An appeal, should one be forthcoming, will be heard by a different committee, headed by an independent QC and two senior figures from the FA council with legal backgrounds.

It also covers his Ireland career and unsurprisingly gives his version of what happened in Saipan when he left Ireland’s world cup squad just before the 2002 tournament kicked off. This week's fresh whining about Ferguson, as well as the racy leaks on Twitter, if anything misrepresent the tone of The Second Half, which in its wit and self-reflection, its grappling for balance and fairness in many situations, continues this process of rebranding – or, if you like, demystification.I've just got my copy of The Second Half and although I'm only a couple of chapters into it, it has not disappointed. I won't name names, but most sporting biographies couldn't set an ashtray on fire, let alone a crowd. The sections on Keane’s upbringing in Cork and his time at Forest, especially with Clough, still read beautifully, as do his reflections on the Class Of ’92, Eric Cantona, Gary Pallister and the Man U v Liverpool Cup Final in 1996. Photograph: Kieran Galvin/EPA Photograph: Kieran Galvin/EPA Tragic hero: the trials and tribulations of Aston Villa assistant manager Roy Keane, as told by Roddy Doyle. There is much that is defiant and enjoyable in their respective refusal to take a single step back in the face of the kind of over-managed pettiness that dogs the modern professional sportsman’s life – both men refuse to let the management decide when and where they can see their wives, for example.

All these players were in the back of my mind: ‘If I get a chance I’m going to fucking hit you, of course I am. The madness of football: we'd been beaten 3-0 by Luton, a shocking result, but at the press conference after the game I said that football results really didn't matter and I mentioned that Clive Clarke had had a heart attack. JK Rowling has described Doyle's The Woman Who Walked into Doors as her favourite book for his skill in inhabiting the life of abused wife Paula Spencer, a more than adequate preparation for the relatively straightforward contradictions of Ireland's most complex – and we use the term loosely – sports star.Roy Keane scoring the winning goal during a kick about in Doha is the best thing you'll see today…and then there's the celebration 😂🔥 pic.