Defender Clive Clarke has lifted the lid on Roy Keane's regime at Sunderland, claiming the calm demeanour his fellow Irishman seems to have brought into management is merely a front.

"He is going around booting chairs and throwing things," the defender was quoted as saying by The Sunday Independent.

"He's never going to give you confidence, he doesn't talk to the lads. If the lads at Manchester United couldn't reach the standards he wanted, and they are some of the best players in the world, then it's going to be a lot harder for the lads at Sunderland to reach them."

You can't help feeling that Keane's limitations are starting to be exposed. He has spent big but packed his team with old or failed ex-Reds, as well as players he has come across in his time with Ireland and Celtic. He was a great player, but the arrogance and temper that characterised his tirades against McCarthy and his fellow players at United clearly haven't disappeared overnight. Now it's his turn to take a highly-publicised rebuke from one of his players. Perhaps some chickens are coming home to roost for Keane.

The Republic of Ireland's football governing body (FAI) says a Fifa ruling on Saturday means it can continue to pick Northern Ireland-born players. "Senior Fifa sources have confirmed to us that the status quo remains and the FAI may continue to select players born in Northern Ireland," said the FAI.

The media once again whipped up a storm this week with regard to the singing of Irish songs at Celtic matches. The noxious Nicky Campbell hijacked a Radio 5 interview with Dr Jeannette Findlay, who leads the Celtic Trust supporters' group campaigning against ex-home secretary John Reid's appointment as Celtic chairman. Rather than dealing with the substance of her arguments against Reid, Campbell invited Dr Findlay to condemn Celtic fans who sing "terrorist" songs. Findlay refuted this label, and gave a calm and measured reply.

That was sufficent for the usual suspects of the English and Scottish media to pile into Dr Findlay, the allegation as ever being that songs from the War of Independence such as "The Boys of the Old Brigade" are sectarian. Sadly the Irish media were no better, while the foreign minister Dermot Ahern offered up this nugget: "Any singing of those type of songs I wouldn't encourage at all. In fact in the Eircom League they are leading a massive campaign called Sport Against Racism. In fact, I am launching it next week".

So apparently singing such songs is not only sectarian, it's racist as well? Perhaps Mr Ahern should check the definition of 'sectarian' and 'racist', or maybe he should refrain from singing his own national anthem (one of the 'terrorist' songs in question).

At the heart of this is the fact that many in Scottish society (and perhaps some within the club's own hierarchy) find Celtic's proud Irish heritage a source of immense irritation: they are desperate to neuter it and turn Celtic in just another profit-driven club. Happily, it appears that the more they try, the more resistance they get.

You can hear the Radio 5 interview by clicking here. It's worth noting that the Celtic Trust supporters' group subsequently issued a statement confirming their outright opposition to sectarianism and bigotry, and their support for the "Kick out Bigotry" campaign in Scotland. You can offer your support to the Celtic Trust by adding a comment at their website.

As is customary, The Republic were handed a tough draw in the 2010 World Cup qualifying groups. Ireland will face world champions Italy, while the second seeds in the group are Bulgaria, who very narrowly missed qualification for Euro 2008 in a group containing Holland and Romania. It could have been worse, but not much. Looking on the bright side, a trip to Rome could prove very inviting for the fans.

As is also customary, England got a favourable draw: given the alternatives they will be happy to have Croatia as the top seeds in their group, despite this week's debacle.

On a positive note, the Irish media are reporting that Terry Venables is the FAI's choice for the Ireland job. This writer for one hopes he takes it - El Tel is a class act. Just as long as they put a clause in his contract forbidding him to write for The Sun.

Older readers will recall Bob Wilson - the 1970s Arsenal goalkeeper - as the first English-born player to represent Scotland. Younger readers will remember him as a bumbling but affable football presenter on ITV. Either way a radio programme in which his son traces their Scottish roots doesn't sound like promising material. In fact the broadcast last Friday was a fascinating journey into Wilson's background which took him to Glasgow to explore the origins of Celtic and Rangers, as well as touching upon present-day issues.

The programme, called "Auld Firm Old Family", can be heard at the BBC's Listen Again website - but note it will only be available until next Friday.

Link: www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/networks/radio4/aod.shtml?radio4/auldfirmoldfamily

Another eventful day in the peculiar world of Stephen Ireland, aka Superman (or Daddy Dick as he refers to himself on his Bebo website), saw the Manchester City midfielder pick up an official warning from the Football Association about his behaviour as well as being overlooked by the Republic of Ireland and told, in the bluntest of terms, to "sort out" his life.