Irish captain Robbie Keane rounded on the media when he appeared on the Late Late Showlast night, blaming sections of the press for turning the supporters against the team since the appointment of Steve Staunton as manager.

"I'm a football fan as well, I'm fortunate enough to play for my country and to be captain, and I can understand where some of it was coming from," he said when asked about the crowd's reaction at Croke Park on Wednesday night, when they booed the manager and team off the pitch.

"But it does have an effect on the players. We used to hear it a lot with the English team and we were the first to say we could never do that, but we're doing it - but I'm not blaming the fans for one second. I think the fans get influenced by other people, the media have this overpowering effect. When sections of the media are trying to influence the crowd that's not good for Irish football. We weren't brought up like that, that concerns me."

"We have to be honest . . Of course you accept the criticism, that's part and parcel of the job. It wasn't good enough against Cyprus, I make no bones about it. But the reason we didn't perform . . . and I hate blaming people . . . but when they're getting influenced by other people I find that a big shame.

"Of course it effects the players. If you're getting ridiculed from the Tuesday to the game on Saturday how's that going to give you confidence going in to a game? Let's not forget, we've got a lot of young lads who've come in to this team since Stan took over, and I've seen them before games, the pressure on their faces, even before they go out and kick a ball, and that's not good. They're intimidated. I never had any of this when I was a young player, this blaming people. How can a young lad go on to the pitch full of confidence when the day before someone has absolutely slaughtered him?"

Unlike FAI chief executive John Delaney on Thursday, Keane offered his public support to Staunton. "This is a man and a player who we respected growing up, we've seen him play in World Cups and how he handled himself. This is a fella we looked up to, this is the thanks he's getting. Everyone is open to some criticism, that's fair enough, but when you look at Stan, over 100 caps for his country, and people are ridiculing him?

"From day one Stan was getting a hard time, people saying he was inexperienced and what have you, but you have to give people a chance in life."