I’m not too Keane on Ole’s fixture moans

I GET frustrated when I hear managers such as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer moaning about fixture scheduling.

I’ve a little bit of sympathy over the amount of games teams have had to play in the medium term this season, but we all understand the reason why. Moaning about having to play four games in eight days when you have arguably the biggest squad in the country is ludicrous, however, because that’s the very reason clubs have 25-man squads.

Those 25 players are there to be used.

And while I’d argue that Roy Keane (above) as a manager today would probably be defunct, some of the things he is about — character, strength and adversity — are still very much a part of the game.

Solskjaer needs to channel his inner-keano, even if it’s as little as five percent.

SOUTHEND were all but down and out when I arrived from Crystal Palace to play for them in the winter of 1992.

And when the Shrimpers stayed in the Championship – or old Division One as it was then – on the last day of the season, we celebrated like mad.

So I understand where it came from with those Derby players on Saturday (above).

The difference is, staying up for Southend was always going to be a point for celebration.

But Derby – one of the biggest clubs in the country – should not have celebrated because they should never have been in that position in the first place.

A few sombre high fives would have sufficed with a spokesman saying: “You know what, we’ve put the fans through the ringer and we shouldn’t have. Now the hard work begins for next season.”

For a big club like that to celebrate following a poor season, the scenes didn’t look good.