Member 113277
Guest
Keane, if not world class (and I'll leave that to others to argue) was very close and was an excellent all round footballer. The fact he played next to Scholes (another excellent and underrated player - by those outside our club) made both of them look good, since they were complementary in skills. The others in the middle were no slouches, either.
As to comparing different eras, I don't see that it really works, having grown up as a youngster watching Best, Charlton and Law, Bobby Moore, Martin Peters, Geoff Hurst, Alan Mullery, Alan Hudson, Jimmy Greaves etc., the game was so different then that it is very difficult to compare them with the players of the 90's and the same applies to the players of the 90s to the 10s.
For me, Viera and Keane were perfect rivals, they had their own strengths and weaknesses compared to each other, but both were highly effective players who made significant contributions to their teams in a period of intense rivalry and they both had great commitment - as a Utd follower, I always wanted Keane to come out on top, but you had to acknowledge quality playing against us.
As to comparing different eras, I don't see that it really works, having grown up as a youngster watching Best, Charlton and Law, Bobby Moore, Martin Peters, Geoff Hurst, Alan Mullery, Alan Hudson, Jimmy Greaves etc., the game was so different then that it is very difficult to compare them with the players of the 90's and the same applies to the players of the 90s to the 10s.
For me, Viera and Keane were perfect rivals, they had their own strengths and weaknesses compared to each other, but both were highly effective players who made significant contributions to their teams in a period of intense rivalry and they both had great commitment - as a Utd follower, I always wanted Keane to come out on top, but you had to acknowledge quality playing against us.