Robbie Keane has dismissed suggestions that Giovanni Trapattoni should resign as manager after the Republic of Ireland's poor showing in Euro 2012.
Three defeats and nine goals conceded have increased the pressure on the Italian, who has taken lots of flak for his refusal to make tactical or personnel changes.
"Not a chance," Keane declared when questioned about calls for Trapattoni to step down.
Speaking after Ireland's 2-0 defeat to Italy last night, Keane also denied that any change in system would have led to different results.
In the end, he put Ireland's struggles at the tournament down to superior opposition.
He said: "That's just going against everything we've done in the last four years. We have played that way for four years under Trap so I think it would be wrong to come into a tournament and try to change that.
"It's the manager's decision so we were happy for the last four years with the way we've playing. This tournament, we can talk about tactics and stuff like that, but I don't think it's anything like that.
"It's been disappointing for everyone of course. You want to do the best you can and make the country proud. I don't know whether the players could have done any more than they did. They gave 100%.
"I think sometimes in life you just have to hold your hands up and say we've been beaten by better teams."
It was a more spirited performance in Poznan last night and Ireland looked competitive in the opening stages as they pressed Italy on the ball and mounted several attacks.
However, a failure to keep possession saw Ireland run out of steam and Italy won thanks to Antonio Cassano's first-half header and a late strike from Mario Balotelli.
"We're disappointed. We wanted to try and give something to the fans and the players to go home with," said Keane.
"It is disappointing that we didn't get something out of the game. It was a game that going in to it we knew we could get something out of it, but we were beaten again by two set-piece goals, which we haven't been getting beaten in that department in a long time.
"I think we got in their faces a lot more. We knew from playing against Italy in previous games about getting into their faces and not give them much time and that was the case tonight.
"We played well in some parts but without again creating too many chances for ourselves. To get beaten from a corner from probably the smallest player on the pitch is disappointing."
Much had been made of Aiden McGeady's comments before the tournament that the players were tired from too much training, but Keane rejected suggestions that there were problems with how the team prepared.
He said: "Everything has been fine. There is no excuses. We can stand here and say this, that and the other, but we couldn't have prepared as well as we have.
"We can't be making excuses. We have been beaten by teams that are superior and it's as simple as that."
There had been talk that last night could have been Keane's final one for Ireland but he refused to discuss in any length his future.
He said: "It's not really the right time to be even talking about it to come back. The whole squad has come back off a tournament that we are all disappointed so it wouldn't be the right time.
"It's not whether I'm making my mind up or not saying anything and carrying on. Who knows? I'm not really thinking about it to be honest. We'll just leave it at that."
