The much-decorated ex-pro said yesterday he could understand why Irish fans would want to see a Liverpool team playing in Dublin, as they expect to see top players, but added they should be encouraged to watch their own local clubs.

Houghton was responding to hard-hitting comments made by Dermot Keely on RTÉ on Monday night, when the former Shelbourne manager criticised “48,000 morons going to watch Liverpool’s reserve team” at last week’s match against Shamrock Rovers in Aviva Stadium.

Keely described the phenomenon as “absolutely shocking” and questioned the level of support for Irish club soccer. “I do not understand how Irish people cannot support an Irish league. It’s beyond me. If you parachuted half that crowd into Liverpool, they wouldn’t be able to find their way to Anfield,” he told RTÉ’s Soccer Republic programme.

Speaking yesterday in Tipperary at one of a number of media previews of this Sunday’s FAI Junior Cup final, Houghton said the challenges involved for Irish football are to improve the game and make it more attractive for supporters.

“We’ve all been brought up on English football, haven’t we?” he told the Irish Examiner. “I was brought up in Scotland and still knew Liverpool and Man United. That’s the way of the world. What we have to get to is, how can we make football in Ireland better? How can we get more people out watching League of Ireland matches? Is it down to the standard of football? Is it down to the standard of stadiums?”

More people at League of Ireland games would improve clubs’ finances, he said, and help attract better players.

“I can understand why people are wondering why so many can go and watch Liverpool. It will come down to, you think you’re going to watch world stars — Suarez, Gerrard, you know, that’s the difference. It’s a bit like if you go to a show and all the top names are there, you pay more for the tickets don’t you? It’s all down to the preference, what you want to go and see, and I don’t think you can tell people what you have to go and watch. All you can do is try and encourage them as best you can.”

Houghton hailed the FAI Junior Cup, the final of which will be played on Sunday at Aviva Stadium for only the second time, as an example of grassroots development of the game at its best. This year’s decider sees former winners St Michael’s of Tipp face a Ballynanty Rovers of Limerick hoping to win the cup for the first time.

“It’s for the real footballers. The lads don’t get paid for it, they play for the love of the game. They work during the course of the week and go train after they’ve been out doing a proper day’s work and then playing at the weekend with their mates, playing for their parish, it means so much to them. This is the reward, the final, playing at Aviva Stadium and I’m sure both teams are going to have a fantastic day.”