Soccer: After a rather low-key arrival with his heavily depleted squad to Dublin yesterday, Romania manager Anghel Iordanescu enjoyed the sort of eve of match-day profile that Brian Kerr must dream about these days. Emmet Malone Soccer Correspondent reports
A candidate in the local elections back home - where a law was recently passed preventing those contesting a poll of any sort being interviewed for television or radio, unless the programme can be described as current affairs - the coach, as it happens, had no choice on the matter.
Already, though, there is a heated debate back in Bucharest as to what should be done in the event that RTÉ, which is providing Romanian television with its pictures this evening, are reckless enough to ask the visiting coach for his views on the game in the immediate aftermath of the final whistle.
If a similar law was passed here, one suspects, Kerr would be perpetually standing for election to something or other around the country.
Across the city from the Romanian squad's southside base yesterday, Kerr was having to endure the sort of media attention that would normally put a serious dent on his good humour, although if Roy's return isn't worth an hour with the press pack to the Dubliner then it's hard to imagine what is.
Keane managed to look quietly bemused by the fuss during a press conference dominated by questions directed at him.
Kenny Cunningham, for the most part, looked a little baffled as to why he himself had come along at all.
Kerr, though, looked quietly pleased at the return of a man whose availability during the campaign to come will significantly boost the Dubliner's chances of managing at a senior World Cup.
With regard to the far more immediate future, both men were upbeat about Keane's prospects of earning his 59th international cap at Lansdowne Road this evening.
The 32-year-old came through yesterday's training session with no obvious difficulty and, though he was reported later to have had an ice pack on the knee that was injured in Saturday's FA Cup final, he maintained that he would be fit to play tonight unless he suffered an unexpected reaction during the build-up to kick-off time.
Even if he fails to start, Keane may be introduced late on in an attempt to get his comeback officially over and done with.
The chances, however, of the team's former skipper featuring from the outset now look greater and so Kerr is a good deal closer to achieving his stated aim of fielding his strongest side against a team that has lost just once (and that away to Italy) in 11 outings.
Both squads are well short of what would be considered full strength but while Kerr mentioned the loss of 11 established players he still has a better hand to play than Iordanescu.
It is conceivable that the seven players fielded through the spine of tonight's Irish team could all be first choices from a full-strength squad come the start of the qualifiers in September.
The Ireland manager will certainly be hoping to field Shay Given, Cunningham and Robbie Keane for the visit of Cyprus, while Andy O'Brien, Matt Holland and Clinton Morrison are, at the very least, strong contenders for places.
If John O'Shea is fit - he remained a doubt yesterday because of an ankle injury also sustained in Cardiff on Saturday - he is set to start again at left back, further strengthening the look of this evening's starting line-up. If not, then Alan Maybury is likely to win his fifth cap.
After that there should be opportunities for Andy Reid and, an ongoing groin strain permitting, Liam Miller to build on what have been promising starts to their careers at this level.
Steve Finnan, who has featured in only five of the 14 games since Kerr took over from Mick McCarthy, looks certain to stand in for Steve Carr on the right side of the defence.
With many of the squad's younger players set to get run-outs against Nigeria and Jamaica in London over the coming week, the familiarity of the team Kerr aims to field this evening is, he says, a measure of his respect for the visitors who overran Germany 5-1 at the end of last month.
Iordanescu was without several prominent players for that game and is missing another four of the starters from that night, as well as three of the substitutes he brought on, for this encounter.
Among those to have travelled, however, are highly rated Ajax goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont and Ionel Danciulescu, the Dinamo Bucharest striker who scored twice against the Germans.
Some of the absentees, like Roma's Cristian Chivu and Adrian Mutu of Chelsea, are carrying long-term injuries, while a couple have had to stay with eastern European clubs involved in competitive matches this week.
Four others, however, have been left behind for what are said to be disciplinary reasons, while one, Sporting Lisbon's Marius Nicolae, has chosen a close-season trip to the United States with his club over international duty.
The young striker is probably fortunate that Romania's coach is finding it difficult just now to tell the folks back home his views on that one.
PROBABLE LINE-OUTS
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Given (Newcatle United); Finnan (Liverpool), Cunningham (Birmingham City), O'Brien (Newcastle United), O'Shea (Manchester United); Miller (Celtic), Holland (Charlton Athletic), Keane (Manchester United) Reid (Nottingham Forest); Keane (Tottenham Hotspur), Morrison (Birmingham City).
ROMANIA: Lobont; Dancia, Iensci, Ghionea, Barcauan, Radoi, Plesan, O Petre, Dica, Danciulescu, Ganea.
