Former Republic of Ireland international David Meyler dubbed reports of Seamus Coleman being "humiliated" by Stephen Kenny 'a load of nonsense' on OTB Sports.
Be it 'videogate' or rumours of Seamus Coleman's humiliation, David Meyler has very little faith in some of what is being reported about Stephen Kenny's Ireland.
After a turbulent start to his tenure on and off the pitch, Kenny's team have gone eight games without a win and have yet to score since Shane Duffy snatched a 1-1 draw in Sofia four months ago.
In certain quarters of the media, it has lead to reports of discontent.
"From what I've heard from all the players I've talked to," Meyler explained to OTB Sports on Saturday's Football Show, "the video was nothing.
"Most of them didn't take notice of it until after I believe somebody who wasn't in the camp asked if there was something in the video. It is just like the story I read about Seamus this morning about him being humiliated in being made go to a press conference."
Meyler's comments followed on from claims made in Friday's Irish Daily Star that Ireland captain Seamus Coleman had been "humiliated" by Kenny.
The source of his shame reportedly came from being presented to the media before Kenny's opening game against Bulgaria, a match that would not feature Coleman in Ireland's starting XI.
"Coleman, ever the professional and at pains not to upset the camp or deviate from his commitment to his country, fulfilled a commitment he should never have been asked to go to. To humiliate any player - never mind the senior international side's skipper and a player who is the most respected in the dressing room - in this way is truly unbelievable."
Yet, numerous onlookers, including the Irish Independent's Daniel McDonnell who joined Meyler on Saturday's Football Show, questioned the veracity of these claims.
"Seamus Coleman was 100pc given the choice whether to do the Sofia press conference or not and he opted to do so," he responded to the situation on Twitter. "Journalists can only go off the info they are given so - for me - the issue again is the motive behind a certain version of events being leaked. It’s clear as day."
In the aftermath of the paper's initial claims, a follow up report in Saturday's Irish Daily Star presented a response to the original column.
"Informed sources within the FAI have denied the claim in yesterday's Irish Daily Star that Seamus Coleman was asked by Kenny to carry out the pre-match press conference," it read, detailing that it had been the Donegal native who insisted on carrying out these duties.
"Even as I read [the first] article I was thinking, what a load of nonsense this is," Meyler stated in response to the suggestion that Coleman had been humiliated by Kenny.
"If you know Seamus or have ever spoken to Seamus or have even ever watched Seamus in an interview, you'll know the type of character he is. Stephen [Kenny] obviously had a chat with Seamus, told him he wasn't playing.
"Seamus is captain and is meant normally to do the press conferences the night before a game and he said he would do it. He's the captain of Ireland, he's stepping forward. Of course he will be annoyed that he's not playing, but there would have been no ego or any of that stuff."
Having had the pleasure of captaining the Republic of Ireland himself during Coleman's absence through injury, Meyler reflected on the unusual demands the role can make on a player.
"I had something similar happen with Martin [O'Neill]," he admitted of a scenario where he had to come before the media in his role as captain.
"I remember Martin came to me and it was a little after the incident with the WhatsApp leak from Stephen Ward... and he brought me to the press conference to address an argument me and Martin had had in training after the Wales game.
"But I was doing the press conference thinking, well I'll be playing [the next game] because I was doing the press conference, and then Martin named the team and I wasn't on it.
"I wasn't aggrieved or humiliated by it and I did come on and play in the end."
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