"Forget About The Results" - Robbie Keane Backs Shamrock Rovers Project
Former Irish skipper Robbie Keane has come out in support of under-pressure Shamrock Rovers boss Stephen Bradley and all those working at the club.
The Hoops currently lie sixth in the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division table and are a massive 18 points behind runaway leaders Cork City.
The Hoops have lost four of their last six league games going back to their 2-1 home defeat against the table-toppers on St Patrick's Day but Keane is urging critics to stop focusing just on the scorelines.
"Forget about the results and forget about where they are. They're definitely, as a club, going forward. There's no question.
"They have a great young manager in Bradser, who wants to do the right things."Bradley took the reins in a caretaker capacity at Tallaght Stadium last July, after the dismissal of Pat Fenlon, before he was given the role of head coach last November.
Keane believes that the 32-year-old needs to be given time and shown some patience.
"It's a transitional period for them. After last year, they got rid of a lot of players and brought a lot of younger players in.
"When you're sitting from afar and whether you're a journalist or someone at home, you always want people to give young players opportunities. You want to give young managers opportunities and that's exactly what they're doing."
Robbie Keane with Rovers Sporting Director Stephen McPhail in 2014 - ©INPHO/Donall Farmer
Keane has been training with the Rovers squad this year after he left LA Galaxy and from what he has seen at the club, they have a bright future.
"Let's give them the opportunity, let's give them a chance to cement what they want to achieve there.
"There's no question in my mind after being in there, closely watching it, that this is a group of players and certainly a hungry manager and staff that are desperate to help this team go forward and there's no question in my mind they will do.
"There's no question, looking at it from the inside, they're going in the right direction."