Reading Roy Keane's column in a Sunday paper a week ago was quite an experience . To put it in simple terms : I was shocked by the brashness , you could even you say contempt , he displayed in dealing with one of his subject matters . A certain premiership footballer who has become cannon fodder for many pundits , and commentators due to his recent brush with the law
Over the years , both as a player and his brief, unsuccessful stint as Football Club manager at Sunderland and Ipswich , many of us have learnt that Roy Keane's signature is his blunt , forthright attitude - in words and deeds . For those reading this blog , and wondering who on earth is Roy Keane ? He was Manchester United's captain , and midfield terrier for the better part of a decade . Sir Alex Ferguson' s trusted lieutenant - Barracking , snarling , and snapping at opponents , and team mates in equal measure . His grit , drive , and determination was the backbone for Manchester United Success for many years. Sometimes a tinderbox , he however possessed a ruthlessness in his quest for success . To his credit : he has got a medal haul to impress even Lionel Messi . In management , apart from returning Sunderland to the premiership at first attempt , and retaining their premiership status, the rest of the narrative can be termed as unspectacular and mediocre - He got sacked from both Clubs after tenuous spells . He has since transformed himself into a TV pundit , and column writer . Is it not amazing how this genre has become fashionable for ex-managers . A Class who have failed , but still earn a living lecturing us on stuff they claim to know so well , yet could not implement their lofty ideas on the stage where it should have mattered most - The football Team !!!
Here is Roy Keane in his Column in a sunday tabloid talking about Joey Barton :
" I Never rated Joey Barton that highly as a player . I played against him when he was younger and he never stood out for me . Since then , i have never seen him dominate a game - or be the difference between two sides.......... it's not like the first time he has stepped out of line but there's no indication that he is willing or able to change "..............
At face value , not a lot seems wrong with Roy Keane's Opinions , nor the point he was trying to make when you read his entire column , except that for those of us who are contemporaries of Roy Keane , who watched him play , and remember his behaviour on and off the pitch , his outbursts smacks so much of righteous indignation , and perhaps he should be the last person to offer a critique of Joey Barton. The wider issue here is that too many ex- players and managers now working for the media, sound so disingenuous with their comments and quite a lot of their opinions . They are all so stereotypical , they'd fit in perfectly as a church choir group. How they forget these sins they spend time pillorying players for : they first committed . These themes are recurrent from generation to generation in football. " Bad defending" , "Ball watching", " not pressing" , and all the balderdash they constantly spew almost makes them sound like they were versions of Beckenbauer , Cryuff , Pele, and Maradona . Some of us remember you lot making 1001 sideways passes ; or playing aimless long balls ; or taking a good beating from the opposition forward , hearing you go on about today's players fills us with consternation, for it's reminiscent of you self-possessed lot - when the shoe was on the other foot.
Roy Keane would have us believe because he won titles with Man Utd , it gives him the prerogative to say what he likes , and judge every other player by his supposedly high standards ; and furthermore , every negative action he took on and off the pitch was justified in the end as long as a "trophy ' is won. Keane in his Column tells us .......... " Alex Fergusson took the view that whatever i might have done , it is was still worth having me "........... Mr. Roy Keane , your comments are scandalous , and i am not taking it out of context . How could anyone at Old Trafford in April 2001 to watch the manchester derby forget Roy Keane's Brutal , Vile , Spiteful and Vindictive Challenge on Manchester City's Alf-Inge Haaland . His comments afterwards in his Autobiography reflects the barbarism behind his actions. Read :
" i'd waited long enough . i f****** hit him hard . The ball was there ( i think ) . Take that you C*** .......... Even in the dressing room afterwards , i had no remorse. My attitude was F*** him"..........
There we have it : Insane and Warped !!!! He got a total - 8 game ban for his tackle ( assault ) on Haaland , and those later comments in his book. On this Premise , i urge the media to pay a little more attention to the subject matter they let the columnists write or talk about . Fans should not be served hypocrisy by the print and electronic media . Just because some of your personalities are high profile , does not entitle them to comments that do not hold-up to scrutiny .
Joey Barton is a nasty piece of work - out for self Aggrandizement . Best he earned it by playing , not through notoriety . Folks must not fall for his hoodwink . But neither should they for big names on TV , radio or the print media . Roy Keane has no business going into the subject matter of discipline of players . We are talking of a man who walked out on his international team mates on the eve of the world cup in 2002 , and called his manager ( of Ireland ) Mick McCarthy a " crap " player and manager. Some of them Self-styled pundits would not pass a fit for purpose test . Remember the pinch of salt adage ?
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