Football News: Roy Keane

There is an old adage that says 'never meet your heroes', and there is good reason for that. Finding out they are merely human after all can be a big disappointment after years of worshipping someone. This is especially ringing true in the case of Roy Keane at the moment.

Gone is the legend, the colossus who stood stride many a football field with a will to win that was as legendary as his play. Now we are being constantly fed snippets from his book, showing him to be a petulant, nasty, vindictive man, who is constantly stirring up controversy to make more money, even though he is extremely wealthy anyway.

A failed manager, who has ended up as an assistant to two managers who are not exactly top level themselves, he is sullying the respect he had built up during his career as a player. We all know he fell out with Fergie, we all know Fergie was not perfect, but that is no excuse to show such a lack of respect for the man whose management helped him to have such a glittering career.

What we are now seeing is more of the Roy Keane who abandoned his career in a fit of childish pique because he wasn't getting it all his own way. That is the Roy Keane on display again, with his childish little digs at those in his career who never rolled over for him. What kind of person do you have to be to show no remorse for the vile assault on Haaland that so badly affected your own career? In fact Keane not just shows a complete lack of remorse for trying to hurt a fellow pro, but he actively blames Haaland!

In private Keane is a very polite, even shy person, from what I have seen on the couple of occasions our paths crossed briefly. He seemed like a very nice bloke with none of the 'do you know who I am' attitude that can often be a big part of success. I often wonder how much he was changed by the bitterness of his exit from Manchester United. The way he was forced out and lost a battle of wills, when up to then everything had been done to keep him happy. It certainly seems Keane can hold a grudge for as many years as it takes to dredge it up for raking in the cash in an autobiography, so it would be no surprise if he is still holding on to the pain of his exit, even now.

Written by Tris Burke October 13 2014 07:18:13