to fail to record the necessary two-goal victory against Saudi Arabia today. After all, in 1990 they became the only team to reach the World Cup quarter-finals without winning a single game.

But surely, after all the trials and tribulations of the last fortnight, Ireland will see off the Saudis with enough to spare to leave their Green Army of fans extending their stay in the Far East by at least another few days.

Remarkably, Jason McAteer almost followed sacked skipper Keane home early after he was dropped for the Germany match last Wednesday.

McAteer, who was left out because he had a knee injury, said: "On the day of the Germany game, I had just started packing, for no particular reason, when Mick Byrne (the Ireland physio) paid a call. 'Why are you packing your bags?' he asked. 'Because I'm going home,' I replied instinctively.

"Steve Staunton, who was still in bed, opened his eyes and said, 'What did you just say?' I said, 'I'm injured and I am going home.'

"At lunch, I kept myself to myself. I asked Niall Quinn to inform Mick that I wasn't fit and didn't want to be named as a sub, and I went for a walk.

"But in hindsight Mick was 100per cent right. There was no argument or disagreement, I was just very unhappy. But after speaking to the medical staff I decided to carry on and try to get fit for the Saudi Arabia game."

* France maestro Zinedine Zidane's teammates are ready to share his workload and run some of his errands for him if he returns for today's all-important World Cup clash with Denmark.

The French team doctors are thought to have already given Zidane the all-clear, but coach Roger Lemerre insists it is up to the player himself to say that ''he is fit''.

The decision was expected in private last night, but it is unlikely to be made known until this morning.

France left-back Bixente Lizarazu is already convinced the Real Madrid star will play after being sidelined for two weeks with a torn thigh muscle.

''I am sure he will play against Denmark even if he is not 100 per cent, others can do the running for him,'' said Lizarazu. ''He does not need to be to hit his quality balls."