Interview with Dean Kiely: Michael Walker talks to the former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper about Saipan and Charlton's quest for Europe

It is a moment all those present will never forget: the Republic of Ireland World Cup training camp, Saipan, almost two years ago. The sulphuric smell of Roy Keane's verbal assassination of Mick McCarthy was hanging in the air and the saloon doors were still swinging. Keane had vacated the building never to return but back in that shellshocked room there were 20 or more jaws denting the floorboards. No one had heard anything like it and no one knew how to follow it. Then a northern English voice, with a hint of Brummie about it, piped up.

It was Dean Kiely. "Mick," said Kiely. McCarthy gave him a look that said he did not want to hear from his reserve goalkeeper, but Kiely is a sparky sort of chap and carried on: "I'm offering my services as a midfield dynamo." The room erupted. Saipan felt a marginally better place to be after the intervention. "A comedy moment," Kiely recalled this week. "I'd be very pleased with the comedy value of that situation, but for that to be my biggest contribution in World Cup 2002 . . . hmmm." The Charlton Athletic goalkeeper was behind Shay Given at international level. The two meet again this evening when Charlton visit Newcastle.

"We had an inkling that something wasn't right when we were eating," Kiely continued, referring to Keane. "But as a group of players we were totally surprised because those sort of things usually go on behind closed doors. Afterwards there were 20-odd people with eyes agog and the lads will tell you round here, I'm a bit quick with a quip at times. I think Mick was expecting me to say whatever, and he was thinking: 'What have you got to say to appease this?' I just offered my services in midfield. The gravity of the situation was such that people fell about.

"This was a mammoth thing that we'd been party to but we had to look at it rationally from there on in. But it must have been massive for a world-class player to forfeit the chance of playing in the world's premier event. He must have felt very strongly. It wasn't a rant or off the top of his head, it was very calculated; he put his points across. But you can never second-guess people. He doesn't speak to me now, but then he never did."

A goalkeeper lives on his reflexes. Kiely's tongue can be as quick as his hands, with the brain which engages both sharpened by a lengthy route to the top. At 33, Kiely has spent time at Coventry, York, Bury and even on building sites in an effort to get where he is, though he was insistent that he has shared one characteristic with Keane regarding his career: control.

Like Keane, Kiely no longer plays international soccer, and he said: "It was a decision taken about my career and it was taken by me. So often managers, clubs and associations make decisions about players. This was me being in control, guiding myself. When I was at York and there were scouts there every week I was linked with every big club. I felt I was playing well; it seemed I was highly regarded and yet nothing happened - that was a control issue.

"When I decided to go to Bury it was my decision to go there rather than six or seven other clubs that were a lot bigger but where I'd be second or third keeper. That's no good to me. Bury was a good choice. We won promotion.

"I'd love to have played more games for Ireland, of course, but here at Charlton things are snowballing. On a professional level I just weighed two things up and something had to give. And in a professional sense it was the least productive thing I was involved in. It was purely that, there was no animosity towards anybody."

Snowballing is a good description of Charlton's season and the race for fourth place in the Premiership, where nine points separate 10 clubs. A major flake may have been lost in Scott Parker but when Charlton arrive at St James' Park this evening it will be as the fourth-best team in England. There are 10 games left though as Charlton have yet to play six of their immediate rivals, the bookmakers reckon they are 10 to 1 to finish fourth with Newcastle and Liverpool both 6 to 4. "Look at the table," Kiely said. "We are not there by default, more than two-thirds of the season has gone."

Having once owned a horse called Shotstopper Kiely knows form and the meaning of such odds. "Obviously we're not allowed to bet but if I was to advise 26,000 Charlton fans, yeah, you look for value and there's definitely some value there - worth a fiver. I can understand the odds because that's how we're perceived. Newcastle have a fantastic following, a great stadium, infrastructure, tradition - hence they're 6 to 4. Liverpool have a fantastic squad of players, fantastic history, fantastic stadium - hence they're 6-4.

"They are formidable sides but strip tradition and their fans away from it and we're in the same bracket as a team. This is not a Sunday pub team. Your eyes can be taken away from the team by the big-club factor, and maybe the cycle is changing. It's like the [champion trainer Martin] Pipe and [champion jockey Tony] McCoy factor.

"Curbs [the manager] has amassed a quality side in terms of football and people, and we've been in the top six since November. Every week it's, 'Are they overachieving' or, 'When are they going to fall off?' I'm not going to say that isn't going to happen, but there are 10 games to go and we are in fourth. We fell away at this stage in the last couple of seasons so if you're looking for incentives for Charlton, there's one straight away."

Last season was a particularly sore fall. Charlton reached this stage in sixth place with two more points than today. They got only four more, losing eight of their last 10 games and ending up 12th. The previous season they lost five of their last 10 and drew four. They finished 14th.

"No one's focus wavered," Kiely said of last year. "It was directed at us that maybe we went on holiday mentally and that was hurtful. The last 10 games were poor, yes, but in terms of training we worked as hard as ever. We were all very disappointed and maybe that's why when we reached 40 points this time round there was no sigh of relief, no visible relief at hitting the 40-point target.

"This year it has come and gone and no big deal was made of it. With Scott, he made a decision for Scott Parker. There was no gun put to his head - that's quite difficult to accept if you are a fan of Charlton. There was a big hoo-ha, but the club goes on, it evolves, adapts, carries on. Maybe we're raising the bar a little. Individually, I know I am. It's nice to surprise people."

Guardian Service