Roy Keane

I know it's non-United related but has anyone seen/heard his comment about Kane should be used to disappointments because he plays for Spurs. Genuinely gave me a laugh.

Just saw it :lol: He’s not wrong either
 
Pep’s city carry out tactical/professional fouls all the time, I would go as far as to say they’ve been trained to be particularly effective at it. City do dominate possession but when their opponents have the chance to launch a counter players like Fernandinho or Kompany never hesitated to bring them down. I’m not suggesting they’re dirty just clever. It’s the way City have been properly schooled to snuff out dangerous situations as far away from their own penalty area as possible.
What Keane was getting at, I think, is that Utd players in similar situations either chase back aimlessly without making any sort of tackle at all or recklessly diving in at the last moment to concede free kicks in dangerous positions.
Look at the criticism Fred got after the Everton game for not bringing down his man when he lost the ball in the Everton half. No way Rodri wouldn’t have made the professional foul in the same situation.

I get that. Tactical fouling can be smart and I think that's fine. My issue with Keane is that it seemed to me that he was demanding a rough tackle just for the sake of seeming tough.
 
If that man has any sense he’d take that gig in the fecking fake jungle. His stock will be through the roof after non United fans realise how he’s a dead pan comedian.
 
ITV couldn't afford to pay Keano for I'm a celeb.
He'll be on well over 1m a year for his sky work, and ITV would have to pay him alot more than that as it's a risky career move.
 
You mean why not tackle someone just to look tough? Because it doesn't help and could get them sent off.

That's Keane's point though - it can help. I don't think he was suggesting risking a red card tackle, or looking to seriously hurt an opponent. However, if you're getting outplayed, a strong tackle (or leaving a bit on someone in a fair tackle) can do a few things.

  • Intimidate the opponent into releasing the ball early, as to avoid getting a knock, disrupting rhythm.
  • Rally your team into putting more effort, making the game more physical.
  • Get the crowd going
The game has changed, and its more difficult to do that than it was in his day. I don't think anyone can doubt that a full blooded tackle can ignite a spark in the team - not to just look "tough". Would it have made a difference against City? Probably not but to see an example, look at how Fergie set us up against Arsenal in 2004 when we ended their run. We probably got lucky but there's no doubt that Fergie instructed us to "let them know you're there".
 
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Just came across this on YouTube. Plenty of bits in there that show how good he really was on the ball.

 
That's Keane's point though - it can help. I don't think he was suggesting risking a red card tackle, or looking to seriously hurt an opponent. However, if you're getting outplayed, a strong tackle (or leaving a bit on someone in a fair tackle) can do a few things.

  • Intimidate the opponent into releasing the ball early, as to avoid getting a knock, disrupting rhythm.
  • Rally your team into putting more effort, making the game more physical.
  • Get the crowd going
The game has changed, and its more difficult to do that than it was in his day. I don't think anyone can doubt that a full blooded tackle can ignite a spark in the team - not to just look "tough". Would it have made a difference against City? Probably not but to see an example, look at how Fergie set us up against Arsenal in 2004 when we ended their run. We probably got lucky but there's no doubt that Fergie instructed us to "let them know you're there".

Absolutely this. Remember the crowd reaction to Vidic's crunching tackle against Arsenal just before Silvestre assisted Rooney back in 2006-ish?
 
You mean why not tackle someone just to look tough? Because it doesn't help and could get them sent off.

It shows you mean business.

Vinnie Jones FA Cup Final 1988. He picked out Liverpool’s Steve McMahon right at the kick off and in his own words…..

“I’d watched a video and [Alan] Hansen or someone would knock the ball to [McMahon] who’d then let it come across him to open up so he could play it out the other side,
“The boys knew I was going to smash him because I’d told them that if I could early enough, the referee wasn’t going to send me off in front of in front of about 100,000 people, but I didn’t get too much of a response from the lads, so it was a bit of a gamble so when the ball came into him, I started running – I was about 30 yards away – and I kept thinking ‘just open up’ and he did and thought ‘Merry Christmas.’ BOOM”.

Beautifully done and shook Liverpool who lost 1-0. That is why. It isn’t just about tactics and formation.
 
It shows you mean business.

Vinnie Jones FA Cup Final 1988. He picked out Liverpool’s Steve McMahon right at the kick off and in his own words…..

“I’d watched a video and [Alan] Hansen or someone would knock the ball to [McMahon] who’d then let it come across him to open up so he could play it out the other side,
“The boys knew I was going to smash him because I’d told them that if I could early enough, the referee wasn’t going to send me off in front of in front of about 100,000 people, but I didn’t get too much of a response from the lads, so it was a bit of a gamble so when the ball came into him, I started running – I was about 30 yards away – and I kept thinking ‘just open up’ and he did and thought ‘Merry Christmas.’ BOOM”.

Beautifully done and shook Liverpool who lost 1-0. That is why. It isn’t just about tactics and formation.
Jones was a thug with hardly any footballing ability.I think Dave Beasant saving a pen had more to do with it , well that and Sanchez’s goal.
 
Jones was a thug with hardly any footballing ability.I think Dave Beasant saving a pen had more to do with it , well that and Sanchez’s goal.

“Thug” no, he played hard and you could say the same about Roy Keane, Graeme Souness, Claudio Gentile, and Jaap Stam.
 
It shows you mean business.

Vinnie Jones FA Cup Final 1988. He picked out Liverpool’s Steve McMahon right at the kick off and in his own words…..

“I’d watched a video and [Alan] Hansen or someone would knock the ball to [McMahon] who’d then let it come across him to open up so he could play it out the other side,
“The boys knew I was going to smash him because I’d told them that if I could early enough, the referee wasn’t going to send me off in front of in front of about 100,000 people, but I didn’t get too much of a response from the lads, so it was a bit of a gamble so when the ball came into him, I started running – I was about 30 yards away – and I kept thinking ‘just open up’ and he did and thought ‘Merry Christmas.’ BOOM”.

Beautifully done and shook Liverpool who lost 1-0. That is why. It isn’t just about tactics and formation.

He did an FA cup game a while back where he said he was thinking about it for two weeks before the game and started the run up a week before.

It set the tone for his team for the game, which was so important in games against better teams, to rattle to an important player and keep them quiet for the rest of the game. Everyone else would back off a bit too, because they didn't want to get the same treatment.

Think it was Johnny Giles who called it getting your retaliation in first.
 
Keane is the only one who has a right to have a go at the captain of united..he was a born leader, no nonsense 100% give it all warrior…Maguire wouldn’t lace his boots
 


Talk about being in the right place at the right time. Ireland lost, thanks to a brilliant Henry goal, but Keane was one of the standout players of the night.

What was remarkable was the fact that Keane was playing in a midfield featuring A. Reid, D. Duff and K. Kilbane (fairly industrious but primarily attacking midfielders) against an imposing midfield trio of Makelele-Vieira-Zidane who'd go on to become WC finalists.
 
Keane is the only one who has a right to have a go at the captain of united..he was a born leader, no nonsense 100% give it all warrior…Maguire wouldn’t lace his boots

I'm a massive Keano fan but there was plenty of nonsense with him. He's not your classic leader away from the pitch.

There's loads of examples but leaving the Ireland camp, getting arrested, the way he left United, silly sending offs, getting into fights off field, complaining about pre season conditions. I'm guessing a load of stuff we don't know about.

He's a very complicated, high maintenance guy.
 
I'm a massive Keano fan but there was plenty of nonsense with him. He's not your classic leader away from the pitch.

There's loads of examples but leaving the Ireland camp, getting arrested, the way he left United, silly sending offs, getting into fights off field, complaining about pre season conditions. I'm guessing a load of stuff we don't know about.

He's a very complicated, high maintenance guy.
Not trying to be an ass about it, but all good players/personalities might be complicated and very high maintenance. You don't see it these days because clubs control everything you see and hear about them.

Added to that, they have all the rights to be high maintenance and complicated, like each one of us. In terms of being normal folks with good stuff and bad stuff, football players are the same as you, absolutely the same. Somehow people raise them on a stand thinking they need to be some fecking role model or something like that because of the media exposure they get.

Also, there's no "classic" leader away from the pitch as people lead and behave differently and each type of leadership can be functional in the right team environment.

You're making suppositions based on what you read in the press and seen in a few interviews here and there, without actually knowing the guy.
 
I'm a massive Keano fan but there was plenty of nonsense with him. He's not your classic leader away from the pitch.

There's loads of examples but leaving the Ireland camp, getting arrested, the way he left United, silly sending offs, getting into fights off field, complaining about pre season conditions. I'm guessing a load of stuff we don't know about.

He's a very complicated, high maintenance guy.

Other than getting arrested, one could argue that all the rest of those things happened because of him wanting the highest standards for his team at all times.

The majority of his ex team mates all say the same thing. He was a winner and expected everyone to be like him. That is what made him a fantastic captain, even if he has a screw or two loose somewhere.
 
I'm a massive Keano fan but there was plenty of nonsense with him. He's not your classic leader away from the pitch.

There's loads of examples but leaving the Ireland camp, getting arrested, the way he left United, silly sending offs, getting into fights off field, complaining about pre season conditions. I'm guessing a load of stuff we don't know about.

He's a very complicated, high maintenance guy.

I know what you mean but leadership is different in sports compared to everyday life. It tends to be 90% about setting a good example on the field and in the case of Keane, being a driven and high-demanding winner who placed the same high standards on himself that he demanded of others. .

He is indeed a complicated, high maintenance person. A bit of an egomaniac really. He wouldn't do very well in HR for example :)
 
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Not trying to be an ass about it, but all good players/personalities might be complicated and very high maintenance. You don't see it these days because clubs control everything you see and hear about them.

Added to that, they have all the rights to be high maintenance and complicated, like each one of us. In terms of being normal folks with good stuff and bad stuff, football players are the same as you, absolutely the same. Somehow people raise them on a stand thinking they need to be some fecking role model or something like that because of the media exposure they get.

Also, there's no "classic" leader away from the pitch as people lead and behave differently and each type of leadership can be functional in the right team environment.

You're making suppositions based on what you read in the press and seen in a few interviews here and there, without actually knowing the guy.

The few examples I came up with aren't suppositions at all. They're all events that actually happened.

Nor am I questioning Keane's right to behave how he does. In fact I enjoy it.

But if we're saying Maguire isn't a leader because he cupped his ears what do we say about throwing a strop because the villa provided for pre season isn't big enough?

I love Keano but he's hard work. Away from the pitch it's not how leaders behave. Leaving World Cup squads isn't a type of leadership. It's wildcard behaviour.


Other than getting arrested, one could argue that all the rest of those things happened because of him wanting the highest standards for his team at all times.

The majority of his ex team mates all say the same thing. He was a winner and expected everyone to be like him. That is what made him a fantastic captain, even if he has a screw or two loose somewhere.

Yeah I'm guessing that was his thinking. Don't really want to get into wether his actions are justified as that's been done.

But what today's players get stick for. It's nothing compared to what Keano has got up to.
 
I know what you mean but leadership is very different in sports compared to everyday life, work and politics. It tends to be about setting a good example and in the case of Keane, being a driven and high-demanding winner. SAF was the same, wasn't he?

I don't think anybody would accuse Keane of being a compassionate individual. He wouldn't do very well in HR for example :)

Agree it is different in sports but even by that standard Keane is an extreme. On the pitch amazing. But off it I don't think he's got much room to judge others.
 


Talk about being in the right place at the right time. Ireland lost, thanks to a brilliant Henry goal, but Keane was one of the standout players of the night.

What was remarkable was the fact that Keane was playing in a midfield featuring A. Reid, D. Duff and K. Kilbane (fairly industrious but primarily attacking midfielders) against an imposing midfield trio of Makelele-Vieira-Zidane who'd go on to become WC finalists.


What's even remarkable was that this was a Roy Keane in the last year of his career.

I remember this game and he was top class as he invariably was for Ireland. This was a France team that was struggling badly and had to get Zidane and Makelele out of retirement the month before to make sure they got over the line in qualification. Otherwise they had a midfield of Dhorasoo, Viera and Alou Diarra, they were barely going to make the world cup never mind the final.
 
I'm a massive Keano fan but there was plenty of nonsense with him. He's not your classic leader away from the pitch.

There's loads of examples but leaving the Ireland camp, getting arrested, the way he left United, silly sending offs, getting into fights off field, complaining about pre season conditions. I'm guessing a load of stuff we don't know about.

He's a very complicated, high maintenance guy.
I disagree with this completely just because I don’t really agree that his behaviour away from the pitch means anything unless it impacts his displays on it.

High maintenance - never heard him called that before...high standards yes but surely you’re not equating the two as one is an essential quality of a captain and the other is a common trait of a Prima Donna type which Keane certainly was not.

Getting arrested - No action was taken as it was a setup. Drinking was part of the culture at that time and I dare say had Roy not been present at those drinking sessions his camaraderie and place within the social status of the squad would have been diminished somewhat. Again, has nothing to do with his ability as a captain - people are human with struggles, such as alcoholism and it’s actually a testament to him that his addiction did not impair his ability to Captain Man Utd more.

Leaving Utd - countless players have dissected that interview and incidents that followed. They were there and watched what was said and none, not even those who were called out had an issue with what was said. At the end of the day, he wasn’t the first or last great great player and leader to leave a Ferguson team on bad terms. Again, not sure how that detracts from his ability as a captain and certainly has not tainted the opinions of those he captained.

sending offs - surely cannot be used as a reason to criticise his ability as a captain and if anything goes to show his desire commitment and attitude which culminated in the ferocity we saw week in week out on the pitch. 11 reds in 366 appearances (4 from double yellows) considering his position and the type of player he was...is a great return.

complaining about pre season conditions??? That’s exactly what a captain should be doing - expecting and ensuring the best for his team.

Leaving the Ireland camp - Mick McCarthy was never Keane’s biggest fan and it was a once in a lifetime occurrence where circumstances and narrative culminated in an awful outcome for Irish football. It was far from just Roy Keane’s fault and has no bearing whatsoever on the guys ability to Captain a football team.It was very much the only blot on an otherwise unquestionable record of being a captain at the very highest level.

It sounds like your idea of a captain should be a role model on and off the pitch and dress appropriately and conduct himself well in interviews etc. Gareth Southgate was a captain...Gary Linekar...they were shite!

On the other hand...Tony Adams, John Terry, Paul McGrath are regarded as great Captains in footballing history...each one of them had demons and issues which made them more relatable and admirable to their team mates...each one of them also always finish behind one man on every single list of great captains of the English game ever compiled...Roy Keane.

My captain (and Cantona of course...)
 
Agree it is different in sports but even by that standard Keane is an extreme. On the pitch amazing. But off it I don't think he's got much room to judge others.
What has he done off the pitch?

Give money to charities, visit hospitals, visit schools, sign autographs, keep a low profile...Give his time to help guide dog awareness...never had any family scandals and is by all accounts a good husband and father?

if I’m not aware of something fair enough...but other than the alcohol troubles during his early to mid years at Utd...I can’t think of anything. Seriously, I’d like to know cause I have read the guys books and also less flattering literature on him and it’s not as if he was an awful human being off the pitch...in fact...from a utilitarian perspective he is much better man than me!
 
I disagree with this completely just because I don’t really agree that his behaviour away from the pitch means anything unless it impacts his displays on it.

High maintenance - never heard him called that before...high standards yes but surely you’re not equating the two as one is an essential quality of a captain and the other is a common trait of a Prima Donna type which Keane certainly was not.

Getting arrested - No action was taken as it was a setup. Drinking was part of the culture at that time and I dare say had Roy not been present at those drinking sessions his camaraderie and place within the social status of the squad would have been diminished somewhat. Again, has nothing to do with his ability as a captain - people are human with struggles, such as alcoholism and it’s actually a testament to him that his addiction did not impair his ability to Captain Man Utd more.

Leaving Utd - countless players have dissected that interview and incidents that followed. They were there and watched what was said and none, not even those who were called out had an issue with what was said. At the end of the day, he wasn’t the first or last great great player and leader to leave a Ferguson team on bad terms. Again, not sure how that detracts from his ability as a captain and certainly has not tainted the opinions of those he captained.

sending offs - surely cannot be used as a reason to criticise his ability as a captain and if anything goes to show his desire commitment and attitude which culminated in the ferocity we saw week in week out on the pitch. 11 reds in 366 appearances (4 from double yellows) considering his position and the type of player he was...is a great return.

complaining about pre season conditions??? That’s exactly what a captain should be doing - expecting and ensuring the best for his team.

Leaving the Ireland camp - Mick McCarthy was never Keane’s biggest fan and it was a once in a lifetime occurrence where circumstances and narrative culminated in an awful outcome for Irish football. It was far from just Roy Keane’s fault and has no bearing whatsoever on the guys ability to Captain a football team.It was very much the only blot on an otherwise unquestionable record of being a captain at the very highest level.

It sounds like your idea of a captain should be a role model on and off the pitch and dress appropriately and conduct himself well in interviews etc. Gareth Southgate was a captain...Gary Linekar...they were shite!

On the other hand...Tony Adams, John Terry, Paul McGrath are regarded as great Captains in footballing history...each one of them had demons and issues which made them more relatable and admirable to their team mates...each one of them also always finish behind one man on every single list of great captains of the English game ever compiled...Roy Keane.

My captain (and Cantona of course...)

It sounds like you're not going to have a single word said against him. I get it, I'm a fan as well.

But just as an example. When Keane complained about pre season conditions, it was about his own personal villa. It wasn't big enough apparently. So he rented a different villa "off campus." He wasn't looking out for his teammates. It wasn't any sort of captains duty. He was just being high maintenance. You can't keep Roy Keane happy, he's that type.

Now I don't care about that one bit. It's trivial. I also like his wildcard ways. Nor do I want a vanilla captain.

But this notion that Keane was a perfect leader and therefore fully entitled to say what he wants is a bit far fetched.

He's an extremely flawed, temperamental, contradictory bloke. You can't put him in the same boat as Adams or McGrath. He's a one off.

But when I look at the scrutiny that Maguire or any high profile player lives with today I do wonder how Keane would have faired being as he is.
 
What has he done off the pitch?

Give money to charities, visit hospitals, visit schools, sign autographs, keep a low profile...Give his time to help guide dog awareness...never had any family scandals and is by all accounts a good husband and father?

if I’m not aware of something fair enough...but other than the alcohol troubles during his early to mid years at Utd...I can’t think of anything. Seriously, I’d like to know cause I have read the guys books and also less flattering literature on him and it’s not as if he was an awful human being off the pitch...in fact...from a utilitarian perspective he is much better man than me!

Yeah he's done all the good things above. I'm not painting a black and white picture of him here. People are capable of doing good and bad things. This isn't about judgement. I like him.

I'm just drawing a contrast between what attracts outrage today(cupping ears) compared to years gone by. Ex pros all seem to forget what they got up to.
 
Yeah he's done all the good things above. I'm not painting a black and white picture of him here. People are capable of doing good and bad things. This isn't about judgement. I like him.

I'm just drawing a contrast between what attracts outrage today(cupping ears) compared to years gone by. Ex pros all seem to forget what they got up to.
Yeah the lads today are under the spotlight much more and that’s the issue I feel. Jesus when you read about the stuff that went on back in the day...social media teams wouldn’t know what to do!
 
You have players today more interested in outside factors than concentraiting on football. Much of the pressure on modern players is due to them and for example Lingard,Pogba and others do not excactly shy away from the limelight. Clothing lines, various branding mishaps and so on. Keano was a true leader and we are a club without any at this moment in time. OGS is not a great leader or any of his coaching staff, Woodward and co have been a laughing stock in every aspect related to football and onfield leaders...Maguire is no leader and I struggle to see a leader there...we look like a team of individuals all of the time and we are lead by a manager that shows no improvement or vision on how to move this club forward. So we are very much like a big tankship that does not know were we are heading and nobody on board that can find the way. On top of that we pay one of the highest wage packet in football and what are we getting in output? Keano is just stating what everyone that wants to see it can see...I would have loved having Keano as part of the coaching setup at United for the sole purpose to keep many of these overpaid primadonnas we have on their toes.. I can not stand players coming off the field like they have not given their all....United are constantly overrun and outworked in every match....HOW the feck can that happen at an "elite" club? Keano is just speaking the truth.
 
I think his talk about Maguire is right. But, he should do the same to Ole and not be a hypocrite, holding his tongue when talking about Ole, but starts singing when it is a player. Stop the hypocrisy.
 
Keane is a person I liked when he played for United.

Off the pitch as a manager or a pundit - never felt he was all that accurate or right.

It's one of those things "Keane said this!!!" - soon as I heard that name I already dont care by a good 75%.

Just like Ole - on the pitch great, anything outside that, I'd shake his hand and just about say Goodbye.