WHY, KEANO?
Roy’s rants have turned people at Old Trafford against him, says Robson
BRYAN ROBSON feels it’s ‘sad’ how Roy Keane’s relationship with Manchester United has deteriorated and believes he has turned people at Old Trafford against him with his constant criticisms of the club.
While they are both former captains who led by example in the red shirt, Robson remains in the good books and now acts as a club ambassador.
Keane, on the other hand, departed in acrimonious circumstances back in 2005 when he criticised teammates in an interview with the club’s inhouse television channel, which subsequently had to be pulled.
That led to a much-publicised falling-out with Alex Ferguson and both he and Keane have traded insults in their respective autobiographies since.
In his role as a football pundit for ITV, Keane has also been critical of new manager Jose Mourinho as well as some of the current squad and Robson reckons he has been blacklisted by some among the Old Trafford hierarchy.
‘Roy is a mate of mine. He lives just around the corner from me and I see him every now and again. And it is sad because Roy had a great career with United. He won everything, he was respected by all the fans and everybody at Old Trafford knew he was a great player,’ the former England skipper said.
‘So to put things in his book, where he has a big fallout with United’s hierarchy, and the fans are split now whether they forgive him for calling out the club and all this sort of thing. It’s a shame because if Roy could have just kept that to himself and doesn’t publicise it he could
get on with his life and he would be well accepted at Old Trafford. But because he made it public he turned a few people against him at Old Trafford.
‘You see the arguments that they [Keane and Ferguson] had when it all came out [in the books]. It’s not just Sir Alex, Roy has had a pop at the club on quite a few occasions and about all different aspects of it so if you’re going to criticise them all the time then you’re not going to get a great reception when you go back.
‘He’s a character that will make his own decisions anyway no matter what I say.’
Ahead of next weekend’s Manchester derby with City, Robson could only offer a fantasy scenario when asked how United could overtake them next season.
‘Sign three Kevin De Bruynes and three Harry Kanes,’ he joked, before seriously looking at what Mourinho must do to right the wrongs of Ferguson’s other successors, David Moyes and Louis van Gaal.
‘I hear West Ham fans say they don’t play the West Ham way. When Sam Allardyce was in there, they were ninth in the league and they were moaning he should be in Europe. Look at where West Ham are now and where their fans are. All sorts of problems.
‘Sometimes you’ve got to go through a barren spell. And I look at United and David Moyes and Louis Van Gaal, the signings they made, I didn’t think they were Man United signings and we were sliding down the league.
‘Louis Van Gaal did well by winning the FA Cup. But United in the league were really deteriorating. Mourinho came in and you could see that his signings looked good signings.’
*Bryan Robson was speaking at the launch of Carling’s Play on a Premier League Pitch Experience. To enter, visit www. facebook.com/