Today, some members of the staff were unveiled, including Delap as the assistant head coach. Delap and Keane previously played together for the national team. Delap's previous roles include working as a first-team coach and development coach at Stoke City.
In addition to Delap, Andy Liddell has been appointed as the senior fitness coach. Keane and Liddell previously collaborated under Mick McCarthy on the Irish senior staff in 2019. Keane emphasized the importance of fitness during his introductory press conference, expressing his expectations for the players' physical condition.
Phillip Hudson has also joined the coaching staff as the senior analyst. Hudson comes from Middlesbrough, where he served as the head of analysis since 2012. Keane previously worked as Middlesbrough's assistant manager during the 2019/20 season.
Currently, Keane has yet to appoint an assistant manager and a goalkeeper coach.
Keane was most recently hired as an assistant to Sam Allardyce at his old club Leeds towards the end of last season as the duo attempted to save the Elland Road outfit from relegation.
דלאפ, לידל והאדסון מצטרפים לצוות של קין 🟡
לכל הפרטים בכתבה >> https://t.co/sGa2dbzHvD
Delap, Liddell, and Hudson join Keane’s coaching staff pic.twitter.com/jvi5VdIaUU— Maccabi Tel Aviv FC (@MaccabiTLVFC) June 28, 2023
The Ireland legend has since left his role with Leeds and has now taken up the option of a full-time gig with the Israeli Premier League side.
Yesterday, Keane spoke about not wanting to get into politics after coming under fire for taking the job in Israel.
The 42-year-old also addressed the political criticism by saying, "I don't want to get into politics. This is the last time I will say it. I'm here as a football man and someone who loves the game. I will certainly just focus on that."
Keane was also asked about the pressure and added, "I'm a winner, I want to win all the time. I want people around me who have the same mentality as me. I want them to play in a certain way and all pulling in the same direction. Everywhere I've been in my career, I've always gone for the reason to win, and it's no different here.
"Everyone is always going to have an opinion, that's football, that's why we love it. I've been in the game for a long time, at a high level for a long time, I'm used to criticism. Does it bother me? No. All I can do is the best I can do for the football club. It might take a little bit of time, but I'm here to hit the ground running from day one."
The Tallaght native will now be tasked with aiming to win Maccabi Tel Aviv's first league championship since 2020. Rival side Maccabi Haifa has won three successive titles. Keane's new side will also compete in the Europa Conference League qualifiers next month.
